Letter from Practice

Re: Letter from Practice

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:23:48 GMT

Just sit down with your boss/line manager and ask. The worst that can happen is that they say no! I wasn't trying to put you off - just trying to make sure you approach them with all the facts. You never know - they may be impressed at your commitment!

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:44:18 GMT

No idea what to do then

Re: Letter from Practice

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:10:05 GMT

Therefore it isn't as simple as 'can I have one or two days off to go and train,' where you would be asking for no other input from the practice, but, rather, ' will you support me in doing my VN training.' I promise you that the cost is rarely the deciding factor in whether to train a nurse. I do hope your TP will allow you to do the training, but it is a big time commitment and you need to realise what you are asking for and whether this is feasible for them.

(I very much doubt the college has a practice where every student would be able to do their full NPL so you would be completing this in work. You will also need tutorial time.)

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:48:17 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

[quote user="SJ Richards"]Thanks for all the feedback. The training isnt through PDSA. Im going to do the VN training with Reasheath College (if im offered a place) and i think they have a TP there just need to work at a practice for the days im not in class[/quote]

I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Is it definately the VN diploma? ie:

http://www.reaseheath.ac.uk/wordpress/?page_id=12260

If it is, you need to be employed by the practice full time, and be released to college for one or two days a week. The cost of the course, which is usually about £1000 a year but depends on college and age, is actually a fraction of the actual cost of training. That has to take into account the cost of overtime for the staff covering your days off, the time your clinical coach takes, and the admin cost of keeping a practice as a TP (not inconsiderable!)etc etc!

The other way is via a nursing degree, for which you simply have block placements in a TP and would not usually be paid, so would be less demanding financially on the practice. However, the degrees are all 3 years I think so this doesn't sound like what you are applying for?

I strongly recommend you get back in touch with your college to double check the requirements before approaching your employer.

Good luck!

[/quote]

Ya thats the diploma i want to do at Reasheath

I went for an interview with them and they said it will probably be 1-2 days a week and the rest of the time in a practice.

I asked them if the PDSA would be ok to work at because i need to make money as i am 23 yrs old. They said that was fine aslong as i had that letter.

Re: Letter from Practice

Fuzzyduck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:21:47 GMT

colleges are now offering the diploma to students who are not employed by practices, i know the college of animal welfare is one of them as we have 1 of their students. The college finds them an unpaid placement which they go to 3 days a week, and they go to college 2 days a week.

I do our students NPL and she is treated like a paid member of staff but she doesnt get paid, she also pays for her college tuition and exams etc.

I think its a new thing they are doing to get more students on to the course, although i think the college are struggling to find the unpaid placements, if the student is under i think 18 then the government pays the college fees.

Re: Letter from Practice

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:02:51 GMT

I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick.

Is it definately the VN diploma? ie:

http://www.reaseheath.ac.uk/wordpress/?page_id=12260

I strongly recommend you get back in touch with your college to double check the requirements before approaching your employer.

Good luck!

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:40:20 GMT

Sorry to go on about this matter but just wanted to ask how would i word it to the Head Nurse?

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:59:29 GMT

Thanks for all the feedback. The training isnt through PDSA. Im going to do the VN training with Reasheath College (if im offered a place) and i think they have a TP there just need to work at a practice for the days im not in class

Re: Letter from Practice

Vicky RVN — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:24:00 GMT

[quote user="Tracy Windler RVN"]I didn't think the PDSA did VN training anymore?[/quote]

Yes they do. Not every place might, but some do.

Re: Letter from Practice

Tracy Windler RVN — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:07:29 GMT

I didn't think the PDSA did VN training anymore? I could be wrong. If your employer does, there is probably a queue of people waiting to start their training and, as someone already mentioned, they may not have the clinical coach available for you and this would almost seem like your "jumping the queue". But it doesn't hurt to ask. I would broach it that you had applied previously and wondered if it was still an option now you were back working for them, so it doesn't seem that you have just gone off and applied without asking first (as I'm sure you didn't !)

I would say that the normal route into VN training (without doing the degree) is to gain a position at a training practice who offer the position with the prospect of training at some point. That way you know where you stand and should have a contract that covers whether you get paid for the days off you have (which you normally would be), ensures you should be trained at some point and how long you have to remain there once you are qualified.

There seem to be many colleges who are either so desperate for students that they are interviewing them without them having a training place in order to offer them a place to make them desperate enough to take unpaid work, or that they simply don't understand the system. Some of these colleges offer the "Animal Nursing" qualifications that do not qualify you to be an RVN at the end of it, so watch out for them.

When I trained, you got a job in a TP, then you worked there for 6-12 months (at least) and THEN you applied for college, if there was no one ahead of you in the queue. I had to wait for the nurse who had been there 2 years to finish her 1st year, so I could start, so we weren't both off on the same day.

Sorry for the babbling and if I sound a bit negative. I hope it all goes well for you.

Tracy

Re: Letter from Practice

louise170388 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:18:21 GMT

All you can do is ask. Some places ask you to sign a contract to say once they have supported your training, you will continue to work for them for a certain period of time before you can move on, to make it worth their while. I've never worked for PDSA so couldn't say for sure, but surely its a good thing that their staff want to develop skills and they maybe happy for you to go ahead?

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:59:44 GMT

So do you think they will be ok with it? And if not what do i do?

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:34:14 GMT

[quote user="jamie"]

oohhhhh!! ok sorry ignore me!! :)

[/quote]

Haha dont worry bout it

Re: Letter from Practice

jamie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:23:09 GMT

oohhhhh!! ok sorry ignore me!! :)

Re: Letter from Practice

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:15:04 GMT

Ya i used to work for the PDSA as a locum for 2 months and then they no longer needed me. Then they called me 2 weeks and asked for me to come back!! I would be paying for it myself and it not until September. It might even only be one day a week, the college isnt sure yet because it a new course for them and they are waiting for the RCVS approval.

Re: Letter from Practice

Fuzzyduck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:28:41 GMT

It sounds like she has gone to the college independantly of the practice so they dont know she is going to train.

We have this problem in our practice currently, one of our NAs wants to train and has gone to the college but we have so many trainees at the moment we cannot give her a clinical coach or allow her the 2 days off per week that she needs so she either has to wait or find another placement practice, its hard but there is only so many trainees 1 practice can support

Re: Letter from Practice

jamie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:24:12 GMT

Im confused, surely if your practice know you are going to start training they will know and be expecting you to have this time off to train?! I wouldnt worry at all unless you work with complete monsters I cant see that anybody would have a problem with supporting you/writing the letter. Just speak to your practice manager or head nurse im sure they will be happy to help. Good luck, I reckon being in pdsa practice will be a great place to train :)

Re: Letter from Practice

Fuzzyduck — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:23:18 GMT

Depending on your college you'll need 1-2 days off per week to attend which they can choose to pay you for or not depending on the practice, also you'll need support in the form of a clinical coach to do your NPL in practice which is very time consuming for the clinical coach.

PDSA are usually good at supporting their staff but a practice can only train so many staff at one time, and if you need 2 days off per week to attend college, they may say no, i would just ask your head nurse, say you are desperate to start your training and willing to pay for it yourself and hopefully they will agree, then you can ask for the letter.

If they do say no however, the college usually will help find you an unpaid placement within a practice so you can do your training, you just dont get paid for the hours you work.