As part of National Apprenticeship Week, we are spotlighting CityCare apprentices and their experiences, including Rachel Walters, who is realising her dream – a job as a district nurse
Rachel began her journey with CityCare, taking on a dual role of receptionist and Healthcare Assistant, where she quickly found her passion for care and advanced to become a Community Support Worker in the District Nursing team at Wollaton.
During this time, she enhanced her skills by completing functional skills in maths and English, along with Level 2 and 3 NVQs in Health and Social Care.
She was among the first to secure a position as a Trainee Assistant Practitioner, earning a foundation degree from Northampton University, which allowed her to specialise further in areas like insulin administration and urinary catheterisation. She also enjoyed a secondment with the Infection Prevention team, but her ultimate goal was to become a Registered Nurse.
Despite facing setbacks in her applications for the nurse degree apprenticeship, Rachel persevered with the support of her colleagues and successfully gained a placee after extensive preparation.
Diagnosed with dyslexia after school, she found studying challenging, but with the help of specialised IT tools and additional time, she has managed to pass all her assignments on the first attempt through determination and hard work.
What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?
I wholeheartedly recommend apprenticeships. My time at CityCare has given me diverse placements, which enhanced my skills in areas, including end-of-life care, the care and quality team, dementia outreach, and care home teams – all of which have been incredibly educational.
If you're contemplating this apprenticeship, I would encourage you to go for it — just be sure to attend all sessions and keep yourself organised. Having prior experience in care made the course more manageable for me. The support from both the university and CityCare is outstanding, and I am especially grateful to all the wonderful assessors and supervisors I've worked with over the past two years, as well as to Learning and Education Development Nurse Becki Flegg for her invaluable help.
What are you looking forward to once you have completed your Nursing apprenticeship?
My goal is to specialise in Infection Prevention and Control, so stay tuned for updates. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and proud to have achieved my dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Anyone interested in an apprentcieship can find out more on the Health Careers website.
To find out more about joining CityCare, our vacancies, and opportunities for training email ncp.citycarecareers@nhs.net or visit our Work for us page.
Date published: 12 February 2025
