The shortlist for the Student Nursing Times Awards 2018 has been announced, and it’s been another bumper year for the University of Nottingham.
The University and its staff and students picked up 13 nominations across 11 award categories in this year’s awards, which aim to recognise the cream of the crop among the student nursing community.
Head of the University’s School of Heath Sciences, Professor Joanne Lymn, said: “We are yet again thrilled to have received so many shortlisted nominations in what was a record-breaking year for entries – a measure of the quality of the nursing education that we are providing and the calibre of the students which we are lucky enough to attract here at Nottingham.
“I am immensely proud of our staff and students and their professionalism and commitment that they demonstrate every day and personally delighted that this has been officially recognised by this shortlisting. I wish them the very best of luck for the next round of judging.”
Among the students singled out by the judges this year was Gavin Hibberd-Smith, who has been nominated in three categories – Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year; Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs and Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health.
Gavin was in the Royal Air Force for nine years where he worked in Air Traffic Control; 32 (The Royal Squadron) as a flight operations assistant and acting manager and Area Radar. He rose to the rank of Corporal before leaving for a job in Air Traffic Control in Dubai. Returning to the UK after the end of his contract, he stayed at home while his wife returned to work, following the birth of their fourth child.
Gavin said: “A year later, I returned to work as a healthcare assistant in a medium secure forensic unit and found that I really enjoyed the role. It was a natural progression to return to education to study for a mental health nursing degree – a decision which I have never regretted.”
He has faced many challenges with balancing his home and university life which has included his role as a father and supporting his wife, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease shortly after he began his nursing course.
In addition to student life, Gavin also undertakes volunteer work with the mental health recovery service ImROC, co-ordinating and designing their newsletter and managing their website. Gavin is a peer facilitator for the European Junior Leadership Academy, and at the university has worked in various roles including peer mentor lead, course representative and clinical academic rep, which saw him being awarded a Student Union’s Gold Student Leader Award.
Gavin added: “When I received the email informing me that I had been shortlisted, I was overwhelmed - especially with being shortlisted for all three categories. I am now looking forward to going to London for my interviews as part of the process for the next round of judging.”
Jade Mitchelmore has used her own experiences of living with a chronic illness - complex digestive issues that required a number of medical interventions/surgeries - to empathise with her patients and understand the impact of new diagnoses, medical interventions, hospitalisations and nursing care on the physical and mental health of young people. She was inspired to go into the profession by the nurses who cared for her in childhood.
She has been nominated in the categories of Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year and Student Nurse of the Year: Children.
Jade said: “I feel that the key to excellent patient care lies in the ‘little things’ and that small interactions make a big impact. My unique perspectives of healthcare as a patient and a professional inspire my delivery of high-quality, holistic and personalised patient care, as well as my ability to advocate for patients and inspire change.
“It is such a privilege to have been recognised as worthy of these awards. I am grateful to those who have supported me through my degree, including colleagues, family and friends. It has been a challenging yet rewarding few years, and this truly is a highlight of my nursing journey so far. I'm excited to see what the future will bring.”
The full list of nominations for The University of Nottingham is:
- Learner of the Year: Post Registration – Lydia Briggs
- Mentor of the Year: Lorraine Jackson
- Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year – Gavin Hibberd-Smith and Jade Mitchelmore
- Nurse Education Provider of the Year (Post-Registration)
- Nurse Education Provider of the Year (Pre-Registration)
- Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs – Gavin Hibberd-Smith
- Student Nurse of the Year: Children – Jade Mitchelmore
- Student Experience – School of Health Sciences
- Student Innovation in Practice – Sian Adcock and Hannah Freer, Carrie Hau, Rebecca Webster, Rebekah Hughes and Freya Lama
- Student Nurse of the Year: Learning Disabilities – Anna Johnson
- Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health – Gavin Hibberd-Smith
The awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony on Thursday 26 April 2018 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
— Ends —
Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.
For up to the minute media alerts, follow us on Twitter
Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…