The University of Nottingham, School of Health Sciences recently ran a two-day scholarly writing retreat to provide a supportive environment for academics who are interested in starting to write for publication.

The retreat is underpinned by mental and physical health and wellbeing, designed to support academic productivity by offering a safe, restorative environment.  The aim is to give academics space to physically and mentally escape from the pressures of work to devote time to writing in the company of like-minded individuals.

The retreat was held in the magnificent Trent Building, which in itself offers inspirational surroundings where we walked in the footsteps of inspirational and eminent visitors such as Einstein and Gandhi. The retreat was attended by UoN staff as well as colleagues invited from neighbouring Universities to promote collegiality and networking opportunities.

The day kicked off with a presentation and workshop from The Writer a London based company dedicated to “working together to find the words that shift the world’. This proved invaluable to the group who found new ways to negotiate mental blocks, imposter syndrome, challenges of grammar and sentence structuring, as well as how to pitch an idea to engage potential readers.

After lunch we covered topics such as successful networking, managing your digital presence, ways to publicise your work, and creative collaboration to spark new ideas.

Not only did attendees enjoy networking together at an enjoyable lunch but had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful grounds and take inspiration from the lake and nature walks on the campus. No preparatory work was needed other than some ideas about what people might like to write about, and an enthusiastic interest in getting published.

A variety of people attended including nurses, physiotherapists, educators, and students currently engage with the internship program. Those who attended said:

• ‘Exceeded expectations I finally know how to turn the sparks of ideas in my brain into tangible content! Almost completed my first article which I started today! #LoveAPunchyTitle!’
• ‘inspiring, empowering and within my reach. Let’s get writing!’
• ‘confidence boosting and revealing hidden opportunities’
• ‘as somebody completely new to writing, these 2 days have given me the headstart I’d hoped for!’
• ‘Great space to think, network and, of course, write’
• ‘a fantastic opportunity which has given me the space, time, tools, and confidence to get my work published. Thank you’
• ‘A great opportunity to learn some helpful tips, take time to consider and develop my writing style, but most importantly encouraged me to publish my own writing’

Following the success of this year’s retreat, there are plans for more activities and support for writing for publication. For further information about future retreats please contact Dr Michelle Croston -michelle.croston@nottingham.ac.uk.

Dr Liz Charalambous, Assistant Professor, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham

Dr Michelle Croston, Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham

Professor Aimee Aubeeluck, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham

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This blog was written by the School interns.

For this blog we are tracking back to the Student Nursing Times Awards (STNA) in October 2021 last year. It just so happened that when Alex and I started the internship, we stumbled upon two open places to attend the STNAs down in London! A day trip all fully funded by the school… how brilliant!

The school had Ashley Thomas, a child student nurse who was up for winning the child student nurse of the year award, Ella Guerin and Louisa Long, for best teaching innovation award and Shellie Jean Radford for her research on Crohn’s disease.

As part of the application process for the award, applicants had to submit a written application and provide 3-4 pieces of evidence explaining and detailing reasons why they should be given the award. It’s not easy to nominate yourself for an award but these individuals had the confidence and the support to go for it as they truly deserve to celebrate their hard work.

It is an exceptional achievement to be nominated and be in the running for an STNA and both Alex and I felt privileged to be able to share the experience with them on the day. Therefore, without explaining every single detail about what happened, I will try and give a brief overview of how the day ran.

We began the day by travelling down, by train, to London to attend the event. Me, Alex, the nominated individuals, and a small number of other staff members all travelled down together looking all dressed up and lovely for the event. Upon arriving at the hotel, we managed to get a few photos (as you have to when you’re all dressed up and to remember the day! ), found our table and mingled with other people who were there.

I won’t lie, I did enjoy this part but I think one of the best parts of the day for me was the food. As someone who has been a student for 2/3 years, receiving a FREE three-course meal alongside some complimentary wine was absolutely delicious and definitely a highlight. After eating the wonderful meal, the awards ceremony commenced. Unfortunately, Ashley, Ella and Louisa didn’t receive an award but Shellie won! An exceptional achievement and completely well-deserved. It was also lovely to see who else won on the day and be there to congratulate them on their achievements too.

Overall it was a great day out and a joyous celebration of fellow student nurses, registered nurses from multiple fields, and university achievements for what they have done to support, create and empower the workforce we are a part of. It makes me feel so happy and proud to know that I am entering a community of so many brilliant, compassionate, and encouraging nurses who strive to help and care for others and achieve all that they can. I hope to go to the awards again, either to celebrate other achievements or possibly even celebrate my own.

This year, Stephen Bell, a third-year adult student nurse in the school was nominated for not one, but TWO awards at the STNA event. He proudly represented the school and the university to celebrate his early career achievements. He is a brilliant student nurse who has helped so many other student nurses in the school and out in wider practice. He was a well-deserved nominee who others can take inspiration from.

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Here we are, onto blog number 4 and over halfway through the internship. This time last year we were both continuing our nursing studies, working on assignments, attending seminars and lectures. All of this before going out on our fourth placement of the year. When we look back, it’s strange to think of how we were working then compared to what we are doing right now. It’s made us reflect on our journey so far and how we went about getting this internship position in the first place.

So how did we end up doing an internship in the school?

It started off simply with an email entering our inboxes. As Alex and I are both the type of people to relentlessly organise our emails, we both happen to stumble upon it and take interest in what it had to say. After reading the email, we were both enticed by the purpose of the role description. It explained how we could have the opportunity to work with and be mentored by very experienced and qualified researchers and teachers within the school as well as learning and developing own our skills within nursing further for future career opportunities. I mean how doesn’t that sound appealing?

What enticed us even more was the job description. This included main responsibilities expected to fulfil in the role into 4 key areas, which was also subdivided into the percentage per time during the year we would spend completing each area. The four key areas and time spent towards each one are below.

1. Teaching and learning (30%)
2. Research (30%)
3. Project development (30%)
4. And anything else (10%)

Without going into too much detail as to what was required from each section, the teaching and learning requirements included being able to assist with the development of teaching resources attending module and course lead meetings and supporting the production of teaching plans. The research area includes assisting/ supporting as part of a research group, contribute to current research projects and attend research group meetings. Project development explains designing and conducting a small project with you mentor related to student experience in the school and disseminating these outcomes of the project locally, and possibly nationally at an educational conference. Lastly, as part of the internship, you can actively participate in applicant interviews for pre-registration courses, contribute to open days and offer holder days as well as doing some outreach work in local schools. What Alex and I have noted from this year, is that there are so many other things to do as part of the internship. The university and school offer so many additional course and modules to complete which enhances your professional and skills development.

If this all appeals to you like it did with Alex and I, then that’s brilliant and we couldn’t recommend enough to do it. However, you need to consider whether you would be eligible to do it based off the following criteria. You need to be an undergraduate who is studying nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, or sports rehabilitation in the School of Health Sciences at the end of your second year of study and you need to be predicted a 2:1 classification at the end of your second year of study.

Alongside this eligibility criteria, there are a few more extra requirements for applying. As part of the person specification, they would like you to have a strong interest in a career in teaching and/or research, be able to time manage, have excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills, as well as being able to work as part of a team. What is also valued as part of the role is being able to value people, taking ownership, being a forward thinker, having professional pride and always being inclusive.

There is a lot to consider when applying for this role. You must be able to meet the job requirements and have an interest in the work, but also consider interrupting a year out of your studies, not graduating with your peers, and missing out on placement for a full year. These are all key things which made me question whether to apply or not, but I have, actually, enjoyed taking a year out of my studies, I have kept in contact with my peers and I plan on attending their graduation and I signed up to do bank work within NUH, so I could stay up to date with changes within practice. Although I had obstacles with regards to applying, I still went for it and managed to find ways around them which have worked for me.

I couldn’t recommend going for the internship enough. It has provided me with so much valuable insight, skills, perspective, and knowledge to help me continue into third year and for my future career after I graduate. I feel humbled and privileged to have been accepted onto this role and I have learnt so much from it. If you apply and get accepted, I am sure you will feel the same.

Please contact Alex or me with any questions regarding the internship and applying for it if you have any.

All the best,

Amelia and Alex

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When we started on this journey of 30 blogs to celebrate 30 years of Nursing at Nottingham it was a bit of a leap of faith in terms of the interest we would get. I had my fingers crossed for a range of reflections from a variety of contributors but was in no way able to guarantee this outcome.

Now we are at the end of this journey and I reflect on the quality of the blogs we have received I am overwhelmed, not just by the sheer range of experiences that have been captured, but the emotions that have been expressed. Nursing and Nottingham have brought challenges to many participants but this has been far outweighed by the joy and opportunities presented by both the profession and place.

Our blogs chart some of the most extraordinary stories. They describe the transformation of different areas of nursing, give an insight into the drivers for entering the profession and showcase the multitude of career opportunities available. They also demonstrate the ability of individuals to overcome significant challenges to realise their ambition to join the profession. Our contributors have included current students just starting on their nursing journey through to previous Deans of the School, Dame Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and everything in between.

Nottingham has trained thousands of nurses over the last 30 years and provided continuing professional development opportunities to thousands more qualified staff. The blogs we have published demonstrate some significant professional impacts from this training but by their very nature can only scratch the surface in terms the impact the University of Nottingham has had on the nursing locally, nationally and internationally.

Maintaining an excellent learning experience is always a challenge and this has never been truer than over the last two years. Our nursing students have been on the frontline of healthcare at the most difficult period for generations. They have seen things they never expected to see and dealt with situations they never expected to deal with. Perhaps counterintuitively however the overall satisfaction of our students with their learning experience actually increased over this period. This remarkable achievement is testament to the dedication of staff to providing outstanding levels of support. This is evidenced by comments from the 2021 National Student Survey that included;

‘I think they [School of Health Sciences staff] have been amazing this year, really updated us regularly, answered everyone’s questions, I feel like they’ve worked so hard during the last year during coronavirus. How they’ve made everything really accessible online ……..they are amazing at supporting students when you have made them aware there is a problem, really willing to help everybody.’

‘I have overall enjoyed my experience at the University of Nottingham. The course has enabled me to develop into the nurse I would like to be and I have felt supported. The placement experiences I have had have also provided me with the knowledge and skills I need.’

I said in my opening blog that the first 30 years of Nursing at Nottingham was not just a celebration of past excellence but a platform for future achievements. This collection of blogs is certainly a tribute to nursing excellence. That we have managed to achieve this wonderful collection during the COVID-19 pandemic when so much was being asked of healthcare professionals is even more remarkable.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all, to a greater or lesser extent, to think about our lives and to reprioritise accordingly. I have worked with colleagues in the School and across all of our local Trusts over the past two years and seen them prioritise patients, students and each other. It has been a truly humbling experience and I feel very privileged to have played a small part in supporting these staff during over this period..

Although none of us knows what the future of Nursing at Nottingham will bring, we can be sure that it will involve boundaries being pushed back and positive changes to the lives of individuals and communities. Whoever is fortunate enough to be Head of School in 2040 when Nursing at Nottingham is celebrating its 50th anniversary will have plenty of excellence and innovation to celebrate.

Professor Joanne S Lymn

Dean of Health Sciences

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Welcome to our third blog dedicated to our teaching experiences.

Teaching after only being students for two years? Yes, you read that correctly! Jumping from being a student to a teacher was a weird but wonderful transition. It was something which we knew we were going to be doing (as it’s part of the job description) but we didn’t acknowledge the difference in roles until we fully stepped into it ourselves.

We have mainly been facilitating in clinical skills sessions with the BSc first year Undergraduate and Graduate Entry Nursing (GEN) students. We have taught across all three fields of the nursing course which includes mental health, adult and child nursing. These clinical skills sessions give students the opportunity to take what they have learnt from theory sessions and practice the skills in a practical context for placement. Some topics we have been able to teach students include the A-E assessment, breaking down the components and understanding how to properly document and escalate if necessary. We have also taught medicines management, stoma care and MH assessments in these sessions too.

We have been learning about the principles and theory behind why we educate others and why we teach the way we do. However, even with learning the theory, nothing quite prepares you for when you are stood at the front of the room facing all the students and suddenly get the realisation that you are there to help them learn and not the other way round. We kept saying to each other that we were supposed to be sat with the students and not stood at the front. However, since moving past the imposter syndrome feeling (even though we still sometimes feel this from time to time), we began to reflect on the teaching we experienced as students and tried to understand how we could incorporate it into our own teaching.

Working with various staff members also helped us with our teaching styles as we have been able to observe their teaching methods and approaches and reflect on what we would choose to do/change. The staff were fully supportive enabling us to teach our own group of students and allowing us the space to grow in our teaching approaches and philosophies. The development of our teaching philosophy has been a core part of our teaching, learning and development programme. This programme has offered us the chance to use our teaching experiences to obtain a teaching qualification as we’re hoping to be Associate Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. When we heard about this we thought it sounded very fancy!

Overall, teaching the students has been a rewarding and meaningful experience. We know that what they are learning will benefit them for future practice and it has been brilliant to be part of their learning process.

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This month we will be reflecting on supporting staff with admission interviews. We feel so lucky we got to be a part of this. It’s a huge step for anyone who’s considering a career in healthcare – we remember not so long ago being in that nervous position ourselves!

Every year, hundreds of applicants are interviewed at the University of Nottingham, School of Health Sciences, not just for Nursing courses (which we applied to) but for Midwifery, Sports Rehab and Physio too. As Health Science interns we got to support with interviews for most of them. Candidates were asked a series of questions which included why these professions called out to them specifically? What does it mean to be an adult nurse as opposed to a child’s nurse? What are the core professional values of physiotherapists?

Frankly, sometimes candidates came out with really moving responses. It was amazing to listen to them discuss what mattered to them about health care and why they were considering committing themselves to these professions. This felt particularly poignant considering the pandemic and the coverage of its impact. Some of the candidates were stepping up to help because they felt their skills and commitment were needed. Some had experience of care, some didn’t, but all were interested in understanding how to look after others and build a career around that.

An experienced member of academic staff and service-user lead the interviews via Microsoft Teams. Compared to conducting the interviews in person (which is how we were interviewed), we noticed how different the online interview process was for example, ensuring there was a good internet connection and that the interviewers and candidates could hear and see each other clearly were very important points to run through before even starting the interview!

Furthermore, we noticed how the digital format required a unique approach to presenting the professional attitude expected at an interview. As an interviewer, you couldn’t read so much from the other person’s body language or presentation and much of the assessment of the candidate was based squarely on the value of the conversation. Perhaps this is not a bad thing. Having online interviews can help reduce anxiety as well as avoiding the stress of travel. It will be interesting to see if this format replaces in person interviews altogether.

As well as being in the interviews to understand how they’re conducted, we were also able to answer any questions that candidates had about being a student at the university. Some of them were interested in the internship and happy to learn that they would be able to apply for it too! We were also able to share our own experiences with students and chat around what being a health care student is like, which was great.

Overall, it was eye-opening to be able to see this process from the other side and have discussions with lecturers about what they were looking for in candidates. This deepened our understanding of the role of the academic and increased our appreciation of the fact that they do so much more than teach!

It was great to be involved in this admission process. We’ve learnt a lot.

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Who are we?

We are the first pair of interns hired by the University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences.

How did we get here?

The role was advertised to all second-year health sciences students (Nursing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy and Sports Rehabilitation). We were both selected from the adult nursing course at the end of our second year.

What are we doing?

For 12 months we are working as salaried staff members! The idea is for us to participate in, and learn about, the day-to-day running of the health sciences school. Our job description includes assisting in teaching, research and self-directing a student experience project!

We will go back to finish our degrees after the 12-month internship term is complete.

This blog is intended to share our experiences for the benefit of other students and future interns. There are many different aspects to the internship and we hope that each month we will discuss one of these areas.

We think it’s great that the university has started to offer this programme and, by sharing our knowledge and experience on this blog, we hope to spread out the benefit of the internship with others.

So, let’s get started. To begin with we would like to briefly explore some of the reasons the internship was created. As the first ever Dean’s interns with Health Sciences, we’ve been very interested in how this opportunity came about!

Why did it come about?

There is a national shortage of academics in many health professions. The shortage of nurses in practice is common knowledge but did you know there’s also a shortage of teachers in nursing, midwifery and other health professional courses too?

It’s been absolutely fascinating to work alongside the academic staff in the first two months of our internship. It’s certainly been incredibly eye opening to consider how much is going on behind the scenes. It’s understandably hard to get a perspective on this as a student as we’re so focused on getting to grips with our placement assignments, professional expectations and integrating these values. Yet, behind the scenes, so much fascinating research and strategizing is going on to get us out in to practice.

Centring the student voice is something that is constantly mentioned in staff meetings and we’re yet to meet a member of staff that isn’t truly passionate about using the resources available to them to provide Health Sciences students with the best possible experience.

Improving the student experience is not without its challenges. In 2021, the dropout rate of student nurses leapt from 21% to 33% (Nursing Standard, 2021) yet nursing remains one of the most valued and well-respected professions in society… how can we protect Health Sciences’ students? Ensure they have the education they deserve? We think all students would agree with us that the University of Nottingham’s School of Health Sciences needs to keep improving the experience of students and be informed enough to advocate on their behalf. This is how we view our role as interns and its one we hope to demonstrate we are taking seriously.

We hope we can continue to explore how students and staff relate to one another and grow as advocates for the best possible student experience.

Watch this space!

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Nursing, for me had been what seemed, at the time, an unattainable goal. Surely only clever people could hold such a title (major imposter syndrome!). I had always been the child that struggled at school and my parents’ evenings would always entail of the same old saying of “bright and lovely girl but talks too much”. This surely reflected in my grades and, in my late teens, I figured that all things academic did not come naturally to me. I soon found that if I wanted to accomplish anything, I was going to have to work for it. Graduating from the University of Nottingham as a learning disability nurse has always been my greatest achievement. Never did I think that I would then be coming back to influence other nursing students on their nursing journeys (queue that imposter syndrome again!).   

As for my own nursing journey, being a student nurse was tough! It had been full of tears, laughter, and an unreal amount of stress! With pulling all-nighters in the library to meet assignment deadlines to working endless amounts of shifts on placement and in a part-time job to pay the bills, plus various volunteering roles I undertook for charity, it’s safe to say the road to qualifying was no mean feat. Fortunately, I had a great support network of friends/family and staff within the school of health sciences which enabled me to see potential I never knew I had and how my skills can truly benefit the people we care for. Lucky for me, a nursing career is where having a voice and talking too much actually worked in my favour! Although I did not see it at the time, those long three years were worth every single moment of anxiety and doubt I had about my ability to make a difference.  

My rollercoaster journey continued as a newly qualified nurse with a plethora of experiences that truly tested my resilience and, at times, my mental health. Sadly, with NHS pressures compassion fatigue hit me early on in my career and this was then exacerbated by the global pandemic. Whilst this had been tough for people at all levels, I was always blown away by the fact that student nurses have come into practice with such positivity and willingness to learn. Having students was the breath of fresh air I needed and supporting students in placement reignited my passion. I had always known that I would like to steer my career in the direction of teaching, although I anticipated this would be further down the line. I didn’t think a job like this would be an option. I worried about the level of experience I had only being qualified three years and do not have any extra training such a masters or teaching qualifications. The university have created a pathway for people like me to achieve such goals and promote career development from the start. With only being three weeks in post I can already tell this career change from practice to education is the best decision I could have made. I wish I could have told my younger self that I could do it, I can accomplish my goals and even strive for better! So, for anyone thinking you can’t do it, be kind to yourself; nursing is a forever learning career. You will have good days and bad days – hold onto those good days and believe that you can make a difference.  

By Sian Adcock, Teaching Associate

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Writing this blog is perfect timing as I started my nurse training at Mid Trent School and Nursing and Midwifery 30 years ago in September 1991. I lived at the City Hospital in Nurses Home one, which is now the Clinical Sciences building! The last 30 years have flown by and I have been privileged to have had a fulfilling career that has spanned clinical practice, teaching and research.  Intrinsic motivation has driven me throughout my career but equally the support and guidance of line managers, peers and mentors I have been fortunate enough to meet. The relationships I have formed have been central to my career development. In nursing we have the opportunity to champion each other and build networks to inspire growth and acknowledge success. 

At Mid Trent School and Nursing and Midwifery I was in the third Project 2000 intake. In 1994 my first job was on a medical ward at Nottingham City Hospital. In 1996 I went to work on a surgical ward at Derby City Hospital. Student nurses at Derby had yet to complete the Project 2000 programme. The Senior Nurse openly said she employed me to ‘see what we were like.’ I was known as P2K nurse! My next step was to do a nursing degree at the University of Derby. I reduced my hours so I could take the full-time pathway. 

In 1998 I was ready for a new challenge. My friend worked on ICU at QMC. I was fascinated by her work and decided if I was going to work in ICU it had to be in a large trauma centre. I stayed for six years progressing to F grade Sister and Practice Development Nurse (PDN). I was incredibly fortunate to undertake the ENB 100 Intensive Care Nursing course, full-time out of the numbers for six months to study! This included attending lectures, supernumerary time with mentors on the unit and placements at Nottingham City Hospital ICU and Cardiac ICU and at Derby City Hospital ICU. This opportunity feels unachievable in today’s NHS. 

Working as a PDN on ICU gave me my first experiences of working outside of my place of employment with colleagues in the Mid Trent Critical Care Network.  I was able to learn from more experienced educators and decided that a career pathway in education was for me. I sought opportunities for promotion and, through relationships from the network, pursued a G grade post at a different Trust as an educator implementing the policy document Comprehensive Critical Care. The focus of the role was to develop and deliver a critical care skills teaching programme for ward staff. Working under the leadership of supportive line managers the role evolved to become a trust wide PDN leading, developing and delivering clinical skills and acute care training, a competency framework for Agenda for Change and writing policy and implementing change in response to response to national policy and guidance. I stayed in this post for 10 years, had two children and completed my Masters in Clinical Education. 

My PDN role did not include direct patient care. I missed this aspect of nursing so, in 2012, i joined the nurse bank at the Royal Derby Hospital where I still work one or two shifts a month. For me, maintaining my clinical practice keeps me close to the reason I went in to nursing 30 years ago – patient care. In addition, as my career has developed I became interested in the experiences of healthcare workers in the complex setting of healthcare. Working clinically enables me to experience first-hand the realities of working on the frontline. This interest was ignited when working as PDN. When implementing change, I became increasingly frustrated trying to navigate the challenges in the organisation and often said ‘there has to be a better way!’ Eventually, after working as an undergraduate nurse lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton, I decided to take a different career path. I was able to study if ‘there was a better way’ by winning a scholarship from The Health Foundation to undertake a full-time PhD in Implementation Science in 2014. I had been unsuccessful in two previous PhD scholarship applications. 

My PhD was based in the Business School at the University of Nottingham and supervised by leading academics in social science and organisational sociology. I have always actively sought out challenges but this was the biggest yet. After six years of hard work and tenacity, I was awarded my PhD. Supportive supervisors, mentors, line managers, work colleagues and peers helped me to achieve my goal. The Health Foundation scholarship and being based in a Business School provided me with incredible opportunities, including a research trip to a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. When my funding finished in 2017 (before I had finished my PhD), I worked as a Research Associate in the Business School.  

Over the last seven years I have developed a network in the field of Implementation Science and organisational sociology and currently work as a Research Associate in the SAPPHIRE group (Social science APPlied to Healthcare Improvement REsearch) in the Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester. I am a Research Associate on a NIHR funded mixed methods health service research study evaluating NHS post-hospitalisation services for COVID-19 to inform service development and achieve holistic, integrated, equitable and cost effective services. 

As a health services researcher I have actively taken steps to maintain my nursing identity and contribute towards raising the profile of nurses in research. My current role involves membership of national nursing networks and meeting with nurses in the Chief Nurses Office to share findings on the role of the nurse in Long Covid services. 

The last 18 months, as healthcare has responded to the impact of COVID-19, has demonstrated the importance of supporting each other. In the height of the pandemic I went back to work in ICU and was in awe of how the nurses used their extensive knowledge base and skills to care for patients and families in the most distressing and challenging conditions. I also worked in palliative care and the Emergency Department and witnessed how emotionally hard and draining it was to be in the eye of the storm with no break from COVID-19 in personal lives whether it was caring responsibilities, home schooling or experiencing the personal impact of COVID-19 being unwell themselves or caring for family and friends. 

The nurses I meet working clinically and those in the Chief Nurses Office are all part of the complex puzzle that is nursing in 2021 and after 30 years I am very proud to be part of the profession. 

By Dr Charlotte Overton RN, Research Associate, SAPPHIRE

The post 30 at 30: Supporting each other appeared first on School of Health Sciences.

Hello, we are Alex and Amelia! In this blog we introduce ourselves as the new interns, we try to explain our newly created role, and explore what drew us to the position as well as discussing some of our exciting initial plans for the upcoming year… although it’s still early days so forgive us if we sound unsure on this last point! 

The internship was advertised to all health sciences students approaching the end of their 2nd year of studies. A sandwich year between the 2nd and 3rd year of the undergraduate course, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives and sports rehabilitation students were invited to step off the course and spend 12 months as a paid university staff member! We can’t believe our luck that we managed to land the opportunity! 

The internship was created after years of development. Aimed at opening opportunities to undergraduate health students and in response to the national shortage of nursing academics and teachers.  

The arrival of this email into our inboxes caused a similar reaction in each of us – a feeling of interest and curiosity. Such an unusual offering in amongst our inboxes! We both applied thinking, what’s the worst that can happen!? And now here we are as the school’s first Health Sciences Interns. Our first week has been a whirlwind, the brilliance and implications of the opportunity are still very much sinking in! 

Both of us taking time off the BSc Adult Nursing course at the university, we are enthusiastic to pioneer this role. We will be assisting in research projects, teaching, admissions, policy, board meetings and other exciting opportunities.  

Meet the interns

Alex

I was born in the Queens Medical Centre, the same building in which the nursing school is based. 8 years ago, I left an undergraduate nursing programme in Liverpool following a mental health crisis. This experience taught me lessons about care, commitment, accountability and community that I am passionate to share with others and develop further. Often found crying in the library (in a good way), I am absolutely thrilled to be on board for this fantastic opportunity.   

Amelia

I knew from a young age that I liked looking after people and helping others, so combined with my fascination for human biology, it led me looking into a career in nursing. My interests for discovering more about the profession have only grown since starting at the university. Moving away from my home in North Yorkshire was a challenge, but an exciting step I had to take. From all the evidence-based learning and practical engagement sessions taught, I want to continue to build on my learning and I’m keen to develop my skills further. To the point where it seems like I can’t learn anymore! This internship allows me to gain new insight and perspective into research and teaching which I (alongside Alex) am passionate about. 

Our first week

The first few days for us have involved a whirlwind of meetings, induction and orientation of the medical school. We were introduced to some of the brilliant members of the health sciences staff who we are intending to work alongside throughout the year. Discussions in these meetings revolved around getting to know each other, initial planning, preparation and what our roles will be during the first few months of the internship. Alongside the various meetings, we underwent induction training and set up of our office space and new work laptops (which we were excited about receiving)! New staff uniforms and lanyards were also given to us, which we are proud to wear, and they make us feel like part of the team. 

As new interns, we didn’t quite know what to expect and were nervous (but excited) to be part of something that no school has ever done before! Although this is a strange new role for us, the staff were very welcoming and supportive during our first week which has made things feel more manageable and encouraged a sense that everyone is in this together! Reflexive diaries were given to us and open discussions about expectations have really contributed to a sense of flexibility and possibility. We are excited to start this journey and bring our unique perspective and insight into the new role and into the staff team. 

Our goals for the internship

Alex

I share Amelia’s enthusiasm for improving student experience and harnessing the potential of the internship. I believe that nursing is one of life’s best offerings and being able to hear and learn from students’ own perspectives about what nursing means to them is something I am really looking forward to. I’m particularly keen to be able to be in sessions and listen to different disciplines within the school such as mental health, midwives and sports rehab. I really want to make the internship our own, keep students and staff updated via an ongoing blog, sharing as the role develops about what we’re up to. Overall, I hope to be able to soak up the huge amount of learning opportunities presented by this internship in order to share them with my peers and make me the best nurse I can be, bringing me ever closer to a fulfilling and rewarding career.  

Amelia

What I hope to gain from the internship is to learn more about research in the nursing and healthcare fields and the routes into becoming a clinical academic. This is something that has become of interest to me since starting in the nursing programme, and I am intrigued and eager to discover more. The teacher training provided is something I’m particularly interested in linking with the student experience and looking at how one facilitates the other, as well as (like Alex) understanding the different perspectives, styles and techniques of teaching from the other disciplines. I also want to delve into this further and hopefully help improve the overall student experience at the university, as this is something that means a lot to me and I’m passionate about. I want to advocate a positive student experience and make their learning environment enjoyable and supportive. Despite whether I intend to go into research or teaching after this internship, I want to learn and gain as much knowledge and skills as I possibly can to take into future healthcare practice and help other students do the same. 

In summary, we are thoroughly excited to be starting this journey into the unknown. A completely new experience for both of us, we hope to achieve as much as we can and live up to the expectations of our students and fellow staff members. We are strong advocates for promoting progression within healthcare through research and teaching, and we hope to influence other students into applying for this role next year. 

Thank you for reading – we hope to continue blogging! 

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