National Apprenticeship Week 2022

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2022, we're highlighting some of the hospital's amazing apprentices and also key members of staff involved in the process.

Maisie Cooper is a Procurement Apprentice for Health Procurement Liverpool (hosted by The Walton Centre):

A moment in my apprenticeship where I have been proud of myself was when I spoke over the phone for the first time with one of our suppliers. As I came straight from school into my apprenticeship, I had never had to experience a situation such as this and it has overall helped me gain confidence to do this on a regular basis.

One of the things I enjoy most about my job role is that as I am the apprentice for Health Procurement Liverpool (An alliance across four trusts) I get to go across all of the different Trusts regularly and meet/communicate with staff from not just a procurement background but from all different areas.

I chose to go down the apprenticeship route as I knew that I wanted to not only learn but also get the hands on experience so that I can get a better understanding of what procurement is and what sort of processes it involves.

My goal at the end of my apprenticeship is to gain a permanent role within any of the trusts that are a part of Health Procurement Liverpool.

The advice that I would give to someone that is hoping to start an apprenticeship is to never be afraid to ask for help as your team will always be willing to support you no matter how big or small the situation is.

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Cathy Prescott is a specialist nurse in the neuromuscular team. She told us about how hard work and support from her colleagues is helping her to gain a unique learning experience:

I started my apprenticeship in Advanced Clinical Practice in September 2021. I’m proud to have passed my first module as I found having to do a lot of self-analysis and reflection quite a challenge. However, this allowed me to create a clear plan for my journey on the apprenticeship. I have also thoroughly enjoyed getting to know colleagues from other health organisations.

I really enjoy my role as Neuromuscular Nurse. I feel passionate about providing the best care for our patients and value the therapeutic relationships I have been able to develop with my patient group over the last few years. There is a great deal of job satisfaction in ensuring our patients conditions are managed to allow them to function at their best.

Having the encouragement from my manager, the support of the trust and a structured programme are what made an apprenticeship the best option for me. Also, having the study time to concentrate on my learning whilst continuing in my role has given me peace of mind.

I hope to continue in my role at The Walton Centre as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner. My main goals are to strengthen my skills and knowledge in neuromuscular disease and to continue with service developments to enhance patient care and experiences. 

If you’re considering an apprenticeship, I would say take the step! It will require hard work and dedication, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for development. I am very grateful to of been given the opportunity.

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Lisa Phillips is the Operational Apprenticeship Lead, who sets up and works closely with The Walton Centre’s apprentices to ensure they are successful. She told us about what it means to the organisation to have a thriving apprenticeship programme:

The popularity of apprenticeships has increased significantly over the past five years, even more so now that there are so many different and diverse roles you can pursue here at The Walton Centre, whether that’s health and social care, IT and business, emergency services or even construction.

There are many benefits to completing an apprenticeship, which includes experience and skills development, a nationally recognised qualification, with no tuition fees, and exposure to industry professionals. 

Over the last 12 months we have seen an increase in our staff wanting to complete an apprenticeship to help them progress even further with their careers and currently have 40 on apprenticeships.

There are so many fantastic apprenticeships available and the Institute for Apprenticeships have created an Occupational Map that shows what courses are available and the path you can take to get to your chosen career - https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/occupational-maps/ 

For more information, please contact Lisa on lisa.phillips28@nhs.net  

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Melfield Cardozo is a Clinical Physiologist in The Walton Centre's Neurophysiology Department and has recently completed an apprenticeship. He told us about his experience of being an apprentice:

Satisfaction at the end of the day/week has been a constant theme throughout the three years, meeting patients, listening to stories, creating a rapport, interacting with staff and completing my tasks has made it worthwhile.

Staff and patient feedback has always been positive and I have strived to do more and more, going above and beyond whilst being within my professional limits. The support of the manager is the primary reason where the rest of my achievement stems from. The personal and professional development that I have noticed in myself is significant and I believe this would not have been possible if it were a course other than a degree apprenticeship.

Looking back at my journey from where I started to where I am currently is due to the result of hardworking staff that I was surrounded by and my manager who supported me throughout; this is what I take pride in.

My current role as a Clinical Physiologist essentially involves building on my practical competence that took place in my three years of training. I am now more independent and responsible in my role whilst also working in a team to meet the needs of the patient and the department as a whole. What I enjoy most about my role is that I have the opportunity to meet patients with diverse set of stories, experience and complex needs where I utilise my passion for neurophysiology to help patients in their diagnosis. Doing this alongside a bright, friendly and passionate team of clinical physiologists and consultant neurophysiologists, with the support of my manager, makes the journey even more enjoyable.

My aim was to secure a full-time position, which I was successful in. With The Walton Centre being a specialist tertiary centre, I am at the ideal place to learn, develop and progress professionally. The degree taught me the fundamentals of neurophysiology; I can now build on this going forward, practicing the clinical skills on a regular basis whilst gaining new experiences. Doing the apprenticeship requires commitment and having a good idea of what is expected from an individual in terms of the department and the university. This is then followed by good time management skills, prioritising both academic and clinical tasks and hard work. Amongst this is enjoying the journey as much as possible, reflecting on every experience gained and how to better them further.

From my personal experience, I have created amazing professional relationships with not only staff in the neurophysiology department but staff from other departments and within the field. Working together goes a long way in successfully providing a positive patient, care, family and staff experience and this is made possible by practising the values of the NHS.