Apprenticeships

What attracted you to apply for an apprenticeship at Frome Medical Practice?

There are a few reasons why I was attracted to FMP, one reason was the wide variety of NHS IT systems that would need regular maintenance. Another reason was to see how such a big organisation fixes the day to day runnings of an office in such a critical time with coronavirus.

What existing knowledge, skills and experience do you think will be particularly relevant to your new role here?

I had basic knowledge of setting up PCs, linking up networks and multiple workspaces. The skills and experiences I have learned whilst studying at college will benefit my learning in my workplace and help me understand how to approach different scenarios on the fly.

What are you most looking forward to about working at Frome Medical Practice? 

I am most looking forward to how the whole NHS IT support team help the practice in the day-to-day life. I’m also looking forward to widening my general knowledge of IT and to explore which career path I want to choose in the future.

How do you think an apprenticeship at Frome Medical Practice will contribute to your future career plans?

I think the apprenticeship program at Frome Medical Practice will show me all varieties of how the IT world works in an actual workplace, and with the practice being one of the biggest surgeries in the south west it will show me all aspects of IT and show me which side of IT that would be.

What skills do you hope to learn at Frome Medical Practice?

I hope to learn more knowledge of how to solve general problems and understand what causes them and how to fix them with easily. Another skill would be extending my knowledge on linking multiple PCs up to one network switch and then configuring that to the local network.

What do you enjoy most about working at Frome Medical Practice? 

The people. It is an amazing family attitude; everyone is so willing to help you with any problems to ensure we can provide the best care possible for our patients.

What skills are you learning at Frome Medical Practice? 

I have developed my communication skills dramatically whilst working here I am better at understanding different circumstances and knowing how to speak to people in different situations.

How has your knowledge of the world of work developed here? 

Whilst at Frome Medical Practice I have now seen how different locations, companies and services all work together as a collective to support each other's work, rather than in my previous jobs where it was largely just a single isolated company.

What do you enjoy most about working at Frome Medical Practice? 

The people. It is an amazing family attitude; everyone is so willing to help you with any problems to ensure we can provide the best care possible for our patients.

What skills are you learning at Frome Medical Practice? 

I have developed my communication skills dramatically whilst working here I am better at understanding different circumstances and knowing how to speak to people in different situations.

How has your knowledge of the world of work developed here? 

Whilst at Frome Medical Practice I have now seen how different locations, companies and services all work together as a collective to support each other's work, rather than in my previous jobs where it was largely just a single isolated company.

Has your confidence developed? 

Over the past few months my confidence in myself and my ability at work has increased dramatically as I have been given more independence and support in my ability to do my work, which has turned into me having more confidence in myself in general.

How do you think that your experiences at Frome Medical Practice will help you in finding jobs in the future? 

I think working at Frome Medical Practice has given me good life experience which I can use to assist myself during interviews in my future career.

Have your experiences at Frome Medical Practice influenced your plans for your future career? 

Yes, I am more open to a career in the NHS than I was before.

What did you enjoy most about working at Frome Medical Practice? 

I enjoyed working alongside all the separate teams with their specific skills sets. They were all very friendly and approachable. 

What skills did you learn in your time at Frome Medical Practice?  

I have learnt how to work well under pressure and deal with a busy environment. It has also improved my communication via telephone, email and face to face.

How did your knowledge of the world of work develop whilst working here? 

I have become more aware of the employment laws around working.

Has your confidence developed?  

My confidence has definitely improved since working there - especially by speaking to a range of patients about their queries.

How do you think that your experiences at Frome Medical Practice will help you to find jobs in the future?

As I have gone on to study for a degree, I think this will help me in the future with finding and applying for jobs as I will then be a qualified healthcare professional.

Have your experiences at Frome Medical Practice influenced your plans for your future career? 

Previous to working at the practice I was unsure what career to pursue. I was inspired to apply for University. I am now studying pharmacy at Reading university.

What skills did you learn in your time at Frome Medical Practice? 

Doing an apprenticeship at Frome Medical Practice helped me learn all the essential skills that are needed to work in a busy office environment and it really helped me grow in confidence. I started of as a care navigator but also helped out in the prescriptions team which allowed me to learn a variety of different communication skills. 

What impact did your apprenticeship have on your confidence? 

My apprenticeship gave me the ability to work independently as well as part of a team, meaning I had to learn to use my own initiative.

Did your experience at Frome Medical Practice influence your plans for your future career? 

Towards the end of my apprenticeship I had the opportunity to join the finance team. This gave me the experience I needed to successfully move into a Finance Administrator role within the Practice. I loved both my roles as a care navigator and a prescription clerk but my role in finance  was where I discovered my true vocation. The experience I gained in Frome really laid the foundations for me to step onto my chosen career path and has encouraged me to step forward and start my training towards being an accountant. I moved on to work at C & J Clark International where I started studying for my AAT exams. Even though I have moved on, I am glad I took the position as an apprentice at Frome because I was able to gain some great experience alongside a qualification in business and administration.

What skills did you learn in your time at Frome Medical Practice? 

I completed the Business Administration Level 2 whilst working at Frome Medical Practice as an apprentice in the Patient Services Team. I gained experience and understanding in a wide range of areas, including communication styles, equality and diverstiy, processing information about customers, producing business documents, human resources and health and safety in a business environment.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others? 

Both Frome Medical Practice and Somerset Skills and Learning were very supportive throughout. It is a great pathway to gain work experience and prepare for further studies and I would highly recommend it to others.