As trainee nurses settle into the new academic year, HEE’s Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mark Radford, discusses the support available as you move towards your first registered nursing post.
Preparing yourself to take those first steps into a newly qualified nursing role can feel daunting – as you near the end of your studies you will still have lots that you don’t know or may feel unsure about.
I truly hope that we can help you to feel as prepared and as confident as possible throughout this phase of your journey, and to support this, Health Education England (HEE) recently launched the Preparing for your Future as a Nurse programme via the NHS Learning Hub.
It is an informative programme which, during its two pilots, saw 1,180 students enrol and received very positive feedback from those who have completed it.
The programme was developed for 2nd and 3rd year student nurses as they transition into their first post as a registered nurse, and onwards through the early stages of their nursing career in different settings.
The pilot programme evaluation survey showed that 92% of students felt more confident about starting their first role after completing the programme, and 4.4 out of 5 people are likely to recommend the programme to others.
Students currently preparing to take up their first registered NHS posts, who have completed the programme, said:
“It is so nerve wracking to be thinking about becoming a registered nurse, and this programme has been brilliant to put my mind at ease.”
“I enjoyed how it was easy to follow and how there were lots of interactive parts of the learning. All the information was really useful and insightful to how life will be once qualified and I now feel more confident and more prepared.”
I can truly relate to those initial feelings of nervousness, and I know that I would have found this resource incredibly helpful when I was beginning my career as a nurse.
Created by the HEE south east RePAIR team, students can expect information on:
- Preparing for your new role
- Searching and applying for your new role
- What to expect when you start
- Induction and preceptorship
- How to get support in your new profession
- Making the most of the early stages of your career
- Hear from newly qualified nurses and experts
- Self-management
Extra videos from experts have recently been added, and content has been broken down into easily digestible sections which students can access and complete at times that best suit them.
I would like to wish everyone preparing to enter their first role as a registered nurse the best of luck, and may it be the first step of an exciting and rewarding career for you.
Accessing the programme:
The Preparing for Your Future as a Nurse programme is available on the Learning Hub now. To access it, anyone with an NHS email address or university email address can register on the Learning Hub or login with their elfh Hub details. Visit the Preparing for Your Future as a Nurse programme for further information.
If you would like to leave feedback on the programme, please visit the evaluation form.