Leah, Nursing Associate to Registered Top Up Nurse Apprentice
Leah Cannon, Nursing Associate to Registered Top Up Nurse Apprentice
Leah started her Level 2 Clinical Apprenticeship in September 2016, then moved onto a Level 3 Clinical apprenticeship in 2018. After completing her Level 3, she applied to do her Training Nursing Associate Course of which she completed in 2020. Leah then went onto work as a Nursing Associate at NUH and support other apprentices in the apprenticeship pipeline before beginning her Nursing Associate to Registered Nurse Apprenticeship which will see Leah as a registered staff nurse!
Following her success, Leah gives her advice to those considering a clinical apprenticeship, particularly in Nursing and Midwifery following A-level and GCSE results.
Leah said, "Make sure you research the next steps you want to take, for example if you're applying for an apprenticeship then make sure you're reading the criteria before applying to maximise your chances of getting accepted for an application/interview.
“Also, if you didn't manage to achieve the results that you wanted, please don't let this put you off doing what you want to do! There are so many ways to further your learning in the workplace.
“Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) will encourage lifelo
ng learning, and if you're determined enough to keep going, it will get you places! Just because you've had one step back doesn't mean this will ruin your chances completely!
Keep your chin up and keep moving forward. At the end of the day, mistakes will be made, knockbacks will happen, but perseverance is key!
"For me, as someone who has dyslexia, I found that doing an apprenticeship really excelled my motivation and interest to keep learning. And the 'hands on experience' really helped me to retain information and teach me in a way that a classroom never could. Apprenticeships gives you a new way of learning.
“The apprenticeship I completed was very encouraging of self-learning and managing your own time, this gave me the feeling of being freer and helped to reduce exam-based anxieties.
“Another key benefit of apprenticeships is that you earn whilst you learn! I started my apprenticeship journey in 2016 whilst I still lived at home with my parents and fast forward to now, I have now moved out of my family home aged 23 and have my own mortgage! And I genuinely believe I've been able to be this successful so young due to the apprenticeship I completed.
“Finally, I am a strong believer that an apprenticeship will give you a massive insight to a working environment you potentially want to work in one day, making you more prepared for when you've finished your apprenticeship and are applying for new jobs; this will give you a massive boost in your applications going forward, increasing your chances of success."