Sarah Anderson, now a Band 5 registered mental health nurse, works in the Assertive Outreach Team — a community mental health service in Hereford — under the Hereford and Worcester Health and Care Trust.
Her journey into healthcare began in 2004 when she pursued studies in midwifery. However, a pivotal moment on a maternity ward reshaped her career aspirations. Encountering a psychiatric patient in her second trimester, Sarah was deeply intrigued by the complexities of mental health care. This encounter ignited her passion for mental health nursing, leading her to seek employment at a local mental health hospital. “I was hooked. I was completely fascinated. I had never met a mental health patient before, and never even considered mental health beyond depression. From that moment, I knew this was where I wanted to be,” Sarah recalls.
Despite her dedication, Sarah’s path to becoming a registered mental health nurse was not straightforward. Although she completed an NVQ Level 3 with the intention of progressing to university, the qualification was later removed as an acceptable route for higher education entry. With financial constraints and family responsibilities, stepping away from employment to pursue full-time university studies was impractical.
After transitioning to her current community team, her manager introduced her to the Nurse Associate Apprenticeship — a structured pathway that allowed her to gain new qualifications while remaining employed. Sarah initially undertook the Nurse Associate Apprenticeship before progressing to the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (RNDA) top-up.
However, this transition coincided with significant personal challenges: “I was underwater. I was going through a divorce, losing my home, and had no idea how I would manage it all. But I decided to bite the bullet and do it.” Despite these difficulties, Sarah credits the apprenticeship with enabling her to rebuild her life while gaining her nursing degree.
Recognising her challenges in academic writing, Sarah sought assistance early in her journey: “I knew I struggled. I find academic writing hard, so I wrote to the university’s disability support team, explaining that I suspected I was dyslexic.” Within four weeks of starting at Birmingham City University, she was assessed, and the necessary support was put in place.
Sarah highlights the support of her lecturers: “Not once did they ever refer to us as ‘adult learners’ and expect us to figure things out on our own. Every lecturer was available to explain things in more depth, offer extra time, and provide guidance when needed.”
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Sarah's most memorable academic achievement was receiving a First on her highest-graded assignment about implementing change in healthcare. She describes this moment as a milestone: “It was huge. I had always struggled in school, always doubted if I was clever enough to be in university. Receiving that grade was one of the biggest achievements of my life.”
Sarah urges aspiring apprentices to embrace the journey, acknowledging its challenges while keeping sight of their goals. Her most powerful piece of advice is to write a letter to themselves at the start of the apprenticeship, outlining their reasons for pursuing it: “It would be unfair to say the course isn’t hard. Every person I spoke to in my cohort had moments where they thought, ‘This is too much.’ I wrote myself a letter reminding me why I was doing this—my dream, my proof to my children that no matter how far away something seems, anything is possible if you apply yourself. That letter kept me going when things got tough.”
Sarah stands as the only Band 5 nurse in her team, a testament to her perseverance. But she isn't stopping there. As she looks ahead, further studies remain a possibility. “Somebody asked me if I was done with education, and I was shocked when I said, ‘I won’t rule it out.’” After everything she has overcome, one thing is clear—she knows she can do it.
