Bradford College pioneers virtual NHS work experience
Over 80 students at Bradford College have been involved in a unique pilot programme to learn more about the allied health professions . Working with a panel of experts from Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust , Fast Track to T Level Health students took part in the first virtual ‘ Aspiring Allies ’ project to be piloted at a college .
Unlike traditional career schemes focusing on the roles of doctors and nurses , Aspiring Allies explores the 14 allied health professions available in the NHS , including occupational therapy .
The online initiative was designed to help the trust accommodate the demand for student work experience opportunities . Students participate in a six-module supported programme to learn the practical skills needed to progress into one of the allied health professions .
The Aspiring Allies initiative and its engagement platforms are funded with Ahead Partnership support and managed by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate AHP Faculty – a collective of healthcare and education institutions .
The Bradford College pilot is the largest to date and the only one to take part in a college , following two small schemes at Wakefield and Cullingworth schools , incorporating 16 pupils .
Vicky Carter , Head of School at Bradford College , sits on the Health and Social Care Board of Bradford District ’ s Careers and Technical Education ( CTE ), bringing together health professionals from across the region . This connection helps the college to embed NHS events and initiatives into curriculum .
Vicky said : ‘ We ’ re really excited about the new Aspiring Allies project . The idea came about through the local CTE board as a solution to a real problem faced by the NHS after COVID-19 , to alleviate some of the pressures placed on trusts to give more and more young people real work experience in a stretched NHS .
‘ The modules our students completed count towards their work experience when applying to a Higher Education Institution for their career qualifications . The six-module programme takes approximately eight hours to complete , including two hour-long live sessions with 14 real allied health professionals and six hours of virtual self-directed work , which explore all aspects of working as an AHP .
‘ The final panel is a fantastic opportunity for the students to ask as many questions as possible about these crucial , but sometimes overlooked , roles in the NHS .’
Owing to the pilot ’ s success , the Aspiring Allies programme will now be embedded in the programme of study for all Level 3 Health and Social Care Award students . The aspiration is that this will become an access point into the Bradford College T Level in Health and T Level in Healthcare Science , and higher education or university programmes .
Further programmes have now been written specialising in physiotherapy and occupational therapy . Bradford College hopes to roll these out from September 2024 , which will , in turn , lead to real-life work experience .
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Calling all research consumers
How do you maintain and develop your confidence to use research ? Researchers are seeking occupational therapists from across all career stages to share their experiences of maintaining or developing their confidence and capability to use research .
The team leading this study believes the findings will be vital to identify activities that can support occupational therapists to meet their ongoing development needs as research consumers .
Nikki Daniels , lead researcher says : ‘ We all have different CPD needs when it comes to our confidence and ability to use research to inform our practice . We need to think beyond learning about research methods to think about how we can really apply this learning and make changes to our practice which are impactful .’
The research team is using virtual focus groups to hear about the development activities occupational therapists have found effective . The study also aims to understand if there are any barriers that are limiting occupational therapists to develop if they identify improving their ability to use research in practice as a need . Focus groups will be hold online during August and September .
If you ’ d like to take part , and to receive a study information pack , please email Nikki Daniels and Sarah Lawson OTEBP4CPD @ gmail . com .
10 OTnews July 2023