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Nursing Associate partnership launches with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

A nurse takes a patient's observations while a trainee nurse makes notes in the background

A new partnership between The Open University and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will provide London residents with the opportunity to launch their career in healthcare as a Nursing Associate.

The Nursing Associate is a new, highly trained support role within healthcare teams in England.  Nursing Associates act as a bridge between Healthcare Support Workers and Registered Nurses, receiving training across the lifespan and all four fields of nursing practice to deliver hands-on, person-centred care.

Successful applicants will join the OU’s Foundation Degree in Nursing Associate Practice, which recently received conditional approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).  The theory elements of the Foundation Degree are delivered through tutor-supported distance learning, providing flexibility for learners to study at a time and in a place that suits them.  The practice learning elements of the programme will be supported by Imperial College Healthcare.

After self-funding their first year of study, the second year of the two-year programme will be funded by Imperial College Healthcare.  Upon successful completion of the Foundation Degree, learners will register with the NMC as a Nursing Associate and secure a role with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as a Nursing Associate Practitioner.

Jan Goldsmith, Imperial College Healthcare’s Lead Nurse for Education and lead for the Nursing Associate Programme, said: “We are delighted to give members of our local communities the opportunity to begin a career in nursing with us.  We are one of the biggest NHS trusts in the country with a fantastic tradition in nursing practice, education and research.”

Jan Webb, Associate Head of School for Nursing and Health Professions at the OU, added: “This is a unique partnership that is reaching out to the London community and one that we are able to deliver at scale. It sits fairly and squarely within our core values of offering education to all.

Some of the people accessing this course will have never had the opportunity to enter Higher Education, so it’s exciting that the OU will have such a hand in shaping their future careers. The OU’s flexible learning model also opens up a career route to those who need to fit their learning around personal commitments – such as part-time work, family life or caring responsibilities.”

The first cohort will begin their studies in October 2021, with start dates in February and October thereafter.  To apply for this opportunity, applicants must live within the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham; Westminster; Kensington and Chelsea; Brent; Harrow; Ealing; Hillingdon; Wandsworth; Camden; Hounslow; Richmond upon Thames; Barnet; Lambeth; or Islington, or be able to provide evidence of relocation prior to the course start date.

If you live in one of these London boroughs and are interested in launching you career as a Nursing Associate, visit our website to find out more about the entry requirements and how to apply.

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