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Tell us about your background in nursing

“Before nursing, I spent over ten years working with individuals from six weeks old, right through to being young adults, both as a paid job and as a volunteer. This was in schools, nurseries, afterschool clubs - even on a converted double decker bus! I was also fortunate enough to lead teams of volunteers working with children and their families in some of the slum areas of Brazil. I think all of this experience has influenced my career choices.” 

“ I think I became a nurse almost by accident. I wanted a job that fitted around other commitments, and a friend suggested I look into being a bank healthcare assistant. I absolutely fell in love with it, and I ended up doing my training in nursing. I started my nursing career in a community hospital and along the way I found a real love for palliative and end of life care as well.”

How did you transition into higher education?

“At some point I remember a senior nurse sitting down to talk to me about my career aspirations. She said that at that moment I was influencing and caring for a specific group of people, but what about everyone else? How could I influence nursing in a bigger way; what would that look like? That’s how I first transitioned into training and education, initially working at a university supporting students on their adult nursing undergraduate programme. 

“After approximately five years in higher education, a job came up at the ����TV teaching on their nursing apprenticeship programme. I have spent three years in that role but as of January 2026 I’ve now stepped into the role of Programme Lead, overseeing both the level 5 nursing associate and level 6 registered nurse apprenticeship courses. It’s a great combination of teaching and supporting our apprentices, and collaborating with local NHS Trusts and our employer partners.

"Alongside my full time work, I’ve also studied part time, completing a masters, teaching qualification and most recently my PhD. I think it’s really important for our apprentices to know that their teachers are constantly developing professionally or getting involved in research; we know what it feels like to balance the pressures of work and study.”

What do you enjoy most about your role?

“Working with the apprenticeship team is a real pleasure. I think we all work really well together. Our students are at the centre of everything we do, and we all do our best to get it right for them,  their employers, and patients.

“As for our nursing apprentices, they’re a joy to teach. They’re great at getting involved, interacting with the curriculum, and asking questions. They’ve just got a great work ethic. They’ve also got a really good balance between the academic and practical side of nursing. When they’re at university they’re thinking about how their theory applies to practice, and then when they’re in practice they’re drawing on their evidence base to make clinical decisions.”

What do you think makes the ����TV stand out as a nursing apprenticeship provider?

“Our clinical educators are a real selling point. It’s brilliant to be able to have someone go into practice and see our apprentices at work, and get to know our employers too. They know so much about each of our settings; if an apprentice is a bit worried about their alternative placement then our clinical educators can talk to them about what to expect.

“As a team we also do a lot in the curriculum to link theory and clinical practice, and try to make the most of their protected learning hours. For example, at the moment we are planning that our SNAs will be able to explore a ‘mini project’ that they can look at in their own workplace. Whether it's a small quality improvement project or looking at a local Prevent issue, we want to give our students a really good foundation to build on within the context of their base area.

Our nursing apprenticeships are about more than gaining a qualification, it's about encouraging students to learn, share knowledge and ultimately improve care.

Katherine Oliver

Programme Lead, Student Nursing Associate and Registered Nurse Apprenticeships