Six sign up for latest boot camp
Date of release: 25 April 2024
A super six group of healthcare professionals have signed up for the latest community boot camp to nurture new District Nurses.
New District Nurses, back row, from left: Issac Agyabeng, Staff Nurse, Michaela White, Clinical Practitioner for Urgent Care, Helen Esty, Community Education Facilitator, and Shannon Foxall, Staff Nurse. Front row, from left: Staff Nurses Emily Machin, Carmen Mosses, and Jessica Cole
The latest recruits have joined the five-week course run by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), and a further 12 will join the programme for sessions that will support them in their service.
Initially set up to improve recruitment and retention in Planned Care District Nursing, the boot camp was launched in November 2022.
Based at RWT’s headquarters for Adult Community Services at Wolverhampton Science Park in Bushbury, the boot camp is now offered to all newcomers in community Nursing.
Paramedic Michaela White has switched from West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) to work in the Community Urgent Care Team.
The 46-year-old from Wolverhampton is a Specialist Practitioner for the Rapid Intervention Team at RWT, although still does one shift a week at WMAS.
She sees similarities in the roles, as both involve her making decisions on patients herself and responding quickly to new patients.
“I came to this new role to enable me to progress further, and to increase my knowledge but still respond to acute issues with patients,” said Michaela.
“Boot camp has been brilliant for someone like myself not based in a hospital surrounding to get me up to speed with how everything works with all the different teams and departments, learning new skills.”
Most budding District Nurses have transferred from other departments of RWT, or this is their first post since qualifying as Staff Nurses.
But it has also attracted staff from neighbouring NHS Trusts, Sandwell and West Birmingham and Walsall Healthcare.
Sue Houghton, who runs the boot camp with fellow Community Practice Education Facilitator Helen Esty, said: “I’m looking forward to this group of staff coming through the new programme and welcoming them into the community team.
“It’s a great opportunity to have protected time out of the usual day to learn new skills, meet new colleagues from different areas, network and shadow other service teams.”
Feedback is positive. Comments include: “A great insight to community services, not just the team I’m in”, “It will enable me to explore other services in Adult Community, which is a great opportunity” and “The programme is very informative”.
The programme includes sessions from different teams such as Tissue Viability, Palliative Care, Bereavement Service, Virtual Ward, Care Co-ordination and Ambulatory Clinics to expose District Nurses to all aspects of the job.
Extra sessions have been introduced as new processes develop. These are blood glucose device training, fire service for support in patients’ homes, and the new bed rail risk assessment related to community process.
A total of 34 District Nurses graduated from a total of four first-year boot camps.
ENDS
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
