Become an Apprentice

Verity Copeland applied for an NHS Customer Service Apprenticeship with Rother House Medical Centre when she was 17. School hadn’t proved to be the ideal learning environment for Verity so she wanted a job that would allow her to gain qualifications and she was keen to work in the NHS.

Having completed her apprenticeship, Verity now works full time at the practice.

“When I first joined Rother House, I did wonder if I’d be able to pick everything up – there seemed to be so much to learn! The practice team have been brilliant. I began by observing and building an understanding of how things work before working on reception and answering calls from patients.

“I have recently been trained on scanning documents to go into patient notes which is really interesting. I’m about to go on a medical terminology course to help improve my skills.

“Working here has really made me grow up. I have learnt how to handle challenging situations including, working with patients with mental health issues.

“The apprenticeship experience has been really good. I feel I learn something new every day and the practice team have been great in supporting me and answering all my questions!”

Kate Young joined Waterside Medical Centre, aged 16, after successfully applying for a Business Administration apprenticeship position.

Following her apprenticeship, Kate has gone on to become a permanent member of staff and was awarded Primary Care Apprentice of the Year at the West Midlands 2016 NHS Apprenticeship Recognition Awards.

“I didn’t feel the traditional route of ‘A’ levels and university was right for me and I wanted to do something more practical. The apprenticeship meant that I was able to study for a qualification alongside working, allowing me to build my knowledge and skills and learn from experienced people in the team.

“As well as getting to grips with day-to-day administration tasks such as processing documents and scanning, I was also encouraged to get involved with projects to improve the practice’s systems and help them engage with patients. This included supporting the team to reduce unplanned hospital admissions, helping increase the take up of health checks and improving their use of social media.

“Thanks to the support from the staff at Waterside Medical Centre, I have not only gained a huge of amount of experience, but my confidence has really grown. I’m delighted that I am now working as a permanent member of the team and would really recommend apprenticeships to other people who want to develop their skills and put them into practice.”

“I was also encouraged to get involved with projects to improve the practice’s systems and help them engage with patients. This included supporting the team to reduce unplanned hospital admissions, helping increase the take up of health checks.”