Career Ladder

Serving his local community was always one of Phil’s priorities and after working with children in a special needs school, he realised health care was his real passion. But it was during the COVID pandemic that he realised how much he had to offer.

Working as a health care assistant during COVID made me realise what I was capable of. Even though I was community based, my clinical skills were needed on the wards. I’ve got a young family so I needed to earn a wage but I knew I was capable of so much more.

Looking for a chance to progress his career, he successfully applied for a student nursing associate position with Mersey Care. After working in the team four days a week with one day at university, he now has a foundation degree and is loving his job as a nursing associate in the School Health Team.

The qualification includes learning about all four fields of nursing (adult, children’s, mental health, and learning disability) but student nursing associates in this Trust are based in the team which will employ them when they are qualified.

Phil thinks there are huge advantages to this. “You want to hit the ground running on your very first day, so everyone you work with really invests in your development. My manager and our educational lead were always on the look out for the latest training and extra learning opportunities to bring out the very best in me.”

Phil says the support he’s received has helped him make a real difference from day one to the families who need his support. Now he’s looking to the future. “It was a lot to juggle at the time but I’ve had a fantastic opportunity to develop my career. My ambition is to specialise in children’s nursing. The foundation was a great start to build on and achieve my full potential.”

Angela Charles is Mersey Care’s Practice Education Facilitator supporting student nursing associates at Liverpool John Moores and Edge Hill universities. She says, “So many of our students are people who never saw themselves going to university but often have years of experience and knowledge to draw on. This qualification is an incredible opportunity for them and the Trust - investing in their future together.”

Have you dreamed of becoming a nurse but been held back for whatever reason? The Nursing Associate apprenticeship could be the stepping stone to a new career. With no course fees, you earn while you study for a foundation degree and have a guaranteed job at Mersey Care.

Next move

Opportunities will be advertised on Mersey Care’s job vacancy page.

You will need to:

• be at least 18 years old

• have at least two GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English and maths, or Functional Skills Level 2 in English and maths

• have 12 months' experience in a care setting

• be capable of studying at Level 5 and commit to completing the foundation degree programme.

Interested in applying?

Visit merseycare.nhs.uk/ student-nursing-associates for more information and to register your interest.

Find out more about Mersey Care's Student Nursing Associates - read Paula's story.