A Cumbrian NHS trust has welcomed a record number of student nurses and midwives into its team.
Eighty-four students from the University of Cumbria (UoC) are on placement across the trust in both acute and community teams. As part of the placement, all students have a full day induction, covering topics such as how to look after their own health and wellbeing; infection prevention; how to raise concerns; the student placement journey and up-to-date COVID-19 information relevant to the time on their placement.
Gemma Lumsdon, Practice Education Facilitator at NCIC, said: “We have seen an increase in the number of students across all professions attending the trust for their placements. We have worked with our teams to increase our learner capacity to support additional placements to train more students.
“This has included the introduction of different models of supervision in many areas. In addition, the pandemic appears to have inspired more people to join the NHS, we have some mature students who have changed career to become nurses.”
An additional 13 nurses started placement from the University of Central Lancashire and 21 midwifery students from UoC were inducted to the trust this month, there will also be radiography, physiotherapy and occupational therapy students joining the trust later this year.
Gemma added: “We want to give our learners the best possible experience so that they want to stay with us and develop their career with us. Students are very much part of our teams when they come on placement. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the teams across the trust who have supported learners and to the teams who have supported during the induction sessions to help prepare the students for practice.”
Meet the students
Student nurse – David Owen
David is currently on placement at the Cumberland Infirmary and is halfway through his first year.
Before he started on his course David was a service coordinator for a social care service in Liverpool.
He said: “Nursing appealed to me because I saw it as a progression from what I was doing. I was interested in a role that involved clinical decision making as well as just supporting. Also, I have had a lot of experience working for private health and social care providers and I never felt as though I was afforded an adequate level of protection. In the NHS there are standards and clear policies/protocols to follow.
“I am getting a great deal out of my placement. Everyone in the clinic is helpful and friendly. They have taught me lots of new skills and I have been able to meet people from lots of different backgrounds.
“I get to take readings on an ECG, measure heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels, calculate body mass indexes and recently I have taken a more hands-on role during the pre-surgical assessment itself.”
David admits a pandemic is a strange time to be training.
He said: “We have to be fastidious when it comes to PPE and hand hygiene. It is a strange time to be training.
“The experience of working during the pandemic is something that will no doubt shape everyone who went through it. The skills you develop such as helping manage people’s heightened anxieties, communicating through masks, infection control and working under pressure all help make you a better nurse in the long run.”
David’s ultimate career goal is to become a nurse. He said: “I’m not sure what type of nurse yet. We’ll see what I’m good at and where I fit in. I’d like to try as many different nursing roles as I can.”
Student midwives – Emily Booker and Sarah Cairns
Emily and Sarah are currently on placement in the day assessment unit at CIC.
They said they were really enjoying their placement and were getting good experience.
They said a typical day involved obtaining and testing samples, carrying out patient assessments, recording and monitoring vital signs, performing blood sugar monitoring and developing communication skills and knowledge.
Emily said: “Working in a hospital environment during a pandemic has been quite a challenging but good experience.”
Sarah said: “I’m enjoying my placement and the skills I am learning.”
They are currently on a three-year midwifery course and will qualify in 2024.
