Celebrating our apprentices: Rob's story
Rob Bryant, 50: “Through the effort that I put in to doing my apprenticeship, I feel I’m making a real difference in the Cardiac team.”
Which apprenticeship: Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3
Time it takes? 18 to 24 months. I completed the apprenticeship a year ago.
What made you decide to do the apprenticeship? I’d worked in the Cardiac lab for six years and I wanted to have more responsibility, a bit more recognition and be able to help in my team more. I’d been asking my Matron for a while if I could learn to cannulate (introduce a cannula into a vein) and I could see that it would make a difference. Now I’m actually doing procedures like this and making a difference.
Pros and cons? I had reservations about returning to study after 30 years, especially as I suffer from anxiety and I was always quite an anxious learner when I was at school. I’d always leave things to the last minute and get stressed. I was determined not to be like that with the apprenticeship and being older and better able to prioritise did help.
In the end, I was uber organised and I found a way of writing my assignments on my phone while walking my dogs, which really worked for me. The great thing now is that I actually feel I’m making a difference in the team; the input that I have does help our patients.
Advice to others thinking of doing an apprenticeship? If you’re hesitating about doing an apprenticeship, I would say go for it; it’s definitely worth it. I was a bit hesitant, particularly after not having done any learning for 30 years, but I’ve developed my confidence and improved my mental wellbeing as a result of completing the apprenticeship.