A big round of applause for first graduate from a smaller course

Bigger isn’t always best as one former student has found having become the first to graduate from one of the University’s less well-known courses.

Last month Spencer Soilleux, an occupational therapist from Essex, became the first graduate from the University of Northampton’s Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) Apprenticeship (non-prescribing route).

The ACP programme – offered as an apprenticeship or MSc/academic qualification – equips healthcare professionals to independently manage clinical care whilst demonstrating expertise within their scope of practice.

Spencer chose the apprenticeship route as it afforded him guaranteed time for study with his employer, made ‘on the job’ learning easier to evidence and saw him provide unofficial support for his non-apprentice peers.

He talks about why he decided to enrol on this ACP course: “The longer you are in health, the more you can move away from patient care as you take on more management or strategic responsibilities.

“The ACP Apprenticeship (non-prescribing) might sound niche – studying alongside the MSc students, we were a small cohort – but the applications after taking it are far-reaching. I wanted a course that would allow me to continue advancing myself as a professional but keep a firm foot in direct patient contact…and it has done just that. It has also helped me draw on the skills of the other professionals I studied alongside, so I learned from them to better inform my future, autonomous working.”

Now he’s completed the course, Spencer is already busy putting his classroom learning into practice, as he continues: “At another university during the latter part of my undergraduate degree, I suspected I had dyslexia and sought support, but they didn’t appear to be bothered with seeking an official diagnosis.

“In their eyes, I was only with them for another year. But at UON, after I declared I thought I had dyslexia, I had that confirmed and, within days of that, a support assessment. And the support was quickly forthcoming; the adjustments were quite detailed. It was fantastic. I can’t speak more highly about the support I have had throughout the course; my lecturers kept in close contact with me throughout the course and liaised with my employers when needed.”

Now he’s the first “As you cross the stage at graduation, the Associate Dean of my Faculty reads the name of each person’s course…and mine was much longer than everyone else’s!

“My next steps are all about developing my occupational therapy role (I specialise in mental health) and to take what I have learned during the ACP course and put that into in practice. I see my future OT role as seriously evolving.”

If you want to know more about Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeships at University of Northampton, our team is holding an online information event (pre-September 2023 intake) on Thursday 20 July, from 10:00-11:00.

Find out more about our Advanced Clinical Practice MSc programme on our website.