Happy International Day of Education!
Education and learning is a vital component in enabling staff at all levels and working in all disciplines to fulfil their potential and deliver compassionate, skilled and effective care to our patients.
We want our staff to feel they have opportunities to develop their career, improve their knowledge and skills with access to the right learning opportunities when they need to, being supported to develop their potential.
Our new teaching facility opened in November 2023. The SaTH Education, Research and Improvement Institute (SERII) provides links between different aspects of education, research and improvement. It also supports the training and development of medical students from Keele University and doctors in training.
In celebration of International Day of Education, read on for a closer look at the many avenues of education available within our Trust.
Learning Made Simple
The Trust utilises the Learning Made Simple (LMS) database, which allows each colleague to manage their training in simple and easy to use way. All new staff to the Trust will receive an email asking them to register onto the system, and once you've done this you will be able to easily access your mandatory training (including corporate induction), role specific training and any further optional courses that are available to you.
The Education team also run a 'How to access Learning and Development to achieve your potential' Masterclass, giving learners the opportunity to reflect on their career pathway to date and map out and discuss where they see themselves in the future.
Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals
We have teams of Clinical Practice Facilitators and Educators, and Professional Development Nurses who support pre-registered and registered nurses, midwives and nurse associates. For pre-registration, these teams organise clinical placements and review placement capacity. They visit the clinical environment and provide support and guidance, not only for the learners but also for the practice assessors and supervisors. They also provide Practice Assessor and Supervisor training and updates, as well as clinical skills training as required.
For Allied Health Professionals there are also a range of opportunities available. Many areas have a vocational qualification which will enable you to become a Clinical Support Worker or Therapy Assistant. To further develop your AHP career, there are pathways available within each department, leading you from healthcare assistant to band 5 registered practitioners and beyond. Apprenticeship opportunities in many of the specialities lead to diploma or degree level qualifications on completion.
Preceptorship
We have established preceptorship programmes for newly registered nurses, nursing associates, midwives and allied health professionals. These programmes are 12 months in duration and are supported by preceptorship leads who facilitate training and co-ordinate pastoral visits in clinical areas.
Find out more about our Preceptorship programme here.
Medical Education
The Medical Education department at SaTH provides educational support and guidance to the doctors in training based on site at SaTH and those trainees on community placements within the local area.
Our aim is to ensure that the trainees working at SaTH receive the best educational experience possible. The Postgraduate team will ensure quality control of postgraduate medical training programmes, promote the learning environment and support and develop those with an educational role. They also provide pastoral and career support as necessary and assist with the management of doctors needing additional support.
The department is responsible for coordinating and the safe delivery of all postgraduate medical education; this includes training for IMT, Specialty and Foundation Trainees. The team also manage the August induction process and study leave requests.
Within each specialty there is an appointed Royal College Tutor who is available to offer support, guidance and careers advise to those trainees within that specialty. The tutor will liaise regularly with the appropriate postgraduate school to ensure that curriculums are delivered.
The team also provide support to our locally employed doctors by way of allocating supervisors where necessary, providing support for study leave and arranging education and training sessions.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are a great way to start your NHS career. These work-based training programmes are designed around the needs of employers, and lead to nationally recognised qualifications.
There are many different types of apprenticeships available, relevant to the healthcare environment. Both clinical and non-clinical are available, including Customer Services, Medical Engineering, Healthcare Science, Operating Department Practice and Nursing.
In October last year, SaTH celebrated our latest cohort of newly registered nurses who have been able to develop their careers with us from Healthcare Assistant to Nursing Associate, to Registered Nurse. Congratulations!
"I was working in Ophthalmology since 2015 and always wanted to progress in my career. With the support of my manager, I got seconded to do this course, which helped me to develop into my role through the academic training from University of Wolverhampton and clinical training/development from SaTH. I was able to balance my family life and the Nursing Associate course." - Aravind, Nursing Associate apprenticeship, now completed the Registered Nurse top up course
"I started by doing a Business Administration Level 2 apprenticeship with SaTH. I wanted to do the Level 3 apprenticeship to continue to grow my qualifications and stay with legal services and one day complete a Law Degree. Studying for my Level 3 has helped me to gain a lot of knowledge and experience needed in my workplace to complete a degree. I would 100% recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who wants to learn and develop in a role with SaTH." - Molly, Business Administration apprenticeship
You can find out more about apprenticeships within SaTH by visiting our dedicated apprenticeship page on our website.
Vocational Learning team
We provide speciality induction training for Healthcare Support Workers and also deliver the Care Certificate and Level 3 Diploma. We also provide support to all employees wishing to develop their Functional Skills and obtain a recognised qualification in English and Maths.
Education is important to the Vocational Learning team as it ensures that our Healthcare Support Workers are fully equipped to provide safe, kind care for our patients. Educating our colleagues also makes them feel valued in the organisation, and this in turn assists with retention.
Library Service
We are here to serve all staff in the Trust, as well as Keele University students, and community staff in the area. In addition to the Shrewsbury Health Library, we also have a health library at The Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.
We have resources to support all clinical and non-clinical areas of the Trust, as well as resources for NVQs, BTECs, Nurse Associates, postgraduate medical exams (such as MRCP, MRCOG etc.), and management and leadership. If we don't have resources to support a particular area, we can obtain them from elsewhere or purchase them for the library. Please see our libraries website for more information on what we can provide.
The library also run Revalidation Reflective Reading Sessions; group sessions that involve reading and discussing relevant articles, gaining CPD time for nurses. We also offer Health Literacy Training for teams.
View our list of Health Information Resources here.
For more information on Education at SaTH, including a full look at available courses, please view our Education Prospectus.
