Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Hundreds of student nurses recruited to help north-east hospitals

RGU's Heather Bain, nurses Michael Solo, Emma Burke, Fiona Buchan and Rory McCulloch with NHS Grampian chief nurse Jane Ewen and lead practice educator Joanne Grant. Picture by Kami Thomson
RGU's Heather Bain, nurses Michael Solo, Emma Burke, Fiona Buchan and Rory McCulloch with NHS Grampian chief nurse Jane Ewen and lead practice educator Joanne Grant. Picture by Kami Thomson

Hundreds of students have been recruited to help the coronavirus response in wards and clinics across the north-east.

NHS Grampian often has trainees working as part of placements which typically last for a couple of months at most and are spread throughout the year.

But it currently has more than 450 student nurses and midwives offering their support for the coming months all at once.

The extended paid placements will last until August for second-year students, and September for third-years – allowing them to utilise their vital skills and knowledge on the wards, while further preparing themselves for what to expect in their careers.

NHS Grampian chief nurse Jane Ewen said: “We do have students in practice throughout the year but the difference now is from the Scottish Government directive to accelerate recruitment and capacity in our workforce in response to Covid-19.

“This has allowed us to work with universities to offer these extended paid placements.”

Most of the new recruits are from the Robert Gordon University, which has strong links with NHS Grampian.

The health board has also been working with establishments elsewhere, and has welcomed students from universities outside the north-east too.

These are mainly trainee midwives and nurses who are currently living in the area due to the pandemic, and cannot travel further afield.

Joanne Grant, NHS Grampian’s lead practice educator, said: “Usually the placements would be anything between six and eight weeks, but sometimes they are 12 weeks long.

“These are extended placements and the students have got a really good opportunity to stay in one area for a longer period of time.

“It means they can build they confidence and develop strong relationships with others in the area.

“They are learning and earning – and also contributing to the response.

“It’s a great opportunity for the students, but we really value them as part of our workforce too.”

Alongside time on the wards, the students are also focusing on their studies.

Lectures and seminars have been moved online, while other measures are in place to ensure they can still sit all the necessary exams.

Each has been given a hospital induction and a number of guides for how to use IT systems and input data correctly to help them get up to speed quickly.

They have also received specific information packs regarding the health board’s response to the coronavirus.

Mrs Grant added: “We are helping the students and other members of our workforce are mentoring them as well.

“It’s important to support them to make sure they can get the most out of this placement – not just as a member of the workforce but also as students so they can progress in their careers after.

“The fact they are being paid highlights how much we value them.

“The second-years are being paid at a certain levels, while the third-years are receiving more to recognise the knowledge, skills and experience they are bringing with them.”

The students say they have all been given a warm welcome on the wards.

Emma Burke, a children’s nursing student who has joined the NHS Grampian team, said: “I’m having a really good experience.

“We are all really being supported as students, but we’re also getting more of an opportunity to help people, to manage patients and to gain new skills.”

Fiona Buchan, who is studying adult nursing, said: “This is giving us the chance to step up and grab the opportunity to learn – it’s great to be able to contribute just now.

“Everyone is so positive and working together really well.

“All the staff really make us feel valued, and we are all valuing each other.”

And Michael Solo, who is also an adult nursing student, said: “All the staff have been very supportive.

“It’s nice to have these levels of morale to walk into every day.”

He added: “They also keep bringing in lots of home baking – they’re keeping us well fed, that’s for sure.”