A family legacy for nurse Melvis

One apprenticeship student is on her way to providing more enhanced care for her patients and continue a family nursing legacy.

Apprenticeships offer a ‘earn while you learn’ route into higher education. Apprentices study for a higher-level qualification and gain professional recognition whilst earning a full-time salary and gaining invaluable workplace experience.

According to Government figures, during the 2022/2023 academic year 112,900 people participated in an advanced or higher education apprenticeship in England, 196 of those ‘earned and learned’ through University of Northampton. This continues a year-on-year increases in these apprentices – in 2014/15 only 4% of people starting an apprenticeship were at the higher and degree level, compared to 33% now.

One of UON’s recent apprentices is Melvis Kibuh. She finished her Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) course in October and will graduate in May. Melvis starts her story: “I’ve been a nurse for 10 years now and you could say it’s ‘in the family’. My mum is a nurse – now retired – and when I was younger, she used to speak to me about nursing all the time and about what a great job it is.

“The best thing about being a nurse is supporting people and positively impacting their lives when they are most vulnerable. After nearly a decade on the wards, including managing one, I felt I was at the point where I wanted to develop myself and my approach to nursing to the next level.”

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship equips healthcare practitioners with the knowledge and skills to independently manage clinical care whilst demonstrating expertise within their scope of practise.

This course ticked all the right boxes for Melvis. She continues: “There aren’t that many ACP positions available, so when I heard about an opportunity to take part so I have more influence and decision-making responsibilities within my employer, I jumped at it! And I’m glad I did because this has been a life changing experience.

“To take that next step up to being an ACP, you need to practice at a higher level competently, confidently, and independently. The course showed me that, to have that immediate impact for my patients, I needed to think about my work differently, to learn from this and bring solutions straight back. I feel I’m doing more than just nursing now, it’s about being a good nurse and then some.

“What I’ve liked most is the support from University of Northampton and my employer, Kettering General Hospital. The UON course leader was always available if I needed to talk with her. At the Hospital, my manager ensured I had scheduled time for classes, research or exam preparation and lots of moral encouragement. I had the best team behind me, with everything I expected and more.”

To close her story, Melvis has a few words of wisdom for healthcare professionals who, like her, are looking at the bigger picture to care for their patients: “Oh, it’s absolutely worth taking the Advanced Clinical Practitioner course! In fact, since I started, I have encouraged two other colleagues to do the same and am supporting them with personal reflections and top tips as a very recent student.

“My mum has been behind me all the way and my ACP studies have created even more conversations between us. As they say, once a nurse, always a nurse.”

Following a three-day visit at the end of last year, Ofsted gave the University a ‘Good’ rating overall for its seven apprenticeship programmes.

Find out more about the apprenticeships available at University of Northampton. There will be an online information event about the ACP programme on Friday 19 April, 12:00-13:00.