University Hospital Southampton NHS FT
Assistant Practitioner/ Registered Nurse Associate
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Assistant Practitioner/ Registered Nurse Associate
Assistant Practitioner/Registered Nurse Associate – Eye Outpatients Department
Job Overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is excited to offer an opportunity to join our dynamic Eye Outpatients Department in a Band 4 Assistant Practitioner/Registered Nurse Associate role. This is a part-time, fixed-term position, integral to team development and service growth.
Eye outpatients operates with a strong focus on professionalism, leadership potential, and adaptability. Hours are structured to provide a positive work-life balance, with clinics running Monday to Saturday. The role supports a large, collaborative team across Southampton and Lymington hospitals, with patient volumes of up to 200 per session.
This position requires initiative, teaching skills, and patient-facing engagement, with the flexibility to embrace ongoing departmental evolution.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Develop professional growth: Enhance own knowledge/expertise and mentor peers.
- Prioritise safety: Maintain health, safety, and security standards for patients/team.
- Drive service improvements: Identify and implement quality enhancements in clinical provision.
- Model excellence: Demonstrate clinical standards as a role model in ophthalmic care.
- Facilitate learning: Support staff/learner development within a positive clinical environment.
- Communicate effectively: Adapt communication for diverse audiences (staff/patients/families).
- Embrace technology: Demonstrate/learn IT proficiency to improve workflows.
- Medicine management: Apply competence in dispensing prescribed medications (preferably, but training offered).
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Critical soft skills include: professionalism, flexibility, trustworthiness, and motivational leadership.
About the Role
The Eye Outpatients Department at UHS is a fast-paced, evolving service with:
- Hybrid locations: Supporting patients at Southampton and Lymington Hospitals.
- Lifelong learning opportunities: UHS offers career growth, apprenticeships, and soft-skill training.
- Personalised development: Structured pathways for nurses/associate practitioners to extend their scope.
NB: Ophthalmic experience is desirable, but this will be developed through tailored training.
Working at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Why Join Us?
UHS is England’s largest acute teaching trust, combining clinical excellence with innovative education. Based on the southern coast (adjacent to direct transport links to London), the region offers access to natural attractions (New Forest, South Downs, Jurassic Coast) and vibrant city life.
Core Commitments
- Diversity & Inclusion: We champion anti-racist, anti-discriminatory workplace practices, prioritising a culture where differences empower collective progress.
- Flexible Work: Support for personal/well-being/career balance, balancing:
- Study commitments
- Family/maternal/paternal leave needs
- Reskilling goals
- Anti-Generic Advice: Commit to personalised applications—directly tailored to candidates’ unique narratives—to avoid unoriginal, AI-driven templates.
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Person Specification
Essential Qualifications & Experience:
- Registration as a Nursing Associate with the NMC, OR
- An Assistant Practitioner qualification with a qualifying degree (e.g., Foundation Degree in Health & Social Care), OR
- Overseas nursing certification approved at UK Level 5 (minimum).
- Proven numeracy (National Level 2) and literacy expertise.
- Supervisory experience within multidisciplinary teams (acute hospital settings preferred).
- Proficiency in handling complex/sensitive patient information.
Desirable Criteria:
- Competence in medication administration (e.g., prescribing/timely dispensing).
- Progress/accomplishment in Care Apprenticeship programmes (aligned to UHS workforce requirements).
- Extended clinical techniques (e.g., venesection/cannulation).
Trust Values (Non-Negotiable):
- Patient First: Person-centred clinical decision-making.
- Working Together: Valuing collaboration across departments/roles.
- Always Improving: Continuous evaluation/elevation of practices.
Applications encouraged to include an informal shadowing visit to the eye outpatient department before submission.
Would you like to thrive where patient care, progressive thinking, and growth intersect? We welcome your experience and perspective into our evolving team.
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