Registered Nurse Degree Apprentices, Cohort 1 (RNDA 1)

Our first Cohort of Registered Nurse Degree Apprentices.  Their Education programme is pre-2018 meaning that they are governed by Pre 2018 NMC Standards. There will be some limitations in the Clinical skills they can undertake as student nurses.  They are employed by the Trust as a Nurse Apprentice for 37.5 hours per week under A4C T&C’s Annexe 21.

Each apprentice is assigned a ‘Core Base’ where they complete their HCA hours.  Manager of the ‘Core Base’ is the Line Manager for the duration of the apprenticeship which is 4 years, conducting appraisals and managing mandatory training, Annual leave, etc.  All our apprentices are managed in line with existing Trust and OU Policies and Procedures.

Our apprentices are allocated seven (7) weeks annual leave planned for each year – spaced out throughout the year and recorded on the MAPs system.  They do not receive enhanced payments for BH/Weekends/Nights worked during their supernumerary hours.  Any additional bank works is limited to 10.5hrs per week.

This programme is delivered in partnership with the Open University.  At the end of the 4 years our students will gain a BSC (Hons) in Adult or Mental Health Nursing and be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on Part 1 of the Professional Register.

Students working in healthcare are guided by the Learning Charter, which clarifies what placement areas can expect from their students and also what students can expect from their placement area.  The Trust expects students, at all times, to:

• Maintain a professional appearance and conduct
• Respect confidentiality
• Comply with all the Trust’s policies and procedures
• Have all notes, care plans and risk assessments countersigned by their Supervisor
• Remember Information governance when accessing trust computers
• Contact the Clinical Education Team if there are any issues in your placement
• Comply with the current Government and Trust guidance in relation to COVID-19
• Ensure that you are appropriately supervised for any task that you are asked to carry out.
• Please ask for help when you need it – You should be aware of any restrictions which apply to you in carrying out certain tasks and follow any relevant policies of your education provider or practice placement provider.
• Recognise that opportunities for carrying out any unsupervised tasks will vary during your programme and may depend on your knowledge, understanding, skills and experience.
• Only carry out an unsupervised task if you feel that you have the appropriate knowledge and skills to do so safely and effectively.
• Take responsibility for your own learning and get to know your PAD!
• Ask for, listen to, reflect and respond proactively to feedback you are given. 

All our nursing apprentices are employees of the Trust.  As such there is a requirement that every individual member of Trust staff reviews their mandatory training responsibilities and ensures they are up to date.  At the start of their programme all apprentices must achieve 100% mandatory training completion before they are able to start in practice.

Many apprentices may only have once placement in their core base area making it difficult for the manager to complete an appraisal.  This appraisal can be completed during any review meeting that the student has with their assessor.  The apprentice can self-reflect and then prepare the section at the beginning of the appraisal document.  The objectives for the year can come from the learning objectives set during the review meeting.  Once this can been completed the apprentice must then send a copy to their core base manager for confirmation.

Click here for the Appraisal form. 

All Adult, Child, Mental Health and Learning disability branch student nurses, irrespective of which University they attend, will wear a blue and white stripe tunic and navy trousers whilst on placement. When on placement in other settings our apprentice nurse’s will follow the uniform policy guidance for that area.

All staff including apprentices are required to adhere to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Uniform Policy.

Briefly this includes:

• All facial and tongue piercings must be removed whilst working in clinical practice
• One set of stud earrings
• One plain wedding band with no stones
• No artificial nails or nail polish of any kind – natural, short nails only
• Bare below the elbows .
• Hair tied up and off of your collar.  
• Uniform must be clean every day and washed at 60 degrees or above.
• Please do not wear your uniform to and from work.

Our apprentices are issued with a uniform at the start of their programme.  If, during their studies, a student requires replacement uniforms we ask that the core base manager completes the uniform request form. Please click here for the link.

In collaboration with the apprentice HEI the Clinical Education Team will produce a placement plan for each individual student.  This will ensure that our students meet the practice requirements in terms of hours and specialities to enable them to then register with the NMC.

The details of placement allocations are shared with managers and areas at the beginning of every month.  Our apprentices are not given details of their placement allocations at the beginning of the programme as there are often changes due to operational reasons.  Any students that need this information in advance is asked to contact the CET via iownt.clinicaleducationteam@nhs.net detailing the reason for the request.  The team will do all they can to accommodate this if at all possible. 

Click here to see placement dates & working hours for RNDA 1 

Click here to see Working Hours Information for RNDA 1. 

At the end of the final placement every nursing apprentice, whether they are a Nursing Associate or a Registered nurse, will undertake a period of transition whilst our students are waiting to receive their PIN number.  During this time our apprentice nurses will:

• Remain employed as a nursing apprentice until they receive their PIN no. under their annex 21 agreements
• Receive a variation of contract letter once their PIN numbers have been received.
• Will move to the area in which they are to be employed post training. Managers will need to complete a change form for the change of cost centre at this stage.
• Once the PIN number has been received managers are asked to complete a further change form to amend their contracts.
• Undertake supervised practice at all times, but will not need any assessments to be completed.
• Off duty is allocated at 37.5hrs per week and subject to the needs of the department.
• Remaining annual leave is applied for individually by the student.
• Be offered a ‘buddy’ or preceptor
• Be enrolled on the preceptorship programme, again once the PIN number is received.

Please contact the Clinical Education Team for any advice or questions during this time on iownt.clinicaleducationteam@nhs.net

*The weeks are allocated during the programme and should be booked by the student via the MAPs system.  Any adjustments will need to be discussed with the core base manager and the education team. 

The Annual leave tab is a record of the allocated annual leave for the duration of the programme and should be booked by via the MAPs system, and confirmed by their line manager.  Any adjustments to annual leave dates will need to be discussed with the core base manager and the education team. 

5 Years Trust service 

Some apprentices who have been working in the Trust for longer than 5 years may have additional annual leave to take.  There is a week in the programme where these extra hours may be taken, subject to successful completion of all study and placement activity. 

10 Years Trust service 

Some apprentices who have been working in the Trust for longer than 10 years may have additional annual leave to take.  There is a week in the programme where 37.5 hours may be taken, subject to successful completion of all study and placement activity.  There will be a remained of hours (currently 7.5hrs) which the Trust have kindly agreed to reimburse any student who is unable to take these additional hours. 

All annual leave and study leave must be requested via either allocate me or employee online. 

During induction into a new placement area all students must plan their clinical and study hours. As far as is practicable these shifts should be aligned with the practice supervisors and assessors of the students. 

Timesheets must be completed and signed on a daily basis and reflect the actual clinical practice hours worked and study time completed. Alongside this the off the job learning form must reflect study time completed and must also be signed following discussion with the supervisor or assessor.

It is the apprentices responsibility to send an electronic record of their timesheet and off the job learning form to their core base manager, placement area manager and OU practice tutor on a monthly basis.

Failure to do so means that the apprentice will not be able to demonstrate clinical practice and academic study hours required for NMC registration.

Click here for a Timesheet

Click here for an Off the Job Learning form

We recognise that some of our apprentices will think about undertaking additional work as HCA’s by working for the Trust bank. We would not recommend this as it may affect their study and performance in placement.  However any students do please be mindful that their contract states that ‘you may not work more than 10.5 hour of additional work in any one week’; this reflects the EU working time directive.

RDNA and TNA apprentices can be supervised by any registered healthcare professional who has been appropriately prepared to support them.  Please note that for RNDA apprentices the Practice Assessor must be a nurse registered in the same field of practice in which the student is studying. TNA apprentices can be practice assessed by a registered nurse or a registered nursing associate.

They can expect that whilst they are on placement they will have:

• Support from a named and allocated Practice Assessor / Supervisor / Educator with constructive feedback at regular intervals.
• A local induction in your clinical area within the first 24hrs
• A planned work/shift  pattern for the duration of the placement
• Supernumerary status throughout their placements that supports quality learning experiences
• A quality learning environment with a culture that encourages learning in practice
• Practice experiences with effective learning and a successful placement
• An audited clinical area to ensure a quality learning environment
• Support from the Clinical Education Team

At the end of the apprentice nurse training programme they will all undertake practice supervisor training which will enable them to support learners as soon as they qualify and feel confident to do so.  It is an NMC requirement (NMC 2018), that the registered nurse will:

Share your skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of people receiving care and your colleagues

To achieve this, you must:

9.1 provide honest, accurate and constructive feedback to colleagues

9.2 gather and reflect on feedback from a variety of sources, using it to improve your practice and performance

9.3 deal with differences of professional opinion with colleagues by discussion and informed debate, respecting their views and opinions and behaving in a professional way at all times

9.4 support students’ and colleagues’ learning to help them develop their professional competence and confidence

Find Practice Assessor/Supervisor information here.

Find the NMC Code here.

Our apprentices are supported by a dynamic and enthusiastic team of people, which includes the placement areas and the education team, who all work together.  For any questions do please contact the iownt.clinicaleducationteam@nhs.net and we will endeavour to answer your query as soon as possible.

Monthly ‘coffee and catch up’ sessions will be provided for each cohort, as well as a monthly student forum.   

These will be held on the first Wednesday of each month from 10:00 - 10:30. Please click the link below to join.

Click here to join the meeting 

As members of Trust staff our apprentices are also able to access all support that is available to assist staff in delivering compassionate, person-centred care.  Please review your .net email account as regular newsletters are sent to every member of staff.

The Open University also provide both academic and pastoral support for their apprentices.  For details on how students can access this support please click here.

For any OU enquiries please contact hwsc-sswlocality@open.ac.uk

At the end of each placement all students are required to complete an honest and constructive evaluation of each placement.  This is shared with the placement area to create a high quality, supportive learning environment.  All areas very much value this feedback.

Please click here for the Open University Evaluation form.

Please click here for the Trust quick Smarter Survey (This will also be sent out via email)