When Tammy-Gail Milne first applied for a Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services and Healthcare, she was unsure what to expect from the course.
“All through school I wanted to work within health and social care, and was really interested in becoming a paramedic. I really wasn’t sure whether the Foundation Apprenticeship was right for me, but I knew what industry I wanted to work in in the future and the course gave me the chance to learn more about it before I left school. I am really glad that I chose the course though as it has been really interesting and I have really enjoyed it. It has also been good to meet lots of people from different schools and I now have friends from all over West Lothian.”
As part of her FA, Tammy-Gail carried out her placement with Acredale House Care Home in Bathgate. This helped her to apply the skills and knowledge she had learnt in the classroom to a work environment.
“At college we learnt about disabilities and the nursing side of care. What to do and what not to do in a care and nursing environment. Being on placement was great. It meant I got to practice all the things I had learnt at college and working with people and patients really helped me become more confident. It was also very rewarding, the residents were always so happy to see you!”
Tammy-Gail has since been offered a position as a Modern Apprentice in Clinical Nursing within the Astley Ainslie hospital in Edinburgh. She is now working towards becoming a qualified band 2 nurse and still plans to complete her paramedic training in the future. When asked whether she feels her FA helped her secure her MA, Tammy-Gail said:
“I think it benefitted me a lot! When I showed them my certificate from the college at the interview they actually commented on how this meant I would be a great fit as I was already technically half way through the course.”
When asked what advice she had for others considering a FA, Tammy-Gail had some words of encouragement to give.
“If it is a subject that you are interested in then go for it, I wasn’t sure it would be right for me but I loved it and even got a Modern Apprenticeship because of it!”
Find out more about the Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services & Healthcare here.