Health care assistants - who were nurses in their home country and have come to work at NCIC from overseas - are being given the chance to top up their qualifications and gain registration with the NMC.
The HCAs, from outside the EU, will need to sit a number of tests – including an English language test and competency test - so they can apply for entry on the nursing register.
They need to sit an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) which is an assessment that allows applicants to demonstrate their nursing knowledge, skill and judgment in a simulated clinical setting.
Once their training is complete they will become qualified Band 5 nurses and see their pay increase.
Kathleen Conway, Practice Development Lead, and Mandy Annis, Workforce Projects Manager, set about going through the Trust to see if they could find any staff HCAs with different nationalities who would qualify for the programme.
Kathleen said: “We have a lot of work underway at the moment on international recruitment. We are supporting HCA’s who work for us that have come from overseas where they were nurses in their home country to gain their NMC here. It is a really positive story.
“There are four, possibly five, employees who are going forward at present. They are working as HCAs but have got an International Nursing background. They are from India, Portugal and Poland.
“Staff go to Ulster for their exam. It is one of three areas in the country that provide the training.
“They have to go away for eight to 10 weeks to Crewe - away from their families - to be able to do the training.
“It is a lot of work involved from them but when qualified they will be Band 5 nurses so they will get a pay increase. It is good for the Trust as we need to recruit nurses and the HCAs are over the moon that they have been given the opportunity to do this.
“One of them is currently working as a nurse apprentice in theatres and is looking forward to topping up and becoming a registered nurse. She has already done two years as a nursing associate.
“The HCAs have done so much work to get to this point. To top up takes a lot of determination and tenacity.”
CASE STUDY SEENA JOSEPH
Seena Joseph, 40, is originally from Kerala in India.
She started working at Penrith Hospital in 2011 as a Health Care Assistant.
She said: “I am a qualified nurse and worked as a trained nurse in India. After this training I am really look forward to work as a nurse as I used to.
“I like to work in NCIC because it provides opportunities for me to expand my knowledge through training and by working alongside professionals.
“Being a nurse is my dream. When I work as a nurse I feel satisfaction and pride being able to help those in need. To do this job for a living is unlike any other profession.”
CASE STUDY MARITES RAPACON
Marites Rapacon, 41, started came to Cumbria from the Philippines in 2006.
She worked as a senior carer in a private nursing home for 10 years and joined NCIC part time in 2015.
She said: “I currently work in the theatre department at the Cumberland Infirmary. I am a Registered Nurse Associate.
“Nursing practice here in UK is of a high standard where staff put patient first, they provide the care they need and get to use innovative equipment. Infection control here in UK is highly observed.
“I love working at Cumberland Infirmary. My theatre team were very supportive and I feel extremely valued. They understood my needs and supported me at every step of the transition, and I am very grateful for that.
“I am looking forward to pass all the exams so I can finally register to NMC and work as a registered nurse here in UK.
“If I gain Band 5 status then I will be very proud of myself. I have been waiting for this for a while. I would like to thank the Trust for supporting us to pursue our dreams to become a qualified nurse here in the UK.”