TNAs in General Practice

Sasha Moate

Her Majesty’s Prison’s Services (HMPS)

Hello, my name is Sasha. I am a Trainee Nurse Associate (TNA) within Her Majesty’s Prison’s Services (HMPS), employed by PPG (Practice plus group) where I have worked for the past 8 years. Prior to HMPS, I supported patients in the community within mental health and learning disability services. Working within HMPS can be unpredictable as every day is different.

I began my TNA training in February 2020, and have had a tremendous amount of support from my team. This has enabled me to develop my role prior to registration, allowing me to understand my employer’s expectations, increase my confidence and knowledge along with my competence. Within my first year, I built upon my existing skills, and began learning new ones. I also began supervising new members of the team and junior staff who needed support. Nearing registration, my role has developed further. I work autonomously and have responsibility of long term conditions. I support the Nurse team by running clinics to assess offenders who may need a health check or who are feeling unwell.

What opportunities have you had during your training?

PPG have given me multiple opportunities to enhance my skills, which has enabled the healthcare team to provide an effective service for the prison population. During my final year of training, I have undertaken ear irrigation, wound management including suturing, catheterisation, medication administration and minor ailments and illnesses. There is more training available following registration.

I thoroughly enjoyed my three placements and spoke days throughout training and exhausted all possible learning opportunities to gain experiences I may not come across within HMPS. I had an internal placement at another prison establishment, and two hospital placements within cardiology and A&E. These were amazing experiences, which taught me many new skills, techniques and knowledge I was able to introduce into my own practices.

Following registration, I will complete my preceptorship with PPG, who have also offered support through my top up course to gain a fully qualified Nurse registration.

I highly recommend the TNA course for students wanting to develop their careers whilst working. I have successfully achieved this with a supportive employer alongside my family life.