Vida Healthcare is celebrating taking on almost 100 nursing and paramedic placements students as part of a partnership with the University of Bradford.

Since the launch of the scheme in 2020, Vida Healthcare has offered placements at its three Outstanding rated care homes to 48 mental health and adult nursing students, and 40 trainee paramedics.

Bernadette Mossman, healthcare director at Vida Healthcare who is leading the initiative, said: “Our partnership with the University of Bradford allows students to make informed decisions about health and social care. It enables them to have a clearer awareness of the opportunities in social care and break down preconceived ideas about the sector. 

“Offering students the chance to share best practice and work jointly has been an utter pleasure for us and allowed multi professionals to join our team at Vida, giving them their very own career pathway.”

The placement scheme provides the students with practical, real-world experience, opportunities to transfer classroom knowledge into clinical skills, and the chance to build confidence and competence working with Vida’s specialist nursing and care staff.

The patient-centred course sees the students undertake hands-on exercises, alongside equal amounts of theory work, providing them with the opportunity to experience a range of different nursing and social care specialisms.

Ithsham Tariq, placement developmentoOfficer in the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at the University of Bradford, commented: “This has been a very successful partnership which has been built on a  shared commitment to educating our future workforce in health. Vida Healthcare has shown that they are willing to invest in our nursing students, not only with their time but also their expertise in dementia care.”