I have two younger brothers who needed medical support at home so I was often involved with care which inspired me to work in healthcare.
At first I wanted to be a midwife so I went to Newcastle College to do NVQs in Health and Social Care – Levels 2 and 3 – but to take things further I needed a GCSE in Maths.
Through the ‘Bridges to Learning’ programme I was supported to do an online course and successfully gained this qualification.
I was now able to apply for a healthcare support worker role and started working in critical care helping to care for patients with conditions which were mostly neurological.
I decided I wanted to pursue my career further into nursing and successfully applied to be a Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA).
I started in March 2023 and my base ward is Ward 16 – a neurological ward at the RVI – where I spend most of my time working along qualified nursing colleagues.
So far I’ve had placements in Haemophilia and Care of the Elderly at the Freeman Hospital and will spend time in the Diabetes Centre, the Assessment Suite as well as nursing in the community and health visiting.
The TNA programme means I work full time with University assignments when I’m not working.
It’s hard work but I think it’s a great approach – learning whilst you’re working.
#WeAreHCSWs
