Trainee / Student Nursing Associate Interview Tips

The Nursing Associate role is a fantastic way to enter the rewarding career of nursing. Usually undertaken as an apprenticeship – this role is allowing thousands of people access to training and career development that was previously unattainable due to expenses and family or personal committments. Researching the role that you are applying for is not only essential for a successful interview but also allows you to prepare for the two years of training that you will undertake.

Two year training programme blending academic learning and work-based training to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies to work as a Registered Nursing Associate.

The role was introduced by the Shape of Caring Review (2015) as a bridge between HCA’s and Registered Nurses. It provides a clear route of progression for healthcare assistants and can be a stepping stone towards becoming a registered nurse.

The Nursing Associate is a stand-alone role, registered by the NMC, which frees up nurses to concentrate on the more complex care needs.

The course leads to a foundation degree equivalent and requires 2,300 hours of work-based training and academic learning in hospitals, close to home and at home settings. The programme gives the opportunity to work with a wide range of people of all ages in different settings.

Understanding the Student Nursing Associate Role

The duration of training is two years and leads to a Level 5 Foundation degree qualification.
Work-based learning and academic studies are integrated – allowing the student nursing associate to gain the latest evidence based knowledge and practical skills needed to provide safe, person-centred care.
The Nursing Associate role is designed to bridge the gap between health care assistants and registered nurses. Registered Nursing Associates provide much of the same care as Registered Nurses and have many of the same clinical skills and competencies. However, there are some important differences between the roles – some of which are NMC requirements while others vary between NHS trusts and healthcare employers. It is important to be familiar with the differences and understand the scope of practice of Registered Nursing Associates.
The Nursing Associate role is generic – meaning registered practitioners can work in any of the four fields of nursing. To prepare for this, student nursing associates complete training in a wide variety of placements and settings.

Values

Values and behaviours are absolutely essential to healthcare roles. It is really important that you demonstrate how your values align with those of the NHS, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and your employer or NHS trust. Employers publish their values on their websites and you need to be familiar with those – and how you can put them into practice.

6 C’s of Nursing

NHS England (where the nursing associate role is regulated) promotes the 6 C’s of nursing for all health and care workers. These values and behaviours are embedded into all training and are classed as essential for delivery compassionate care. You will need to have these values committed to memory for your interview and will also need to demonstrate how you uphold them or will uphold them in future. The 6 C’s of Nursing however are not just statements to use in your interview – they are the cornerstone of nursing and health care and must be put into practice at all times. You can find more information on the NHS England website.

Care
Compassion
Competence
Communication
Courage
Committment

Remember: you will be asked about one or more of these, therefore preparation is key and an essential element in being successful in your interview.

NHS Values

Working together for patients.
Respect and dignity.
Commitment to quality of care.
Compassion.
Improving lives.
Everyone counts.

As part of the NHS Constitution – the NHS Values remind us that whatever our role – we are one piece of a wider team that works to provide compassionate, quality, person-centred care for all people who access health services. Every member of the team plays a vitally important part in delivering health and care and every colleague should be treated with respect and dignity. Respect and dignity also applies to those we care for – working in healthcare brings you into contact with people from all walks of life, people with different beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. We may not personally agree with or understand certain values or behaviours – but they must never adversely influence the care that we provide.

Care and compassion should be at the heart of everything that we do. Demonstrating emotional intelligence is a good interview technique that will help to show the interviewers that you are able to take on the challenge of working with an infinitely diverse group of patients, services users, families and colleagues. If possible, try to refer to a practical example of where you demonstrated one of the NHS Values – this could either be in work life or personal life.

NHS Guiding Principles

The NHS Guiding Principles are the foundations on which the health service is built. Demonstrating how you would implement one or more of the principles is a great way to improve your chances of success in your interview – and will also guide you through your training. The guiding principles are:

The NHS provides a comprehensive service – available to all.
Access to NHS services is based on clinical need – not an individual’s ability to pay.
The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism.
That patient is at the heart of everything the NHS does.
The NHS works across organisational boundaries.
The NHS is committed to providing best value for taxpayer’s money.
The NHS is accountable to the public, communities and the patients that it services.

Looking at the principles – it can be seen that the patient should always be at the heart of everything we do. Accountability is also very important as is the aspiration to provide the highest standards. When thinking about professionalism – I recall times when I have needed to interact with health providers – what differentiated those with a professional attitude with people who did not display this characteristic? Be prepared in your interview to give an example of professionalism.

NMC Code

The Nursing and Midwifery Council regulates the role the registered nursing associates along with registered nurses and midwives. The NMC Code is absolutely central to any registered nursing professional and must be upheld at all times.

The four key themes (4 P’s) of the NMC Code are:

Priorise people.
Practice effectively.
Preserve safety.
Promote professionalism and trust.

In your interview it is essential that you demonstrate familiarity with the NMC Code. I would be prepared to give an example of how I would uphold one of the four key themes. You should read through and become familiar with the Code before your interview. It will also guide you through your training and beyond. It is important to stress how you will upload the Code at all times.

NMC Standards for Nursing Associates

In addition to the NMC Code, the Nursing and Midwifery Council also publish Standards of Proficiencies required by nurses, midwives and nursing associates. The Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates sets out the minimum standards that a nursing associate must demonstrate in order to join the register. Being familiar with the standards at your interview will demonstrate that you have researched the role and standards required and show your intent to work towards becoming proficient in the standards required. As the standards also link into practical skills and academic studies you will be able to demonstrate your understanding of the professional requirements needed to enter the NMC register.

The standards of proficiency presented here represent the standards of knowledge and skills that a nursing associate will need to meet in order to be considered by the NMC as capable of safe and effective nursing associate practice.
These standards have been designed to apply across all
health and care settings.
Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2018.

Job Description

When you apply for a student nursing associate role it is important to read and become familiar with the job description. Even if you are not yet ready to apply, you can look on NHS Jobs and download one of the job descriptions in an application. Job descriptions are amazingly useful as they spell out exactly what your potential employer – and interviewers – are looking for. When planning for my own interview, I highlighted some of the requirements outlined in the job description that I would be able to talk about in my interview. I have included the highlighted components here:

Deliver high quality, compassionate care, under the direction of a registered nurse.
Have attitudes and behaviours compatible with the NHS values.
Carry out delegated tasks to a high standard and competency under the direction of a registered nurse.
Be responsible for developing own clinical skills and competence.
Develop knowledge of the nursing associate scope of practice within various care settings.
Develop an understanding of all aspects of the nursing process.
Be able to assist the registered nurse in on-going assessments, planning, management and evaluation of care.
Recognise safeguarding issues for adults and children.
Adhere to legislation, policies, procedures and also local and national guidelines.
Communicate effectively and demonstrate compassion, empathy and respect.
Act in ways which support and value equality and diversity.
Treat all patient information with sensitivity and maintain confidentiality at all times.

There are many more requirements in each job description. I advise that you familiarise yourself with them and be prepared to answer questions on how you would implement or demonstrate the requirements.

Do you have any questions?

This is your opportunity to ask questions that you may have. Many questions that I have seen being asked include shift patterns, base area and placement locations, additional support requirements. As the apprenticeship attracts a lot of older students – many with families and commitments – interviewers often appreciate that you have put some thought into how you will accommodate existing committments.

Final thoughts…

The Nursing Associate role is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to enter or progress in a nursing career. Interviews are naturally a very stressful experience, however, interviewers understand and accommodate this. My tip for overcoming nerves is to allow yourself to think about the interesting and exciting possibilities that this role opens up and to let this show through in your interview.

My advice: do your research, be engaged, show enthusiasm, align and demonstrate your values to those of the NHS and your employer, take a deep breath… and go for it!

Good luck.

Nursing Associate