APPRENTICES have started their first step towards a career in nursing.

More than 100 students are starting a nursing associate higher apprenticeship at Oxford Brookes this year.

At the end of the two-year course, the students will become nursing associates. The role is a new one, introduced in the wake of a 2015 review by quango Health Education England that identified a skills gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses.

Jane Smart, one of the new nursing associate students at Oxford Brookes’ Swindon campus, said: “I have chosen this apprenticeship because I want to make a greater contribution to the team in which I work.

“By developing my clinical skills and underpinning this with knowledge, I will improve the quality of the care I give to patients."

“I look forward to taking on greater responsibility and being able to share my knowledge and experience with colleagues in the future.”

Once qualified, nursing associates will support nurses in hospitals and other health settings.

Caroline Hardy, senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, said: “We are very excited to be part of a new development in nursing education. We have worked very closely with our healthcare partners to develop a robust and evidence based-apprenticeship.

"This new route will make a swift and concrete difference healthcare in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and beyond.”

For more, visit: www.brookes.ac.uk/nursing.