June 9, 2022, by hayleychipman
The Student Nursing Times Awards
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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