NHS

Louise Morris – Team Leader Apprentice

“Support has been available whenever I need it.”

TEAM LEADER APPRENTICE | SALFORD ROYAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

What is your job title?

Senior Dental Nurse, Community Dental.

How has the apprenticeship impacted on you / improved your life?

It has made me more aware of people’s reactions and how to manage them in both work and personal life.

How will the apprenticeship training continue to impact on you in the future?

During the apprenticeship I have learned lots of new tools to use in all parts of my job, which makes doing tasks easier and more structured.

How has the apprenticeship impacted on your organisation?  

During COVID there have been constant changes to the way we work and to the treatments we provide and I was re-deployed during the first wave. During re-deployment I worked with lots of staff who I did not know and we were all working in a stressful and unfamiliar environment. Tools I learnt about management of self and self-awareness really helped during this time.

How has Damar’s approach to training contributed to the impact of the apprenticeship on you and your organisation?

Personally I have found it a structured approach to learning. I prefer to do training face-to-face but with COVID that has had to change and support has been available whenever I need it.

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?

I have been doing my job role for a long time and have attended lots of relevant in-house courses but I have no formal qualification. I also wanted to learn new skills and improve in my management role.

What activities do you do in your day-to-day role?

  • All aspects of clinical density, clinic management and patient care
  • Team rotas
  • Appraisals/121
  • Staff annual leave
  • Staff training
  • Sickness monitoring and capability meetings
  • SOP’s/clinical rota’s/referrals/waiting lists
  • Support reception and admin team where needed

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Clinical work with our special care patients.

Julie, Louise’s Coach at Damar, said:

“I am so impressed with how Louise has moved forward in her management role and with her maths. She is using change models and project management tools, challenging existing workplace tools and researching new ones. She is always looking for new ways of working and has become more proactive using time management tools.”