Degrees on offer for trainee nurses on Spire Hospital’s apprenticeship scheme

The five apprentices are part of a group of 165 who have been taken on by Spire Healthcare across the country.

The programme is designed to train healthcare leaders of the future, at a time when there are skill shortages across all providers of healthcare.

The apprenticeship lasts between two and five years, depending on the individual’s prior experience, and apprentices gain a BSc degree on completion. Uniquely for a healthcare apprenticeship, training is provided at a national, rather than regional level.

The programme is open to applicants at all stages of life, including school leavers, university graduates and people looking to retrain. Spire Healthcare’s new apprentices range in age between 18 and 58.

One of the apprentices, Rumour Bedden, 23, from Havant, always knew she wanted to help people and previously worked as a day support worker in the nursing home that her mum also worked at.

After five years Rumour became a senior care assistant and said to her mum she wished there was a nurse apprentice training scheme. The following day the Spire apprenticeship appeared in her job search app and she applied.

Rumour said: ‘Going to university full-time isn’t an option for me financially, and I also learn by doing – I can’t learn in a classroom. This was the best of both worlds for me.

‘Spire is supportive with anything we need. Everyone in the hospital knows us – even the hospital director knows our names and who we are. All of the people on the team are happy to stop what they’re doing and explain things fully when you ask a question.’

Rumour said she loves how the apprenticeship allows her to constantly learn new things on the job.

‘I learn something new every day. The nurses are really good at explaining and giving you the time to research and discuss through.’

‘Kevin Griffths, Hospital Director at Spire Portsmouth, said: ‘We’re determined to play our part in training the clinicians of the future. We are really excited and proud that the apprentices have chosen to kick start their career here, I know that they all have a bright future ahead of them.’

To find out more, visit spirehealthcare.com/recruitment/spire-nursing-apprenticeship-how-to-apply/.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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