Between 11–20 August, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) proudly welcomed its first cohort of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Cadets.
The RCN Cadet Scheme offers young people aged 16–25 a valuable insight into careers within nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions.
The programme combines health-related learning modules with 20 hours of work experience in a healthcare setting, giving cadets a real taste of what it’s like to work in the NHS.
Gaining hands-on experience
Five cadets joined CDDFT for their placement. Their experience began with a full Trust induction, including engaging workshops led by Michael O’Dowd from the Practice Education Team.
The workshops gave cadets the opportunity to learn more about the tasks they might observe during their placement and to try out hands-on activities.
Feedback was hugely positive, with cadets describing the sessions as both fun and informative.
The induction was followed by three days of work experience in Outpatient Departments at Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham, as well as on Wards 15 and 17 at Durham.
Throughout their placements, the cadets were able to see first-hand how theory is put into practice and gain a deeper understanding of careers within healthcare.
A positive start to the programme
All five cadets reported that they thoroughly enjoyed their time with CDDFT, highlighting how much they had learned during the week.
A huge thank you goes to all staff involved in making this possible – from those who helped launch the programme to the teams who welcomed cadets onto their wards and departments, ensuring they felt supported and included.
This is the beginning of an exciting journey for the RCN Cadet Scheme at CDDFT, and we look forward to welcoming more young people in the future as they explore careers within the NHS.
