My name is Dannielle, and I am an apprentice at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital in the C1-C3 department. I am currently undertaking the level 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship.
My main duties are providing person centred care for our patients on the ward who are all aged over 65. I also carry out skin checks and weigh all the patients on admission as well as do observations such as blood pressure, check oxygen levels and assess the patient’s needs.
I chose to do an apprenticeship to learn as well
as earn, and with this opportunity I receive the theory from classroom-based learning which I can apply when working on the ward. I have learnt many skills including how to work safely during covid as this is something I haven’t experienced before having no previous healthcare experience.
This apprenticeship appealed to me as I was completely new to healthcare, I felt taking this route would be a good way to take the first step into the NHS and learn more about a new role as well as gaining a better understanding of what duties were included.
I feel very supported by the tutors and ward managers. In the workplace colleagues know that as an apprentice we are still learning are very supportive with on-the-job training, in-house training and providing guidance on how to do certain tasks we may not have done before.
I chose to do an apprenticeship to learn as well as earn and I am really enjoying this programme. I've gained a lot of knowledge on such a wide range topics and am learning something new every day.
The ELHT Apprenticeship programme has opened my eyes to the possibility of having a full 360 career change and settling into a new role.
My future career aspirations are to hopefully further my career within the NHS and have further development opportunities.