Chelsey
Stockton

What made you choose this course? 

Having worked within healthcare since leaving college, Nursing is something I had considered for a long time. Nursing became my dream, however, as a mature student with a full-time job, I was unsure of the route to take. When the opportunity of Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (Adult Nursing) with Nottingham University Hospitals and Nottingham Trent university arose, I knew this was the best option for me, especially considering the excellent reputation of Nottingham Trent university and its facilities.

How has the course so far helped you prepare for your career?

So far, despite a challenging time to be starting a nursing degree, the course has taught me so much ranging from self-awareness, the history, and philosophies of Nursing to crucial Nursing skills including life support, recognition of a deteriorating patient and taking and recognising patient VITAL signs.

Could you describe your experience of being a student at NTU so far?

My experience as an NTU student so far has been fantastic. NTU has shown resilience to the unforeseen circumstances of COVID-19 and I have felt supported throughout. The lecturers have worked so hard and it really shows. They have demonstrated such a passion for nursing, and I have thoroughly enjoyed all lectures and practical sessions so far. The simulation patients and facilities are incredible and so realistic, it is amazing! There is now also a Nursing society which I am excited to be a part of! The cohort has also been incredible, it has been lovely to share the experience with equally passionate student nurses.

Could you tell us about the support you received from your tutors and university staff?

The support from tutors and university staff has been amazing. The tutors and lecturers have been so responsive on emails and really gone above and beyond to ensure we settle in at NTU and reach our full potential. There have also been brilliant resources and help from the library staff who are also always on hand to help and offer support and advice.

We’ve had to transition to remote teaching during the coronavirus outbreak. How have you found that change? Do you feel the University’s responded well to the challenge?

The change in ways of learning has been a learning curve and has had its challenges. However, I think that NTU has dealt with it brilliantly and I still feel I have had informative, interesting online sessions that I have still managed to engage with and learn from. This being said, clinical skills at university have still been going ahead and this has been so beneficial and welcomed during these strange times!

During this period of remote teaching, have you still been able to access the kinds of guidance and support you’d normally expect? 

The guidance and support has been amazing throughout the course so far and the nursing team and NTU staff have been so responsive to emails and queries. NTU has gone above and beyond my expectations, even during the pandemic. I feel extremely lucky as a Registered Nurse Degree Apprentice that I will have a job within Nottingham University Hospitals at the end of the course and feel confident that NTU will support us to becoming the best nurses we can.

Did you do a UK placement, and if so, please tell us about that?

I have recently completed my first placement in a Nottingham University Hospital, and it has been one of the best, most valuable experiences I feel I could have had and that was only placement one! With so much to learn, I have taken so much from it and will definitely not forget the experience! I think it is great as-well that the Registered Nurse Degree Apprentices are given the same placement opportunities as the other BSc (Adult) Nurses.

If you recommended this course to a future student, what would you say?

I would most certainly say, go for it! Nottingham Trent has been amazing so far and provided me with teaching and experiences that will help me in my studies and career. It has opened my eyes to the possibilities that a nursing degree can offer, and they have also been so supportive and offer so much including library team one to ones for academic support and all-round support from lovely tutors. The new facilities are also in the process of being built and the current ones are already brilliant so I can only imagine they will be incredible! Also, please be assured that as a Degree Nurse Apprentice, you get the full university experience and support. It really is an incredible opportunity to help you to fulfil your dream of becoming an adult nurse, and I am proud to be part of NTU!