Detailed testimonials from students who completed the course in 2013, 2014 & 2015 and nominated the RTP course at the University of Wolverhampton for the Student Nursing Times Award 2015 (Best Return to Practice Course) I am nominating the above named University for the Return to Nursing Practice Course I completed last year. I had been out of nursing for about 8 years and not done any studying at diploma or degree level. The course leader managed to inspire us all, she reassured us many times when we thought we were not up to completing the course. Many of us had only basic IT skills and this had to be taught along with the necessary components for the qualification. I learned to view the Code as a positive guidance for my practice and feel much more informed about legislation than when I was previously nursing. We also developed an understanding of why legislation and PREP are so important. The Portfolio development covered in the course has made me confident in that area. I am confident that I will be able to keep this going in the future both for revalidation purposes and for my own personal journey. We were helped with preparing for interviews and personal statement writing. The safe medicate was a wonderful tool for drugs calculations - I wish it had been around when I first did my training! The support from the tutors and other group members helped to keep me going, because sometimes the going was tough. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to do this course. I was amazed how much my confidence grew. I have started working in a totally new area and have a dream job that I would never have thought possible only one year ago. The course has changed my life. (September 2013 student testimonial)
I started the Return to Practice course in October 2014 following an eleven year break in practice. The application process was excellent, and communication by the University was outstanding. Tutors were extremely prompt at responding to e-mail queries and clear information was easily accessible on the website. The course offered a very flexible approach to RTP with different hand-in dates for the portfolio and we were able to take up to a year to complete the portfolio dependent on each learners needs. I chose to hand in my portfolio at the earliest date. This meant I needed an early clinical placement. The Practice Placement manager (PPM) was outstanding. Communication was excellent between PPM, course tutor and myself. I was quickly provided with a placement that perfectly suited my learning needs. All staff during my placement were incredibly supportive. My mentor was well informed about the course, familiar with the paperwork and expectations and knew what was needed to complete each NMC outcome. The support was outstanding. I was able to regain confidence, develop and enhance my clinical competence and knew, quite quickly, that I had made the right decision to RTP. The University tutors have provided outstanding and personalised support to me. The course tutor put me in touch with a student from the previous cohort who lived in my area. She was very supportive and gave me advice about my placement and provided excellent peer support. My personal tutor has been outstanding, meeting with me at my clinical placement, and offering three tutorials to help me develop my portfolio. This invaluable support gave me practical advice about my academic writing and the confidence to submit my portfolio. The University provide excellent on-line resources to study and develop knowledge at home, enabling me to work away from the university, accessing journal articles, library services, course materials, electronic medication administration tutorials (Safe Medicate). This has
been invaluable to support my academic leaning. The taught sessions delivered by the University were thought provoking, inspiring, informative and relevant. Academic support has been outstanding with the ability to contact tutors at any time via e-mail or telephone and gain an extremely prompt response. I feel the RTP course has provided me with the enthusiasm, motivation, confidence and skills to return to practice. I have enjoyed every aspect of the process. (October 2014 student testimonial) My experience of the return to practice programme has been positive right from the point of first contact. I have been out of front line general nursing for a significant amount of time and I was nervous about being able to remember what I knew and adapt to new practices, but I was listened to and reassured. The programme has been built around my needs, with taught material delivered clearly and to suit a variety of learning styles. Help was given help to find a suitable placement, and the way the academic elements of the programme we delivered ensured they were tuned to the practicalities of clinical practice. I have really valued being part of a group of returning nurses with a phenomenal amount of collective expertise and experience. We have shared stories and supported each other. I know many of my colleagues had similar anxieties to mine, but the course leaders really emphasised the value of this collective knowledge, and incorporated it into the taught sessions. (October 2014 cohort student testimonial)
From initially enquiring about RTP training, through to the interview process, and attending the university based learning sessions, tutors and support staff, have been extremely knowledgeable, supportive and approachable. The course content has been currant and relevant to all fields of nursing. The Learning Centre facilities have a vast bank of resources, and can be accessed by many different routes, dependant to each student s individual preferences. Not once have I felt that I have asked a silly question. Personally I commenced the RTP course with apprehension and a lack of confidence in my own skills. However now with the support and professional positivity of the tutors, I now feel excited and prepared, for the next part of my personal RTP journey. (October 2014 cohort student testimonial) The Return to Nursing Practice Course has been outstanding. There is a flexible approach to study which was very beneficial to me as a mother. The educational environment itself is conducive to learning and enables nurses and midwives to learn unfamiliar practices and techniques now used in modern healthcare. Indeed this is further promoted but not limited to electronic medication administration such as Safe Medicate. I have felt supported emotionally and physically during the course through guidance and support. I would be happy to recommend Wolverhampton University to anyone wishing to undertake the course.
When I started the course, I was very nervous because I had been out of practice for 4 years and the thought of going back to university and hospital was daunting. What put me at easy were the staff, who were very supportive and understanding of my anxieties and needs. I cannot emphasise how important the relationship between students and the academic staff is, because the staff were so approachable, it made it easy to ask questions and get the help I needed. The theory part of the course had its challenges such as the drug calculation test we had to complete at the end of the course, but we had fantastic support from tutors and Safe Medicate, which is an online practice course that allows you to practice drug calculation within a safe setting. We had to produce a portfolio of evidence alongside completing a clinical practice document while on placement. We also worked in groups, which was another great sauce of support for everyone as we were all willing help each other, there was an unspoken understanding as we were all in the same boat. The placement link between local hospitals and the university was great, alongside supportive practice placement managers. I completed my placement in a local hospital, which was organized by the Practice Placement Manager. My experience was a good one because I had a very supportive sign off mentor and other staff members as well. She set me realistic goals which I was able to meet, which boosted my confidence greatly. Overall, the structure of the course, the teaching and the clinical practice placement helped me in preparation for practice, as I managed to secure a job in a few weeks before finally completing the course. For anyone who is thinking of returning to practice, I will definitively recommend Wolverhampton university as the tutors are so
supportive, there if help if you cannot arrange your own placement and they have fantastic facilities for simulation practices. I also made a lot of life-long friends from the course. (September 2013 cohort student testimonial) I recently completed the Return to Practice course at the University of Wolverhampton. Initially I was a little worried about fitting in studying with a full time job and the demands of a family. However I found that the course was flexible and I was able to study at my own pace. The classroom sessions were taught professionally and made enjoyable for all students with respect for each person s individual professional skills and knowledge. Throughout the course references were made to the NMC code and highlighted the legal issues in all areas. The teaching resources and library facilities were relevant, useful and easy to access. Towards the end of the course the tutors were supportive of students looking for employment. They were able to provide information about prospective employers and help with interview techniques. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as a student at Wolverhampton University and found the tutor and peer support really helpful. My placement increased my confidence knowing that my skills are easily transferrable. Throughout this placement I was able to complete my Portfolio for the course which I will be able to continue to update to prove my continued learning throughout my career. I found the Safe-Medicate programme easy to use and extremely useful. (September 2013 cohort student testimonial)