Delivery
This is a vocational course that allows you to learn whilst you earn. You will remain an employee and attend university two days per week to build upon your, ‘on the job’ experience and learn about the theory that underpins your practice. You will also be given protected learning time in external practice placements, enabling you to develop the breadth of experience required for this generic role. You will spend 20% of the total programme time in these external placement areas over the course of your apprenticeship.
Assessment
You will be assessed using a range of methods during your time as an apprentice, it is not just through writing assignments. The academic element is modular. This will mean you will be required to produce some written work but in recognition of the varied learning styles of adult learners and the outcomes required of a Nursing Associate, there are a variety of assessments within the course.
These include:
- Observed practice
- Oral presentations
- Written assignments/essays
- Reflective essays
- Critical appraisal of own experience
- Written examinations
- Multiple choice question (MCQ) and Short answer question (SAQ) examinations
- Numeracy examination
- Assessment of practice learning - designed to reflect assessment of your development and indicate progression against the standards
- Viva Voce
The practical element will be overseen by supervisors and assessors from the clinical area. These individuals will facilitate learning, guide, support, and assess the apprentice and monitor your progress within the clinical component of the course.
You will also have an academic assessor. These will liaise with the practice setting and be involved in monitoring your academic progression.
Learning support
In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).
Additional support
Our AccessAbility Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties. You will also have full access to our support services such as Student Guidance.
Feedback
Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.