Three of our Healthcare Support Workers have just taken the first steps to become future nurses.
They have been accepted on the Open University’s pre-registration nursing programme and begin their studies this autumn.
It is the first time that NHS Forth Valley staff have become involved in this particular programme which is a balance of theory and practice studied part-time over approximately four years. This allows our Healthcare Support Workers the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and professional values in preparation to becoming a NMC registrant whilst working within their substantive posts.
Michelle McLean from Opthalmology, Kimberley Paterson from the interim National Treatment Centre ward and Kasey Saunders from Ward 2 Bo’ness Community Hospital were offered four fields of nursing to choose from – adult nursing, children and young people’s nursing, learning disability nursing or mental health nursing.
The OU programme supports our plans develop and grow our future nursing workforce. It also builds on the existing arrangement with Forth Valley College where we have a cohort of 20 HNC in Care students starting who, if they successfully complete the year-long course, can transfer to year 2 of the University of Stirling’s undergraduate nursing programme.
