WILTSHIRE College & University Centre’s first cohort of T Level Adult Nursing students are relishing the prospect of putting into practice three terms of learning in the Health Care Zone at Salisbury.
The crop of 16 and 17-year-olds will spend large parts of their second year on placements at Salisbury District Hospital, emboldened by practice in the Health Care Zone’s replica ward, which is designed in partnership with the NHS to exactly mirror those at Salisbury’s hospital.
It also has an ambulance bay with a real ambulance, a reception area, an observation ward and a domiciliary care bedroom.
The zone was officially opened recently by NHS chief executive Cara Charles-Barks, who praised its realism. “It is like walking into the hospital, it’s fantastic for the students,” said Cara, who is Chief Executive of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.
Student Lauren Bueno De Mesquita, of Wilton, said the authenticity of the ward was one of the things that attracted her to the course. “The facilities definitely made it appealing, I’m quite a hands-on learner, so this is perfect for me,” said the 17-year-old. “I took one look at the place and the college and said ‘yes, I want to come here’ and it’s been brilliant.
“I’m just looking forward to next year when we get on the ward a little bit more and do some more practical stuff, it’s really exciting.”
She has ambitions to eventually work as a radiologist, a dietitian or a pathologist. “I have a few ideas but I’m not ruling out nursing either,” she said. “The course is perfect and it is exactly where I want to be.”
Summer Downing, 17, of Warminster, has her sights set on becoming a paediatric nurse, although she originally had thoughts of becoming a surgeon. “I thought this course was a great opportunity to get to where I want to be because of the placements and the facilities here,” she said.
“When I first started I did want to be a surgeon but now I’m more interested in nursing because I want to be able to get to know the patient and help them.”
The medical profession is in Chrisvin Sanu’s genes because his dad is a radiographer and his mum is a nurse at Salisbury. “My mum is an inspiration for me, being a nurse,” said the 17-year-old from Old Sarum. “That’s why I chose this path. It’s a good course and we’ve got a good lecturer
“I’ve enjoyed the theory this year but I think we are all really excited to get on to the ward.”
Makanaka Chinodakufa, 17, of Tidworth, also comes from a medical family and aims to continue the tradition by becoming a midwife. “Choosing this course makes it easier for me to deal with this new world out there, dealing with people with different difficulties and helping them,” she said.
“I think doing the course here will make it easier, especially using the ward and going on placements. Dealing with the real world will make everything we learn on the course much clearer.”
Earlier this year the students completed a placement in a care home in Salisbury. Student Elizabeth Northam said she enjoyed the experience. “It was a placement for three weeks and it was really eye-opening because I definitely want to go into nursing,” said the 17-year-old from Laverstock.
“It’s just solidified my idea of that and it was really good to see in-person what the health care and caring community is like. The staff were really nice and it was interesting to see the stuff that we’ve been learning in books put into place.”
She is interested in mental health nursing but is keeping her options open. “It’s definitely nursing of some kind I want to get into,” she said. “I wanted to study here because of the amazing opportunity of this T-Level.
“I remember reading about it and being really interested because you get to do the placements as well being more clinical. It’s more active, rather than just all textbooks.
“We’ve been on to the ward in the college a couple of times in the first year but next year it should be quite full on in there, and to be honest we’re all really excited.”
