I began my career with the Nutrition and Dietetics department at CUH in January 2006 as a Dietetic Assistant. It is a role that I have enjoyed immensely and learnt a lot from.
This apprenticeship is very new to Dietetics. As personal circumstances prevented me from being able to go away to university to become a Dietitian, when the opportunity arose to do this while still working in my current role, I knew it was too good an opportunity to miss!
Why do you think that CUH are a good employer for apprenticeships?
CUH made the application process easy and I have felt recognised for my experience. The programme has allowed me to study for a degree whilst continuing to earn a full time salary and expanding my skills and knowledge to achieve my goals.
What does a typical day look like and what do you enjoy about your role?
Day to day my role varies, but usually includes doing nutritional assessments and reviews for UGI and HPB Oncology patients by telephone or face to face on the ward or in Radiotherapy. This can be new assessments of weight loss, oral intake and swallowing difficulties, giving advice post stent placement or texture modification advice, review of stable patients of nutritional supplements and treatment side effects or measuring handgrip strength.
I also help out with discharges, triaging referrals, liaising with community teams, organising and troubleshooting feed deliveries and helping to train nurses on M4. I enjoy getting to know the patients and making a difference to what can often be a difficult experience for them.
What sorts of things do you do for the off the job learning aspect of your apprenticeship and does this involve attending college or is it all completed at work?
I have one day a week for online learning from the University where I study one module in the morning and another in the afternoon. I have also attended the University for a practical session which was necessary to complete one of the assessments. While online learning is great for providing flexibility, it was a really good experience to physically meet the other students on the course.
I also have an allocated hour of self-directed study during working hours and then try to incorporate some of my new learning in shadowing or practical sessions to count towards my off the job hours.
How have your department supported you within this apprenticeship?
My department have supported me through the application and interview process and continue to provide ongoing support and guidance from mentors and practice educators. They give me time to complete my off-the-job training and help to seek out other developmental opportunities, as well as organising all my placements within the many specialities of the team.
What are your future intentions?
To successfully qualify as a Dietitian and continue to work in our great department! Whilst my current experience is very Oncology focused, I am interested to see if my aspirations change as I go through my placements and get to see other areas of Dietetics more in depth.
What advice would you give to others who may be looking to take on an apprenticeship?
Be prepared for extra learning in your own time – working a busy full time job and condensing learning into one day per week, sometimes requires additional reading or research. This can be particularly true around assessment times when you will have essays to write or posters and presentations to create in addition to a normal workload and studying! If you have been working as an assistant for a while in the area you are doing your apprenticeship, it is also very satisfying to begin to understand the science behind what you do!
The main theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is skills for life. What are the most important skills for life that you have developed and how has your apprenticeship training helped to build them?
I feel the skills I have refined for this role are time management and communication to ensure I am working efficiently in both my normal and student roles, and I have felt an increase in my confidence and how I apply my knowledge.