CHOOSING A DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP

I left school without any A-levels and worked a few entry-level jobs while I started my family. When my daughter went to school, I enrolled in night classes and eventually went to university full-time as a mature student, qualifying as an occupational therapist at the age of 38. For the past seven and a half years, I’ve worked at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust as a Team Lead for the Occupational Therapy service. I’ve always said I didn’t want to study for a Masters as it didn’t seem to be a route to anything other than management roles. However, the opportunity for the degree apprenticeship came up, and it seemed different. The Advanced Clinical Practitioner Masters Degree Apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to return my focus to my “happy place” – clinical practice – and move my career in the direction I wanted it to go.   

CAREER PROGRESSION 

When I first started the degree apprenticeship, I didn’t really see how my experience and role as an Occupational Therapist “fit” with being an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). I have made a real effort to network with other Occupational Therapists ACPs during my studies, and because of this and of my learning on the programme, I am now confident of the benefits that my experience and professional background can bring to an ACP role in any setting, whether clinical or in the community.    

PROFESSIONAL IMPACT 

As part of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner Masters Apprenticeship, I have undertaken a quality improvement project (QIP), addressing fatigue management in elderly oncology patients. The aim of the project was to introduce a fatigue screen to all oncology patients over the age of 65. To do this, I used a standard, accepted fatigue screen and delivered a presentation for all the members of my team on its use, testing their knowledge of fatigue management before and after the presentation.

As a result of my work on the QIP, the team are now able to educate patients on fatigue using a tips and techniques fact sheet in several different clinical settings, resulting in better management of patient expectations and resilience to treatment. I’ve also started using my expertise in fatigue management across the Trust, delivering informational presentations to multiple teams to aid their support of patients.   

I have had a conference abstract accepted to speak about my work on the QIP at the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) Annual Conference, held in France. This is a leading conference for health professionals involved in the treatment of older cancer patients. Attending the conference will expand my professional networks as well as give me the opportunity to showcase the value of fatigue management to a wider geriatric oncology audience. 

SUPPORT RECEIVED FROM THE UNIVERSITY

The support from Manchester Met has been excellent, particularly from my Skills Coach, who has always been on hand for advice and encouragement. Some modules have been more challenging than others, but I’ve always known where to go for additional support. In the workplace, it’s really key to have a good mentoring relationship in place. Personally, I could not have made it through the past two and a half years without the emotional support of my family.    

ADVICE FOR NEW DEGREE APPRENTICES 

I would always say; network, network, network! Being a degree apprentice will open up opportunities for you to network with your cohort, other cohorts, and with a wide range of specialists in your workplace and beyond. Take advantage of this to build your knowledge and experience while you undertake your studies as it will be of huge benefit to you in the long run.   

Find out more about the Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship.