So what is a TNA? - Claire Barnes

Claire Barnes, Trainee Nursing Associate

Claire Barnes

To me it sounds like the beginning of a cheerleader chant so, combine that with a biscuit coloured uniform and we’re good to go! The irony of a biscuit coloured uniform and the link I made to hobnobs might send you running for a brew however, as anyone familiar with Peter Kay will tell you hobnobs are the hard-core dunking biscuits… persistent and refuse to crumble under pressure. I think that describes TNA’S perfectly. 

TNA is short for Trainee Nursing Associate and out of 1,700 applicants nationally, 240 were appointed, and nine of them are based here at The Christie. I am fortunate to be one of those nine. The TNA role has been introduced to help to meet the needs of a changing population within the modern NHS. 

The Nursing Associate will work under the direction of a fully qualified Registered Nurse (RN). The Nursing Associate is not a Registered Nurse but will undertake some of the duties that a RN currently undertakes, enabling the Registered Nurse to spend more time on the assessment and care associated with both complex needs and advances in treatments.

You might be wondering what prompted me to become a cheerleading biscuit coloured TNA. To answer that we need to rewind a little.

Until a couple of years ago, I had never been to The Christie. Life however is full of curve balls and the one I got thrown came with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer for my mum. 
Unfortunately for mum, her cancer had advanced too far and we lost her in April 2015. At the time, I was a home working admin bod and juggled my work and home life together. 

I had been genuinely amazed (I still am) by the care and support both my mum and our family received during her hospital stay. The Christie is a unique environment where despite the somewhat scary circumstances, patients can feel at ease. To put it simply, the people who work at The Christie are wonderful, caring souls and the hospital is something to be proud to be a part of. 

I decided that if I was going to work in admin I’d like to do it at The Christie and give something back. “I want to become a small cog in a big machine that makes a difference to people’s lives on a daily basis” was exactly what I put on my application form when I applied to work here. 

The small cog theory led me to a clerical role based in the endocrine unit. It was a rewarding job and a very friendly team but I quickly realised that I had a desire to play a more hands on role in patient care. This led me to apply for a role as Health Care Assistant (HCA) or a switch to the dark side as I often joke with my colleagues Jen and Steph on reception. As an HCA in endocrinology I become a mini Dracula (taking lots of blood samples from patients). When one of the nurses on the unit pulled me to one side to show me the TNA role advertisement I was intrigued. It was an amazing opportunity not to be missed. 

If you have ever tried to make yourself sound snazzy in 200 words, you’ll know it can be somewhat mission impossible, however that’s the exact amount I had when completing the expression of interest form to be a TNA. I half debated just writing in big text PICK ME!! but was persuaded against that idea and instead opted for something along the lines of “The Nursing Associate Training programme is an amazing opportunity, not only to expand my clinical skills but also to widen my knowledge of various NHS areas, draw from the knowledge gained and apply it to whichever role I undertake.”

Prior to my interview, I directed so many questions to the ward sister Alex and the diabetes nurse Louise, that I am convinced they cringed every time I popped my head round their office door (they didn’t). Their support and encouragement however proved invaluable and helped me to prepare for the interview. After a wait that seemed like forever, I was still surprised when I got the call to say I had been successful!

On Wednesday 4th January I attended a meeting where I got to meet my fellow TNA’s, all from different areas within the hospital. We introduced ourselves, a little about how we got where we were and then learned more about the role. It is still very much a work in progress. 

As the TNA role is a pilot, some of the finer details are still being worked out, such as the community placements and the colour of our uniform has only just been decided (I am still not sure why pink was unpopular!) 

The TNA role begins on January 30th working full time, with Wednesday allocated for university. We will spend the first six months in our original ‘base’ then rotate through three further placements, each lasting six months, taking us to a total of two years at the end of which we hopefully gain our foundation degree. 

I am looking forward to the programme, not only the prospect of developing my clinical skills but also gaining the knowledge behind the how and why of clinical practice. I would be lying if I said the prospect of university level study is not a little daunting but, I am sure with the support of my colleagues it won’t be as scary as I think. 

Our induction at Manchester Metropolitan University was on 18th of January where we met our tutors prior to commencing our roles. There is no doubt the next two years will be hard, combining work with study and home life, however it is without a doubt an exciting role to undertake and I am incredibly proud that I’ll be a part of it!