Advice on pathways/funding opportunities for a care worker to train as a nurse

[tonsattingforbjudes]

I wonder if any of you have knowledge in the care sector/management of care homes and chains?

There is an extraordinary carer at a relative's home who has some nursing training from her native country. She is sponsored by the care home to work in the UK and very much wants to be able to train to qualify as a nurse here. The care home she works for is a stand alone and not a chain so no opportunity for her current work to support her. She is fluent in English.

She is so exceptional that I have done a bit of online searching to find out whether there are any opportunities that might be open to her but I'm not finding any definitive answers.

I want to leave some details vague so as not to be identifying.

If there's a better area to post this I will ask for it to be moved.

Thank you for any suggestions anyone may have.

Access course?

This info might help. Depending on the course they did abroad, the country etc will depending what further training, if any, is required.
https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/register-nurse-midwife/trained-outside-uk/

Thank you so much for the link. I'll investigate and talk to her. I've seen a lot of incredible work by carers in the home almost all of whom are sponsired from overseas. Their work ethic is something else!

Funding is the biggest issue while she continues to work (which she'd have to do). She says she has 'plenty of time' to study despite working at least 4 x 12.5 hour shifts a week!

Maybe she should look at nursing apprenticeship s?
A friend of mine did one ,it took her longer than a typical nursing degree but she was funded and got paid throughout her training.

@x2boys Did your friend do that through the NHS? I had no idea these existed so thank you, that sounds as if it would be perfect if she could manage to get a place!

So the first step will be for her to find an alternative job, which won't be straightforward as visas are both job- and employer-specific, you can't just decide to move you need to find another employer to sponsor you. Bupa would be my starting point, I know they have a sponsorship licence, and the full range of roles. The good news is it is usually easier to find another sponsor once you are resident in the UK and have proved yourself, it's obviously less of a risk for them than recruiting someone new from overseas. However she has to be discreet as she could risk her existing visa if her employer finds out.

Are her nursing qualifications valid to work as a nurse in the UK? Likelihood is not. It is likely she'll need to apply for a similar level role to begin with and then seek to move roles within the new employer. Any time she moves roles (even within the same employer) a new visa is needed so it's quite a big ask of the employer but I have known it happen for the most exceptional candidates.

Yes through the NHS
She actually qualified as an Nursing associate first then went on to become a registered nurse.

@LayaM It's good to hear of an alternative route if a nursing apprenticeship isn't achievable. With the caveats of being very careful about jeopardising her sponsorship. And no, she didn't complete her nursing training in her home country as she wasn't able to afford to do so. But she's certainly passionate about her job and the residents all love her. She deserves an opportunity.

Thank you all for your advice, I have found out more here in a few minutes than I manage to do in much, much online searching! It's not my area of expertise at all.

@tonsattingforbjudes I don't think a nursing apprenticeship would be possible. In theory it would work in exactly the same way, she would need an employer to sponsor her, but with apprenticeships there are additional residency and right-to-work rules that I don't think it would be possible for her to meet. It's not really in the spirit of apprenticeships, which are funded by taxpayers as well as employers and are therefore supposed to be kind of ring fenced for British workers.

@LayaM That makes complete sense. Thanks again. I'll have a think about the possible move of employers that she'd need to do to make this happen. She thought it was going to be impossible but perhaps there's a glimmer of am opening if she's very careful of how she proceeds.

And no, she didn't complete her nursing training in her home country

Ahh, that point wasn't clear in your OP. I wrongly thought you meant she HAD completed her training abroad. As she didn't, she'd need full training in the UK, rather than just joining the NMC. I'm afraid I don't know a route. I thought bursaries had gone (I might be wrong) and would think going to uni as a non Brit would be extortionate for her due to the fees.

A colleague was in a similar position, but this was many years ago and she'd completed all but 2mths of a 4yr degree. They had to flee the country weeks before she sat her final exams! She did get an exception in the first year of uni in the UK, but only for a handful of classes.