Hats off to our first Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship Graduates
Congratulations to Alicia Armstrong and Francesca Brain who have successfully graduated from Buckinghamshire New University with a BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing Degree through the Trust’s apprenticeship programme.
Alicia and Francesca were the Trust’s first Registered Nurse Degree Apprentices (RNDAs) having started their three-year degree programme in the autumn term of 2019.
As experienced healthcare assistants who consistently provided high quality care to our patients, both applied for the degree apprenticeship through their host teams (Oncology and Procare). The teams gave support and funding throughout the three-year course.
The graduate journey took Alicia and Francesca through a rotation of clinical placements across the organisation, allowing them to gain valuable clinical experiences to build and embed the skills and knowledge needed to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Future Nurse Standards.
Jo Mountjoy, Chief Nurse, congratulated the new graduates: “I’m extremely proud of what Alicia and Francesca have achieved. It’s no mean feat studying for a degree while working in a busy healthcare role but their organisational skills, discipline, determination and hard work have really paid off. Well done.”
Tamsin Enticknap-Green, Deputy Director of Nursing and Multidisciplinary Education also praised the graduates’ achievements. She said: “From the first meeting with Francesca and Alicia, having expressed an interest in the RNDA, they stood out as being incredibly passionate about becoming registered nurses. I would like to congratulate them both on qualifying and thank them as they have been inspirational to others, who have since come forward and enrolled on the RNDA.”
After receiving their NMC Pin Numbers, the newly qualified nurses will start the next stage of their careers by joining our District Nursing Teams. Good luck Alicia and Francesca.
Chloe Archer, Apprenticeship Team Lead, added: “I hope Alicia and Francesca’s success will inspire others to sign up for an apprenticeship. It’s a really good way of learning while you earn and there is a lot of practical support and guidance to help anyone embarking on this journey.”