T-level trainees trade textbooks for treating patients
A group of local teenagers have kickstarted their NHS careers, spending a year gaining hands-on training and experience in our hospitals as they prepare for careers in nursing and midwifery.
The students are completing T-level qualifications at local colleges, doing courses designed to give young people hands-on, practical workplace experience alongside their studies.
The placement programme includes 350 hours of workplace training over the academic year.
To achieve this, the teenagers from local colleges including Barking & Dagenham College and Monoux College in Walthamstow stepped out of the classroom to work full-time Monday-to-Friday shifts in two-week blocks.
The training took place throughout the year, starting in October and culminating in a graduation ceremony earlier this month.
Don Santos, from our Education team, praised the students for adapting to a demanding environment that requires 07.30 starts.
Don said:
This cohort is incredibly resilient. They’ve grown up through the disruption of Covid-19 and are a very 'online' generation, more used to communicating online than face-to-face.
Coming into a very busy hospital environments like King George and Queen’s hospitals, many initially lacked the confidence to talk directly to people.
They needed to develop practical, work-ready skills that you simply cannot learn from a screen or a textbook.
To see them dedicate themselves to this experience has been fantastic, and I’m grateful to the staff mentors who guided them.
Our programme has grown, with the number of participating students jumping from 14 last year to 25 this year.
While 21 of the current students focused on healthcare, we’ve expanded the programme to include four students working in administrative roles, gaining experience in essential behind-the-scenes hospital operations, including the Estates and Facilities and Medical Workforce departments.
The impact of the hands-on programme was highlighted at a graduation event, where the students delivered a presentation to thank the hospital staff and showcase what they had learned.
Among the graduates is Denise Wontumi, 18, from Chadwell Heath, who used the placement to prepare for a degree in midwifery.
Denise:
I learned vital communication skills and how to safely do things independently, like checking patient observations and using my initiative to talk to patients.
It was amazing to see medical procedures working in practice instead of just reading about them.
I got to witness ECGs, a CT scan, blood tests, and cannulations first-hand. It gives you a much better knowledge of the different routes available to you.
Fellow student, Juland Grant, 18, from Enfield, had never set foot in a clinical working environment before the placement.
Juland said:
Reaching graduation feels like a massive milestone, I actually did it.
This was my first real experience in a clinical setting, and it was everything I expected and more.
I got to see exactly what goes on behind the scenes, learned how to take patient observations, communicate with patients, and escalate care issues. The staff were incredibly kind. It has given me the confidence to pursue university this September to train as a children's nurse.