‘Unique’ apprenticeship approved for nursing associates to qualify in 16 months

A ‘unique’ nursing degree to help nursing associates qualify within 16 months has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The nursing regulator has approved the University of Exeter’s (UoE) ‘earn while you learn’ programme that will allow nursing associates to qualify as nurses in just 16 months using a mixture of workplace-based and online learning.

The NMC announced last November that it would begin consultations on reducing programme hours and introduce a new requirement for a community-based placement for nursing students with the hope of ‘being facilitative and supporting the best way for learning’.

Starting for the first time next month, students will earn a BSc (Hons) in Adult Nursing in the newly NMC accredited course while continuing to care for patients.

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It will blend work-based practice with flexible online and in-person learning and aims to ‘empower apprentices to advance their clinical and theoretical knowledge and achieve the high-level skills to progress to a registered nursing qualification, while continuing to care for patients.

The programme, which was developed with a ‘strong focus on inclusivity and widening participation’, is open to all Nursing Associates across the UK who hold a NMC approved Nursing Associate qualification.

UoE’s programme lead Elle Hammond said she is ‘delighted’ that the programme has been accredited, stating it is the result of a ‘significant amount of work across the team’.

‘Our visions has always been to support the NHS workforce with their need for more nurses,’ she said.

‘This pathway will strengthen professional identity and cultivate the leadership, accountability, responsibility, and courage needed to deliver safe, efficient, and person-centred care.

‘Our learners will bring a wealth of experience and practical skills, and we want to build on this strong foundation by supporting their progression through a tailored programme that combines a Russell Group education with extensive clinical experience in the workplace.’

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During the programme, in which students will work for the NHS or private healthcare providers who will pay their fees via the Apprenticeship Levy, apprentices will cover topics such as health justice and community care, nursing practice, clinical innovation and more.

Admissions for the course are open until 16 March with the programme starting in April.

The new programme follows concerns over a small decline in the number of students accepted onto UK nursing programmes in 2025.

Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) published in December showed a total of 26,315 were accepted onto UK nursing programmes last autumn, down from 26,500 (-0.7%) in 2024.

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Royal College of Nursing (RCN) director of England, Patricia Marquis, said encouraging more students into nursing ‘couldn’t be more urgent’.

‘At a time of unprecedented pressure on services, it is worrying to see so few extra people studying nursing this year [in England], and even a decrease in numbers from the UK,’ she added.