Bryony Prentice

My Career Journey: 

I went to sixth form and completed my A-Levels, I knew then that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare but I hadn't decided what. I started looking into mental health more when my mum had changed her career path and had started working in mental health. At this point I didn't think going straight to university was for me, so I started to look into finding a job within the mental health sector. I started working as a health care worker in 2016.  I continued to learn and develop within my role and in 2017 I successfully applied for a Lead Healthcare Worker role.  This role enabled me to learn about the different roles and responsibilities of nurses, taking an active role in supporting the nurses on the ward, as well as developing other skills such as leadership.  I began looking at opportunities within the trust to complete my nurse training and was made aware that my trust was hoping to introduce the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (RNDA) to enable people to train to become a graduate registered nurse via an apprenticeship route. 

I currently also work three days a week as a senior support, time and recovery worker which I really enjoy!

Why the registered degree apprenticeship route? 

The RNDA takes four years to complete but allows me to continue to work in my job role while attending university, without affecting my salary.  Generally, I work three days a week in my current job, have one self-directed study day and one day at university, as well as block periods on placement to get practical experience.  There are sometimes additional study days or weeks.  Doing an apprenticeship comes with its challenges, switching between my role in my job, to a student nurse on placement, in between writing assignments can be difficult but I do always say I love to be challenged!  Everything I learn at university and on placement I can apply to my current role, which not only helps with my own development, but hopefully with service development to for the benefit of our patients. 

My future ambitions...

Short term I obviously want to successfully finish my course and secure my first job as a qualified mental health nurse.  I do enjoy learning and my plan at some point will be to do a Masters (I haven’t decided what yet – one degree at a time!).  I would love to progress and develop clinically, but I would also love to be managing a service one day. 

About me:

My spare time... 

I enjoy spending time with my friends and family.  I love an escape room or a game of crazy golf, there are some really different and fun courses around!  I also love going to concerts and festivals. 

My favourite film... 

My favourite film has always been Matilda, I could watch it over and over and not get bored!  I do like a psychological thriller or a crime documentary too. 

My go to feel good song... 

It’s hard to pick just one, but Young Hearts Run Free is an all-time favourite – and everyone has a good singalong whenever it plays! 

Pets... 

I have one gorgeous dog, she’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Ruby.  I’ve grown up with cavaliers and had two more prior to getting Ruby, called KC and Poppy.  

Looking after my mental wellbeing... 

There are a few things I do to look after my mental wellbeing.  The main thing for me is spending time with my family and friends; having a work-home life balance is so important.  I have difficulty sleeping sometimes, so for a few years now I have used the “Calm” app on my phone, which is an app for sleep and meditation.  I find the sleep stories and guided meditations useful.  There’s so much on there to help with different aspects such as anxiety, self-esteem, and stress.  I also try to exercise regularly; I switch between running and using a workout app on my phone.  Sometimes I absolutely dread it when my alarm that I’ve set to work out goes off in the morning, but I always feel so much better after I have done it.  I started the couch to 5k in lockdown and have kept it up since, going for a run really clears my head! 

I think in the healthcare profession we are very good at giving advice but not good at listening to it.  The saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup” is very true, and we need to know when to slow down and focus on ourselves a bit more so we can give our best to others.  What works for someone else may not work for you, do something you already love or try something new and find what works best.