Six newly-qualified Northumbria
nurses have been honoured for their dedication.
The
nurses have all received the prestigious Heath Award in recognition of the
commitment they’ve shown to their nursing studies; both academically and within
their work placements.
The
Heath Award, which was established in 1892 by George Yeoman Heath, former
President of the Royal College of Medicine, is presented each year to the best
nurses and midwives graduating from Northumbria’s nursing and midwifery
programmes.
Those studying nursing and midwifery degrees spend half
of their time in University, and the other half on placement in hospitals and
community settings across the region, where they put their new-found skills
into practice.
This
year’s winners, who all achieved First Class Honours in their nursing degree
programmes, were chosen after being nominated by our academics and clinical
staff with whom they worked whilst on placement.
The
2018 Heath Awards winners are: Cardiology nurse Emma Alderson from Washington,
Tyne and Wear who works at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI); Sophie
Bell from Sunderland who’s a nurse in Urology at the Sunderland Royal Hospital;
former solicitor Peter Busby from Durham, who’s now a paediatric intensive care
nurse at the Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle; Rachel Culyer from
Killingworth, Newcastle who works as a nurse in the RVI’s Critical Care Unit; neonatal
nurse Abbie Elden, originally from Doncaster, who works in the Special Care
Baby Unit at the RVI; and Sherilee Gray who lives in Blyth and is a community
learning disabilities nurse in Newcastle.
Peter
Busby, 33, gave up his career in law to train to be a children’s nurse. He
qualified in March of this year and now works in paediatric intensive care at
the Great North Children’s Hospital, part of Newcastle’s Royal Victoria
Infirmary (RVI). He says he ‘couldn’t be happier’ with his decision to swap the
law courts for the hospital wards. He graduated with First Class Honours in
Children’s Nursing on the same day as receiving his Heath Award.
He said: “Last time I graduated from Northumbria University, it was in
2007 and with a Law degree. Now I’m graduating as a nurse and I couldn’t be
more proud.
“I love my job, I feel like I’m really making a difference, especially
working in intensive care where the children are sometimes there for long
spells and face difficult challenges. The work is demanding but I get a great
sense of satisfaction and really embrace it.
“It makes it extra special that I’ve been selected for a Heath Award and
I’m truly humbled. I worked hard during my studies but I didn’t expect this.
It’s really nice to be noticed and my wife is really proud. We weren’t sure how
things might turn out when I decided to make the leap to become a nurse, but
it’s worked out brilliantly and I couldn’t be happier, I wish I’d done it years
ago.”
Peter’s change of direction was inspired by his wife, who is also a
children’s nurse; he saw how much she loved her job and felt it was something
he’d really enjoy, too.
He adds: “The children’s nursing programme at Northumbria is fantastic.
You’re challenged but also well-supported. The lecturers are very passionate
and you can see that in the way they come across. They inspired and encouraged
us to be our best and I enjoyed the academic side just as much as the
placements.”
Cardiology
nurse Emma Alderson, 25, graduated from Northumbria in 2017
and says she was ‘amazed’ to learn about her Heath Award.
She said: “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, for as long as I can
remember. I started with an apprenticeship in healthcare studies, then an
access course, then on to a nursing degree at Northumbria University.
“Studying was really hard work but absolutely worth it. My placements
were brilliant and I spent a lot of time at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in
Gateshead, including in cardiology, which made me want to work in this field
when I graduated.
“I absolutely love being a nurse, the best part is the patients - when
I’m on the ward it’s like being part of a special little family. It’s amazing
to receive a Heath Award, I feel really honoured and proud.”
Nurse Rachel Culyer went straight into a job in the Critical Care Unit
at Newcastle’s RVI after completing her degree in 2017.
The 28-year-old was inspired to train as a nurse whist working for NHS
Direct and the 111 service. She completed a pre-nursing year with Northumbria
University, working as a healthcare assistant at Sunderland Royal Hospital,
before starting her nursing degree at Northumbria. Rachel was one of the first students
in the country to graduate from the pre-nursing training programme which was established in 2013 as part of a national pilot scheme by
Health Education England. The aim of the programme is to provide
aspiring nurses with experience in caring by working as a paid healthcare
assistant for up to a year before starting a degree, to see if nursing is the
right career choice for them.
She says: “The pre-nursing scheme was great way of finding out if
nursing suited me. I then went straight onto the degree programme at
Northumbria and loved every part of it, especially the variety of placements,
which really helped me to build a broad range of skills. I was lucky enough to
get a placement in Accident and Emergency in my third year and really enjoyed
the fast paced environment, so knew critical care was where I wanted to be when
I graduated.”
During her degree, Rachel was also the class rep for her tutor group and
particularly enjoyed supporting her fellow students, helping to resolve any
issues that cropped up.
She adds: “I loved my studies and I love my job. I wouldn’t want to do
anything else. I was amazed to be nominated for a Heath Award and didn’t expect
it at all. It’s great to be appreciated and I’m unashamedly proud.”
Abbie Elden qualified this year and graduated on the same day as she
received her Heath Award. The 23-year-old works in the Special Care Baby Unit
at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, helping to care for babies who are
born prematurely or become very unwell.
She said: “I undertook a work placement at the Special Care Baby Unit
and that made me want to work in this area once I’d qualified. It’s a very
special place to work and it’s a privilege to be part of the babies’, and their
families’, journeys while they’re with us. I work in an amazing team and I love
my job. I can’t believe I’ve won this award, all of the students I trained with
were brilliant so it’s an honour to be singled out.”
Learning disabilities nurse Sherilee Gray graduated from Northumbria in
2017. The 41-year-old, who moved from Norfolk to Blyth in order to do her
degree, works with the Community Learning Disabilities Team at Benton House,
Newcastle. The team is part of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation
Trust. Sherilee says she was inspired to become a nurse by her brother, who has
Asperger syndrome; although his condition isn’t categorised as a learning
disability, it made her want to discover how those living with learning
disabilities can be supported.
She said: “Everyone on my course was brilliant so it was a real shock
and honour to be singled out for the award, but I’m so proud to receive it.
“I’ve always wanted to work in nursing and started an access course when
my children were young but didn’t complete it. I applied to Northumbria whilst
still living in Norfolk, and we moved up here so I could study, plus my partner
is from the area. His mum works in mental health in Newcastle, and she
recommended Northumbria based on her positive experiences throughout her
career.
“Northumbria has an excellent reputation for being one of the best
universities for nursing and I enjoyed every moment. I did my third year
placement with the community learning disabilities team at Benton House and
went straight into this job as soon as I completed my studies. I absolutely
love being a nurse, every day is a new challenge and brings a huge amount of
satisfaction.”
Wearside nurse Sophie Bell, 23,
works on the urology ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital, where she also spent
time on placement during her nursing degree. Like Rachel Culyer, she was also
one of the first in the country to complete a pre-nursing year with Northumbria
University and Sunderland Royal Hospital before starting her degree studies,
and says it gave her the confidence to become a fully-qualified nurse.
She said: “I have always been
interested in working in healthcare but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do
at first, which is why I did the pre-nursing course. I love helping people, so
my best moments are when patients tell me how much of a difference I’ve made to
their treatment or recovery.
“The job is sometimes challenging,
especially in the middle of winter pressures, but there’s always great
support. I find nursing so rewarding and
love going into work every day knowing that I’ll be doing something different
and helping different people.”
She added: “When I found out I’d won
this award I was shocked because I didn’t think I’d done anything out of the
ordinary during my training. I just tried to help as many people as I could,
along the way.”
Professor Alison Machin, Head of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at Northumbria University,
said: “The
standard of nominations for the awards has, yet again, been exceptionally high.
Northumbria University is the principal provider of nurse education in the North
East of England, and we are privileged to have such hard working,
compassionate and high achieving students who develop into high quality,
skilled professionals. It is a real
honour to teach and work with them, and it’s wonderful to be able to recognise
their efforts in this way.”
The
students were presented with their awards - a medal and certificate - at a
special ceremony by Dame Jackie Daniel, the
new Chief Executive of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dame Jackie Daniel said “I
started my career in the NHS as a nurse and I know what a hugely challenging
but incredibly rewarding profession it is, so it is a real pleasure for me to
present these awards to such outstanding newly qualified nurses. It is
particularly appropriate to present the awards on the 70th anniversary of the NHS. Nursing has changed massively in that time and I am
sure that the award winners have bright futures ahead of them as the roles of
nurses continue to grow and develop.”
Helen Lamont, Chair of the
Heath Trust and former Nursing and Patient Services Director at the Newcastle
Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Nursing and midwifery are such
critical roles, and the quality of care makes all the difference to the patient
experience. These awards were bequeathed by a former surgeon at ‘The
Infirmary’, now the Royal Victoria Infirmary, to celebrate excellence in the
practice and theory of nursing and midwifery. It’s a privilege to be involved
with the Heath Committee, and to see, first hand, the excellent new generation
of nurses and midwives that are graduating from Northumbria University, in
partnership with our local hospitals. These students are selected not only for
their excellent academic and clinical performance, but also for the behaviours
and qualities they have displayed throughout their education and training.
These winners have set exceptional standards within their profession already,
and are very worthy recipients of the Heath Award.”
For
more information on nursing, midwifery and health courses at Northumbria
University, visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/nursing
