Sam’s apprenticeship success story

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Sam Hunt was intrigued when she saw an apprenticeship vacancy advertised at our Trust. She now has a permanent role on one of our wards and credits her apprenticeship experience for enabling her to take the next steps in her care career. She explains:

“I started my nursing career in elderly care and loved it – I really enjoy looking after people. I saw the apprenticeship post come up and thought it looked really interesting. Some people I know have had mental health issues so I thought it would be good.

“I decided to apply for the apprenticeship because it was the first time I’d seen that kind of role. It appealed to me because you’re able to study for a qualification in health and social care as well as getting practical, hands-on experience on a ward.

“I was so pleased when I got the job and loved my role – especially speaking to the service users. I also enjoyed getting involved with promoting physical health. I spent a year studying as an apprentice and I now have a permanent post as a health care support worker on a forensic mental health ward for adult males in Wakefield.

“I’d recommend apprenticeships to anyone who was considering applying. You get the academic side with a qualification but you also get real-life experience while also earning a wage. It’s been a really good experience.”

After spending some time in her role, Sam made a small observation which got her thinking about the contribution each individual makes to a team. She made a post on our online innovation platform, i-hub, about how she’d noticed people responding with “I’m just a…” when describing their role to someone. In the post, she said:

“It’s sad to hear a person say, ‘well I’m JUST a band 2 or I’m JUST a health care assistant’. My view is that there is no ‘JUST’ about it. I work with many hard working staff – this includes health care assistants, clinical team leaders, us all being in the same team. I believe everyone has something to bring to the table and these things are valued.”

The post received huge backing from across the Trust and was even picked up on Twitter with the hashtag #notjusta.

Follow Sam on Twitter: @samjayne92

Sam’s apprenticeship success story

time to read: 2 min