Trainee Nursing Associates, Cohort 5 (TNA 5)

Nursing Associates bridge the gap between Registered Nurses and HCA’s.  It is a new generic role which allows the nursing associate to support the registered nurses in all specialities.  Although Trainee Nursing Associates (TNA's) are not expected to assess and plan care, they develop skills during their training which enable them to effectively and safely support individualised, patient-centred care. These apprentices are NOT preparing to be Registered Nurses but Registered Nursing Associates.  

Under supervision, and in addition to effectively monitoring and supporting the physical and mental condition of the patient, TNA’s are able to:

• Support registered nurses to deliver safe, compassionate, planned care
• Administer basic mental health first aid
• Undertake venepuncture but NOT cannulation
• Measure blood glucose levels
• Undertake ECG’s
• Support oral and enteral routes of nutrition
• Undertake wound care
• Provide catheter care but NOT insertion
• Administer oxygen, humidification and nebulisation
• Undertake nasal and oral suctioning
• Undertake peak flow reading
• Administer medication via oral, topical and inhalation routes
• Administer subcutaneous and intramuscular injection
• Administer enteral medication
• Administer enemas and suppositories
• Manage and monitor medication effectiveness

The TNA Apprenticeship is a 2 year programme leading to a Foundation Degree in Nursing Associate Practice. This course is delivered in partnership with the Open University.  On qualification the Nursing Associate will be able to work in all fields of nursing. 

Upon successful completion of their studies Nursing Associates will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on the Professional Register as a Nursing Associate. 

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 to access the current Appraisal form and guidance.

All nursing students, 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 Dress Code and 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 Open University 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.

Trainee Nursing Associates will undertake 3 placements per year.  All practice interviews should be completed for all placements, whether listed as assessed or non-assessed placements.

Click here to see placement dates & working hours for TNA 5.

Study and annual leave is allocated by the placements team during the programme and should be booked by the student via Allocate Me or Employee Online and confirmed by their core base manager.  Any adjustments to annual leave dates must 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.  Time will be planned into 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.  Time will be planned into the programme where these extra hours may be taken, subject to successful completion of all study and placement activity.

Click here to see Annual Leave & Study week dates for TNA 5.

All annual leave and study leave must be requested via either Allocate Me or Employee Online. 

All apprentices will be using a very similar assessment document.  The expectations, from a student development perspective, will vary between year to year and also between RNDA and TNA courses.  These differences will also be reflected in the PAD.

It is a requirement of the course that this assessment document is completed accurately and in a timely manner. Copies of the PAD and guidance for completion of the PAD can be found here.

PART 1 (YEAR 1)

PART 2 (YEAR 2)

There is also a requirement that the Ongoing Achievement Record is completed at the end of each placement.  This is an additional document to the PAD and must be completed during the final interview of each placement.  This is a checklist to ensure everything has been covered, and is also used as a handover record for the next assessment team.

OAR

Annex A and B are additional skills that are set out by the NMC that all nursing students must demonstrate by the end of their programme.  These skills focus on communication and clinical skills, and can be found in the PAD document (see link above).  Guidance for the assessment of these skills is found in the proficiency section and Ongoing Achievement record related to each year (Part) of the apprentice programme.

Apprentices undertake training in the clinical skills by using the IW NHS Trust clinical skills.net platform (they must have their own login to register their training).  Clinical skills.net will provide the relevant pre-course learning.  Once completed it is the apprentice’s responsibility to book the practical training element of the skill on ESR.  Only when all of these steps are completed are apprentices able to undertake supervised practice of these skills in the clinical setting.

Click here to access Clinical Skills.net

Medicines management is to be in line with the assessment within the PAD. To be able to administer medications students will need their own access to the JAC EPMA system. To gain access students will need to complete the relevant training tracker modules. Once these have been successfully completed students must email a copy of their certificate along with a completed security access form to the Pharmacy helpdesk. For full details please follow the below link to the Pharmacy intranet pages

http://intranet.iow.nhs.uk/Home/Clinical-Support-Cancer-and-Diagnostics/Pharmacy/Pharmacy-Systems/EPMA-JAC/Systems-Training

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 considering this must be mindful that their learning agreement states ‘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 face to face 'drop-in' sessions will be facilitated for students, as well as a monthly student forum.

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 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 quality, supportive learning environment.  All areas very much value this feedback.

Please click here for the Evaluation form.

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