27 Apr 2021 ● Matt Farrah, Nurses.co.uk Founder
Could Nursing Associate Programmes Become A Primary Stepping-Stone For Nursing Students?
Could the Nursing Associate role become a major route into nursing?The NMC recently gave a further education (FE) college in England permission to run a Nursing Associate programme independent of university affiliation. This is the first time the NMC has approved a course of this nature to be run solely by an FE college.
Since becoming the legal regulator for Nursing Associates in July 2018, and with the role of Nursing Associate being formalised in 2019, NMC approved institutions have trained 4100 Nursing Associates in England, as of Feb 2021.
The NMC has just approved a further education college to run a Nursing Associate course. South Devon College is the first FE College to be approved to run NMC approved Nursing Associate training.
The Nursing Associate role was designed to bridge the gap between unregulated Healthcare Assistants and Registered Nurses.
It is a stand-alone role that also provides a progression route into graduate level nursing.
As the role grows in popularity, do you think the numbers of people coming into nursing via the Nursing Associate route will translate in due course to an increase in the number of Registered Nurses?
Students enrolled on the Nursing Associate programme split their time between academic study, hospital, and community placements. This helps develop the necessary skills to work within the NHS or other healthcare settings.
In total, trainees must undertake 2,300 programme hours to qualify.
After completing the 2-year programme, the Nursing Associate will have a foundation degree, and can become a fully registered Nursing Associate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
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Do you think the greater flexibility of the Nursing Associate programme would encourage people who for whatever reason would be discouraged or unable to undertake a 3-year registered nurse programme?
The NMC has seen an increase in popularity of the Nursing Associate programme over its lifetime. A number of FE colleges have partnered with universities to deliver the programme, where the university provides the award.
This is the first time the NMC has approved a FE college to run this type of course in its own right, however.
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What do YOU think?
Let me know your thoughts in the Comments & click Like!
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Is there scope here for higher and further education colleges to further expand and refine their course offerings to meet the ever-changing demands of the health service?
Applications to nursing courses since the Covid-19 pandemic increased by 32% in the last year, with more than 60,000 people expressing an interest in nursing as a career.
A predicted 3.2 million new healthcare jobs will be created in the next eight years.
Do you anticipate that of the total numbers of healthcare and nursing staff, Nursing Associates will constitute a growing proportion of those employed?
Please let us know what you think in the comments, and Like the article if you found it interesting.
Thanks.
