Return to Practice nursing programme launched at Dorothy House

At Dorothy House, we are always looking for ways to help develop our workforce to meet the current needs of the Hospice. One such opportunity was our Return to Practice nursing students.

The programme

The Return to Practice Programme offers those with a lapsed registration the opportunity to become practicing Health Care Professionals again as a registered nurse. This accredited programme is for qualified nurses (adult, child, mental health and learning disabilities) who wish to return to practice and re-register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Provision of Return to Practice (RTP) is an employer-led model with places commissioned by Health Education South West (HeSW). It is a challenging programme, as it requires juggling practice and academic studies. The theory part of this level 6 (undergraduate level) programme runs over six consecutive weeks with a hybrid approach to learning. This is completed alongside clinical placements to achieve the necessary competencies to be able to re-register.

Sarah’s Return to Practice

Sarah is our first return to practice student and we are pleased to have her working with us. Having taken some time away from being a nurse, and returning to care with Hospice at Home as a carer, Sarah felt it was time to think about her future plans. She started the role as a student this May, moving onto the Inpatient Unit. Supported by her practice assessors on the unit, she is now two months into the course.

“I am really enjoying the Return to Practice course and being part of the team on the Inpatient Unit where I’ve had a lovely welcome from everyone. Working alongside the skilled and experienced staff, I am learning something new every day.

I have been so impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge that everyone has and the holistic care that patients and relatives receive.

I am about a quarter of the way through the 450 hours of clinical practice that is required for re-registration with the NMC, and one of the challenges I face is working through the long list of competencies and keeping a portfolio of evidence of learning, such as reflections. There is certainly a lot to achieve but I’m finding it satisfying, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity to become a registered nurse again.” – Sarah Pruce, Return to Practice Nurse.

Our Education team offer a huge number of training opportunities, please click here for more information.