06 December 2011
Open sessions aimed at attracting nurses back to work in Jersey have attracted a range of candidates who want to re-enter the profession.
The 'Return to Practice' programme will start in May next year, and will be run by the Nurse Education Centre at Health and Social Services.
In late November, 2 open sessions were held in the Nurse Education Centre at the General Hospital, and 21 interested people attended.
The head of Nursing and Midwifery Education at Health and Social Services, Julie Mesny, said "The sessions were aimed at Islanders who are either already registered nurses, or whose registration has lapsed, but who have not practised nursing recently, with the areas of specialism being general adult nursing and mental health."
Leading up to the open sessions, more than 30 potential applicants contacted the Education Centre for details of the events, and 21 people in total attended one of the 2 sessions. Interested candidates had to provide evidence of a current or prior registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Registration status
Mrs Mesny said "17 of those who enquired are all keen to review their registration status. The majority of the potential candidates were keen to apply for the programme starting in May 2012, with a couple interested in a later cohort, indicating the need for a future programme. We were very pleased to have such interest, and a few of the people who attended the sessions or made contact with us said they were very pleased to have this opportunity, as they have been thinking about going back to nursing, and feel this is an ideal opportunity.
"7 people who attended still had a current registration with the NMC and wanted to find out how to gain some hospital experience and a professional update. Through a support programme, we hope to enable this to happen through the bank nurse structure. One attendee wanted to explore the opportunities of a mental health qualification and one person wanted to find out how to train as an adult nurse."
Application packs
Application packs will now be sent out for those who wish to apply for the May 2012 course, and potential candidates will be interviewed in January 2012.
Mrs Mesny added "We feel that we certainly have the interest to run a cohort of return to practice students in May 2012. The course will consist of around 150 hours of theory, and 150 hours of clinical practice. Successful applicants will also have the opportunity to undertake supervised practice in an area related to their previous experience. Each person will also have a personal tutor, and excellent job opportunities."
Chief Nurse Rose Naylor said "It is very encouraging to have had such a good response to these open sessions, and we hope that nurses who already live in Jersey will undertake the course. The course is a great opportunity for nurses living in Jersey to re-enter clinical practice as safe and competent practitioners. This is a very important initiative for us not only to recruit people already in the Island who want to restart their nursing career, but also as part of the department's commitment to develop local workforce capacity."
Anyone interested in finding out more who could not attend the open sessions, should contact:
Honor Blain
Workforce Planning Manager
Tel:442675
Email: h.blain@health.gov.je
gov.je