Tracey 'so glad' to return to nursing thanks to Return to Practice scheme
A nurse who has returned to her role after a five year career break has praised UHDB’s Return to Practice (RTP) scheme for helping her to feel comfortable when coming back to work on the frontline.
Tracey Kneller-Phipp, who is a Registered Nurse in Endoscopy, first started her career in the NHS in 1992 working as a Healthcare Assistant before moving into nursing in 2004, but recently took some time away from her career to immerse herself in different cultures as well as to care for her father. However in recent months, Tracey decided that she was ready to return to nursing.
She said: “During the last couple of years, I’ve been caring for my dad and it’s made me realise how much I missed nursing.
“I was really nervous to return and thought at 46 I was too old to learn new things but I have surprised myself.”
The RTP scheme helps those who have taken a break from their career to find their feet in the NHS once more, offering the latest training and support through supervised placements and formal Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to get them back up to speed and back working in a clinical setting.
Financial and academic support may also be on offer from Health Education England, which is leading the RTP scheme, giving further support to those looking to get back into healthcare.
Tracey applied for the scheme and was allowed to return in a phased manner, allowing her to rebuild her confidence and refresh her skills so that she was ready to step back on to the ward.
Tracey was also supported by the wider team, something which she found invaluable:
“The team were there to support me all the way and faith in me even when I didn’t have any in myself. They kept telling me that I could do it and after a while, I began to believe them and as a result, I was able to pass my Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
“I cried all the way home from Northampton after that exam, I was so emotional and when I found out I had passed and could return to work as a nurse, I was so happy and emotional.”
Since she passed her exam, Tracey has been working on Ward 15 at Queen’s Hospital Burton, which is where she undertook her placement and is thriving in her clinical role and has encouraged anyone who is considering applying for the scheme to do so.
She said: “The RTP scheme has meant so much more to me than I realised, so I would tell anyone who is considering applying to do so, you won’t regret it.
“I am so glad that I was given this opportunity and I want to personally thank my family, Clinical Educators, Stacey, Simon and the PLSU team and the staff on Ward 15 for restoring my confidence and giving me the opportunity to nurse again.”
Cathy Winfield, Executive Chief Nurse at UHDB, said: “Those who have chosen a career in healthcare at some stage in their lives will have done so because they possess these core skills that Team UHDB has displayed during the pandemic and beyond - compassion, care and the desire to make a difference – and we believe that returnees not only have their clinical experience to offer but also the valuable core values and behaviours, which are needed to provide high quality patient care.
“Returnees, we believe, are valuable to patient experiences and outcomes, and they can offer so much to our colleagues by sharing their knowledge and expertise.
“It takes courage to step back into a career after a break, especially as we continue to respond to the demands of the pandemic, which is why we will support returnees throughout their journey back into practice with a structured programme of support including a designated supervisor, a learning plan created around specific learning requirements and support from our Practice Learning Support Unit with sourcing a placement area to complete the required supervised practice.”
Nurses makes up the largest part of the NHS workforce. Allied health professionals (AHPs) cover 14 different professions and are the third largest workforce in the NHS, with the return to practice programme enabling AHP and healthcare scientist returnees to re-enter and gain their Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration.
UHDB is committed to offering all returnees a period of preceptorship to enable you to have a smooth transition back into the clinical setting.
A 12 - 18 month transition period (depending on your profession) with a range of support available to enhance the skills, knowledge, competence and confidence of our newly qualified staff.
As a Preceptee, you will have access to:
- Regular support from senior members of your team, clinical educators, Professional and Practice Development (PPD) and Practice Learning Support Unit (PLSU).
- Workshops/study days designed to enhance your development.
- Resources and learning tools to help guide your continuing professional development in line with your professional bodies.
- Opportunities to guide you towards the next steps in your career in the NHS.
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To find out more about the support available to help you back into the workplace, email: stacey.martin@nhs.net or visit the Joined Up Careers website.
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