Supporting the Transition From Student to Practitioner: a Scheme to Support the Development of Newly Qualified Practitioners.

Background: The Allied Health Professions Support and Development Scheme was a pilot project administered by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Scottish Government. The scheme was put in place to aid in the recruitment, retention and career development of newly qualified practitioners (NQPs) in NHSScotland. During the scheme, NQPs were provided with mentor support, an online learning facility and financial incentives.

Contents: This article describes the independent evaluation of the scheme, one which aims to assess the scheme's impact on recruitment, retention and career development of NQPs in NHSScotland. It was found that involvement in the scheme made NQPs feel valued as practitioners and increased their awareness of the wider allied health profession agenda. Financial support provided as part of the scheme was used to help with a range of costs including accommodation, training courses, continuing professional development (CPD) and student loan repayments.

Conclusions: Overall the majority of NQPs (86%) regarded the scheme as a positive experience and indicated that they would recommend it to their colleagues. Similar schemes may be successfully put in place elsewhere around the world to support NQPs. A later article will consider the impact of this scheme on recruitment and retention of allied health professionals in rural areas of NHS Scotland.