Head into healthcare – a Career with Choice

By Mollie Brown - 13 May 2021

Apprenticeships can be a great way to develop a career, especially in healthcare as they provide the chance to re-skill and the opportunity to earn whilst you learn. They also lead to nationally recognised qualifications and a foot in the door to your chosen career.

Develop a career

In Chesterfield, Apprentice Providers have strong links with Chesterfield Royal Hospital, which makes developing a career in healthcare even easier.

The University of Derby work with Chesterfield Royal Hospital to offer apprenticeship training in Nursing.

Lauren Slinn, an Associate Practitioner (AP), used her apprenticeship as a steppingstone to become a registered nurse. “Studying and qualifying as an AP during the pandemic has been hard. It was difficult being redeployed to ITU whilst also writing and submitting assignments, but with the help of tutors at Derby University I have managed to complete it. Now I will be furthering my studies and have begun training to become a registered nurse, something that would not have been possible without the foundation degree apprenticeships.”

Charlotte Grayson, an Operating Department Practitioner apprentice at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, chose an apprenticeship as way of learning and earning on the job. “My apprenticeship is really the only way I could further myself at this point in my life, and my learning. Still being employed full time whilst working towards my degree is amazing. It’s been an amazing journey so far learning to scrub in and work alongside the anaesthetists and other mentors.”

Leanne Stevens, Operating Theatre Education Lead at Chesterfield Royal Hospital explains: “The ODP Degree Apprenticeship has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to be able to support and develop our current staff.

Our Bands 2 to 4 staff now have a career development pathway which enables them to both complete a degree funded through the apprenticeship levy and also to gain Band 5 Registered Professional status as an ODP which opens up many more career opportunities for the future.”

Re-skill

Apprenticeships can provide you the opportunity to re-train and secure employment in a completely different sector.

Sally Ann Thornburn, a Level 3 Adult Care Worker apprentice at One to One Support Services, is a great example of this. She previously worked at an insurance company for 30 years in a management role but wanted a new challenge and was keen to develop a career in care.

She said: “Caring for others is such a rewarding vocation; meeting new people and helping them live the lifestyle they want to lead is incredibly satisfying and since I have taken the apprenticeship the opportunities to improve people’s lives has only increased. It’s such a good course, it’s helped me recognise my specialist areas, it’s helped with the more administrative tasks I undertake each day and perhaps most importantly it’s helped me spot potential challenges my clients face quickly and enabled me to resolve them effectively.

I would recommend the Level 3 apprenticeship to anyone who is looking to progress their career in the care sector- it really does enhance your knowledge bank about the services that you are expected to provide your clients on a day to day basis.”

Diverse range of jobs

In healthcare there are a diverse range of jobs to choose from with lots of apprenticeship pathways to support training in the numerous fields of work.

Annabelle Martin, is a business administration apprentice and junior PA at DHU Health Care completing a Level 4 apprenticeship with Learning Unlimited. She said: “I have been surprised by the variety of tasks that I do as part of my apprenticeship. I actually have a lot more responsibility than I was expecting and I work on some interesting projects.

After I finished my A Levels I was planning to go to university but I decided that it wasn’t the route for me. I didn’t know about university-level apprenticeships at the time but I am really happy that I have the opportunity to study this way and I am looking forward to developing my career with DHU.”

Careers that Care Week

Derbyshire Voluntary Action, The University of Derby and Joined Up Careers have joined forces to deliver Careers that Care Week, an event which aims to showcase careers in health and social care.

Careers that Care takes place from 21^st – 25^th June; access to videos, online events, and information about starting your future career in care will be available. Featured careers include radiography, podiatry and disability support, so if you have ever wondered what these roles involve (or if you have never heard of them and you are curious!) you can watch an interview and see a range of professionals doing their jobs. You can also sign up to Q&A sessions to ask your own questions about the featured careers.

The online hub will also have advice about how to get started in your chosen career – including information about going to university, apprenticeships, volunteering, and current schemes which are available to help you progress. More information and booking for the event can be found on the Careers that Care website.

Overall, if you are looking for a change in career then an apprenticeship in healthcare might be for you and there is more choice than you might first have thought.

More about this sector can be found on the My Future careers platform and further information on apprenticeships can be found on the Apprentice Town website.