North Lanarkshire’s communities are already benefitting from 36 staff members who have successfully graduated into new clinical roles supporting local people and families.
The group completed their studies to become Advanced Nurse Practitioners, District Nurses, Associate Practitioners and Health Visitors, and are providing a further layer of support for the multi-disciplinary teams working in the community.
Their new qualifications mean each staff member is bringing enhanced skills, knowledge and experience to their roles, helping to meet the growing demand for person-centred care across North Lanarkshire.
Marking their achievements, a special graduation ceremony was held at University Hospital Wishaw, where they were presented with certificates and congratulated on their success and new roles.
Health Visitor Alexandra Jenkins, was one of the 36 celebrated at the event, said: “The course was great. It was a combination of university work alongside placement work where we spent two days in the university and then three days a week out on placement.
“Not only have I gained so much knowledge, this experience has also given me so much important backgrounds on being a good and effective health visitor. It’s a great opportunity to learn by combining both a placement and university at the same time to gain experience as you pick up so much every day.”
Pauline Izat, interim head of health, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “All 36 of our staff who have worked exceptionally hard to gain their qualifications should be very proud of their achievements.
“They were already highly trained and now they’re further strengthening our community teams and developing their careers. This shows the hunger of our staff to continue learning and delivering high quality services to the people of North Lanarkshire.
“Completing these demanding studies alongside their professional roles and balancing that with home lives is no small feat. Their commitment to learning and development highlights their dedication to delivering the very best person-centred care for people.
“I’m looking forward to watching their development and I’m confident they will have a very positive impact on the person-centred community care we deliver to the people of North Lanarkshire.
“The graduation highlights our continued investment in developing our workforce and supporting staff to progress into advanced and specialist roles in our community services. By growing our workforce, we’re ensuring services remain responsive and focused on delivering the best possible care for patients and families.”
