My teachers have just been outstanding

What made you want to pursue a career in nursing? 

“Nursing did cross my mind when I was a kid, but I actually always thought that I wasn’t clever enough to be a nurse. 

“Then when I finished college I went to work at the NHS Blood Transplant Service. I worked under a nurse taking blood donations. Over time I really got to know the nurses and see the way they worked and how much knowledge they had. It was this that made me really want to be a nurse and have that privilege of looking after people.

“By the time I’d come to that decision I was 20 and I had a house and bills so I couldn’t afford to do a full time degree. I approached the organisation that I worked for about doing an apprenticeship, but I couldn’t do it through them. Then I came across the Nursing Associate programme, which could be a step towards me becoming a nurse whilst still having the security of a distinct qualification.”

What are the biggest benefits of an apprenticeship compared to other routes into nursing?

“Obviously the financial side is massive. You’re being paid a wage which allows you to continue to live independently. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t have that income.

“Until recently access to nursing was quite limited; unless you stepped straight out of college into university it was quite a hard path to get onto. So the apprenticeship has just massively opened the door for people who’ve wanted to be nurses for years and years but haven’t been able to.”

What are the most rewarding aspects of being an apprentice?

“I really love being in education, personally. I really feel like it’s taking something that’s theoretical and bringing it into real life. You end up with very, well rounded knowledge. That’s how you make a difference to the patient; they might present with one thing, but there’s other things you need to consider which you can’t do unless you know how everything works together.

“Also just being able to do things that are challenging. I recently completed the first part of my dissertation. It was another level of academic writing that was completely alien to me. Getting to the point of being able to submit it was really rewarding, especially as I previously thought I wasn’t clever enough. That was a nice full circle moment.”

Talk us through your experiences on the nursing apprenticeship; what have you enjoyed?

“There’s a lot of critical thinking and evidence-based practice on the course. You’re taught to look at a situation or piece of research and be critical about it and understand what it means for your practice. Which is really interesting because it translates into real life as well and how you perceive the information around you. It just gives you a broader perspective on what’s happening in nursing and in the wider world.

“Another interesting part of the nursing apprenticeship is that you basically join the BMedSci Nursing students about halfway through their course. That means you follow their timetable of theory and placement blocks. That’s different to the Nursing Associate apprenticeship where you go on day release to the university, and spend most of the time in your base placement."

I recently had a cardiothoracic intensive care placement, which I found really interesting. I’d never done any cardiology before; it's not something that I had a special interest in, but now I can definitely see myself going into that kind of field. In that way placements can be really surprising!”

Laura Moorcroft

Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship

How have you found the support at the University?

“It sounds really cheesy but I really love going to the University of Sheffield! I’ve had a really good experience on both of the apprenticeship courses. Of course there's been times when things have been challenging, but my teachers have just been outstanding. Judith leads both the nursing apprenticeship programmes and a lot of the teachers cover both courses so there’s a nice continuity to your lectures. 

“The teachers really want you to do well, and they value your feedback too. There’s things we thought could have been improved about the course that have been implemented. There’s just a great respect between teachers and the students. They view us as professionals, and it’s been like that from day one.”

What advice would you give to someone considering a nursing apprenticeship?

“The main thing is just to take the opportunity. It can be a difficult profession to get into but you absolutely can do it; you are clever enough to do it. If you’re a caring person, you care about your patients, and you want to progress and you want to learn, then nursing is where you want to be. There's so much scope out there professionally in terms of what you can do. Once you've got that degree, the world's your oyster really.”