Date published: 18 October 2022
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) are celebrating the first 10 student nurses from their inaugural Community Nursing Internship Programme emerging from interviews and recruitment to begin their final year of training on a new bespoke programme.
The student nurses will follow a community clinical training pathway for the final year of their degree nurse training, working alongside identified clinical supervisors and assessors and supported by Practice Education Facilitators. This will enable them to be clinically ready to practice as soon as their NMC Pin numbers are given, a status all professional nurses require to practice.
Four of the student nurses will be based in Liverpool, three in Sefton and Southport and three in Knowsley and is part of Mersey Care’s commitment to developing their own nurses as one of the solutions to the nationwide nursing recruitment issues.
Claire McEntegart, Mersey Care’s lead for the project, said: “It’s no secret many Trusts around the country are finding it difficult to recruit nurses and our partnership with Liverpool John Moores University allows us to provide more specific training.
Pictured above: The 10 successful student nurses celebrate coming through the internship. L-R: Kelly Devine, Anna Clarke, Zoe Teevan, Beverley Tunstall (Clnical Skills Lead Nurse), Emma Randles, Clairen McEntagart (MCFT lead for the project), Niamh Richards, Mel Sherlock, Hannah Simpson, Karen Deane (Practice Education Facilitator), Charlotte Cassidy, Lisa Leather (district nurse), Kim Bridson, Lee Caruthers (Practice Education Facilitator), Lucy Rose, Joanna Lavery (Senior Lecturer and District Nurse Programme Lead at LJMU).
“We work closely with the students, practice staff and universities to ensure Mersey Care offer a quality learning environment. Through the Community Internship, we strive to work collaboratively with LJMU to offer this exciting opportunity.
“It aims to nurture this cohort, providing a variety of exposures that demonstrate the complexity of nursing in the community environment and also allowing interns to explore the potential career pathways available.”
Nursing students currently may only get a short four-week community nursing placement during their three years of training, but after feedback from students the Internship was launched to give them more exposure in community healthcare.
Joanna Lavery, Senior Lecturer and District Nurse Programme Lead at LJMU, said: “It’s a pleasure for LJMU and our final year students to be involved in the community internship initiative. This is a real example of partnership working, using a forward thinking innovative approach to undergraduate development.
“The internship aims to enhance the student experience, enrich the workforce and improve the care of individuals, families and communities within the Merseyside area.”
Kelly Devine, one of the student nurses who have been successful, said: “This internship will allow me to seek and develop opportunities in community nursing, that will inspire me to achieve my career goals.”
Another student nurse, Lucy Rose, added: “Undertaking this internship is a great opportunity for me as I’m very passionate about working within the community setting. It also opens up lots of future job opportunities and helps raise awareness of the different options available for working outside of the hospital setting.”