A unique Staffordshire University initiative puts T Level students at the centre of its drive to boost NHS nursing staff levels.
The Staffordshire Nurse pilot programme helps college pupils taking the new qualification to build confidence and resilience as they consider pathways into their chosen careers.
It also gives them the chance to learn practical clinical skills such as wound management at the University’s high-tech Centre for Health Innovation in Stafford.
Louise Hulme, Nursing Lecturer who is leading the Staffordshire Nurse initiative, said: “The simulated learning we provide in a very safe environment builds the students’ confidence for the live examination they will undertake as part of their T Level studies.”
Staffordshire University is working to deliver the scheme with City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, Stoke-on-Trent College, Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group and the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust.
Through support in a college setting together with in-house training at the University, the Staffordshire Nurse programme equips T Level Healthcare students with extra practical knowledge as well as easing their pathways into nursing including University studies.
As a complement to the T Level curriculum, the initiative is playing an important role in growing the future NHS workforce by giving students a smooth route from college through to registered nurse status.
It ensures there is no transition gap between T Levels and access to Higher Education.
So far around 60 T level students have been equipped with clinical skills, prepared for work placements and given support to apply for nursing degrees.
At the Centre for Health Innovation, they are experiencing “simmersive” teaching, using cutting edge interactive mannequins in simulated clinical environments.
They also receive careers advice and guidance from University staff, along with practical experience in real hospital settings for their course placements.
Staffordshire University’s aspiration is to roll out the Staffordshire Nurse scheme more broadly in the future, to help NHS England meet its growth target of an extra 2,500 nurses in the region by 2028 under its long-term workforce plan.
