International Nurses Day: First Nursing Associate appointed at Wakefield Hospice

In January 2023, Wakefield Hospice employed their first ever Nursing Associate into post, Scott Arkell, and to mark International Nurses Day this year Scott share’s his journey so far, why he chose to pursue a career in nursing and why other’s should consider the Nursing Associate path.

The Nursing Associate role is a new role within nursing teams and provides a registered qualification with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC).

The role is a two year course and is the same as the first two years of registered nurse training, giving healthcare professionals the opportunity to manage their own caseload of patients and implementing all aspects of care whilst under the supervision of a fully qualified nurse and is seen as a stepping stone to becoming a fully registered nurse.

Scott said: “From a young age I began working in a private nursing and residential care home and have always been passionate about working in a care-giving environment and for the last 18 years I have worked in forensic psychiatry for the NHS.

"I had always considered going into nursing but the financial challenges of being a student nurse just wasn’t feasible for me.

“When the Nursing Associate role was developed, it seemed a great way to get in to nursing and gain a qualification whilst still being able to earn a salary. In 2019, I left psychiatry and started my Nursing Associate training in Oncology at Bexley Wing, St James’s Hospital in Leeds.

"This was an area that I requested to work in as I have always had a keen interest in palliative care.

“My training certainly had its share of ups and down - it was always going to be challenging (and Covid certainly didn’t help) but I was based on Ward J96 and the support I received from my mentors and fellow staff members was amazing and really helped me through.

"When my course ended and I had to be patient for the right position to come along for my first qualified role… and then along came Wakefield Hospice.”

Scott joined the Wakefield Hospice team at the start of the year and highlights his dad’s fight with cancer in 2014, shortly followed by a similar diagnosis for his Auntie, as a key reason he wanted to care for people approaching end of life and giving support to their families.

“Having gone through loss and grief myself, I felt that this is what I was meant to do and where I could make a difference. After all, what is nursing without empathy?”

Looking back on his first months in post, Scott reflects on what has been a challenging, rewarding and sometimes emotional period.

“Whilst this is a very difficult job at times and sometimes you have to fight back the tears, it is also a very rewarding job.

"To know that you have supported an individual and their family during their darkest time is a very unique thing. Meeting someone, knowing that you are going to care for them and help to make them comfortable in their final days or hours and then continue to care for them after their death is a humbling experience.

“You could compare it to when you first pass your driving test, you can drive for months with that person at the side of you but getting in that car on your own is scary. It’s the same with being a

qualified nursing associate and probably newly qualified staff nurse.

"When training you have your mentor, but then doing a medication round and other nursing procedures alone is scary and all newly qualified will surely feel this in any area of nursing. Having said that, the support I have had and continue to have every day from every single person at Wakefield Hospice is amazing!

"Each day I feel like I am growing and the feedback I get is fantastic. I may have only been at the hospice a few months but I am proud to be a part of this incredible team!

“Becoming a nursing associate is a great way to get on to the nursing qualification ladder whilst being able to fully support yourself. I would highly recommend it to anyone, it will be challenging and you will have to dig deep at times, but stick with it and you I promise you won’t regret it.”

To find out more about the role of Nursing Associate and to discover whether it may be the right opportunity for you, visit nmc.org.uk.