-By Kyla Payne

I was asked if I was interested in becoming an ENP (Emergency Nurse Practitioner)  trainee at my local hospital. Absolutely! It meant being more autonomous, seeing,  treating, and discharging my own patients, on the job type training, and a pay raise to a  band 6!  

ENPs are like Nurse Practitioners in the US, but only see minor injuries. Such as  fractures, sprains, foreign bodies in the nose/ear, minor head injuries, lacerations/wounds,  things like that. They do not get to see minor illness.  

To become an ENP you either have to take courses at a university, that takes 6-9  months, or, as I did, some trusts have their own program. The advantage to my way was  that it was 100% funded, and I learned in class and on the job. Basically my job WAS to  learn. The disadvantage is other hospitals outside of my group don’t have to accept the  qualification as they would with a university qualification.  

Because of Covid and a few months being redeployed back into the ED from  whence I came, I began in Jan 2020 and completed my qualification Dec 2020 (it too, was  supposed to be 6 months). The course consisted of 8 hour classes once a week  (preCOVID). The rest of my full time hours working on the “shop” floor with a mentor  overseeing everything. I also had to take 12 objective structured clinical examinations OSCEs, (but luckily not the pediatric ones that the NMC requires). In addition to 2 medication tests, 2 x-ray interpretation tests, and  complete a portfolio that showed my work. The portfolio consisted of patient 5 case notes I treated  with specific diagnoses. Evidence I had completed specific training and learning. And  reflections on what I thought along the way, etc. It was something like 400 pages.  

Now, remember how I said my qualification may not be considered outside of the  Trust? We moved to another location due to my husband’s career outside of that area.  However, because I had evidence (the portfolio) on what I had completed, I applied for,  and just found out I got a job at a M-F, 9-5 Minor Injuries unit very near my house at a  band 7! But Shhh! I haven’t told my current employer yet.