New teaching space at the Nightingale Centre, at Wythenshawe Hospital, completed ready for the new year, is the first step towards a dedicated training centre for the NBIA. Converted from space previously used as film storage rooms, three teaching rooms have been created, giving the NBIA its first physical presence.
Some of the first trainees to benefit from the new training facilities are third and fourth year undergraduate medical students who undertake a week’s placement to learn more about breast care.
The placement involves shadowing and practical learning, with the clinical teams at the Nightingale Centre and other North West breast units, sandwiched between two days of classroom training now being provided within the new teaching space at the NBIA in the Nightingale Centre.
Commenting on the benefits of the training space, Bethan Daniel, Specialist Breast Nurse Tutor, at Manchester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
“It is wonderful having a dedicated space for our teaching at the NBIA. Breast Surgeons, Breast Care Specialist Nurses and Breast Radiologists all contribute to the training and having the space with the right equipment helps our trainees get the best from the week to maximise the benefits of the training.”
Commenting on the milestone the new facilities represent for the NBIA, Dr Mary Wilson, Consultant Breast Radiologist and NBIA’s Programme Lead said:
“Dedicated training facilities to give us the space and cutting-edge facilities to train the next generation of breast imaging staff in the UK is an absolute priority in our quest to tackle the national shortage of breast imaging specialists. In October last year, we launched our public appeal to raise £1.8m for a dedicated NBIA training academy as an extension to the Nightingale Centre.
“The creation of the training rooms within the existing Nightingale Centre is a stepping stone to our goal and we are delighted that medical trainees are already making use of the new facilities.”