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Nursing programmes go head to head for top award
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Two of our nursing programmes have made it onto the eight-strong shortlist for a prestigious Student Nursing Times Award.
Our Graduate Certificates in Neonatal Nursing (Qualified in Speciality) and in Sexual and Reproductive Health have both made the shortlist for the Nurse Education Provider of the Year (Post-registration) award. Going head to head are Programme Leaders Anne Moylan and Avril Hendry – and their excitement about making it this far is palpable.
Says Avril: “We found out two weeks ago, but there was an embargo on the news until 20 February, so we weren’t really allowed to tell anybody. So we’ve been champing at the bit!”
“To say that we’re excited would be putting it mildly,” adds Anne. “When the announcement first came out and I saw Avril’s name as well, I had to get in contact with her. It’s a fantastic feeling.”
Avril and Anne – along with all of the other entrants – had to compile a submission that set out why their programme is worthy of being an award-winner. Supporting evidence included student testimonials and photos of course activities, in a bid to give the judging panel the fullest possible picture of the great learning and teaching that goes on here.
The next stage in the process is an interview day held in London on 13 March. Each of the shortlisted candidates will prepare a 10-minute presentation on their programme and then respond to 15 minutes of questioning by the panel. All eight finalists will then attend the awards ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on 26 April, where the winner will be announced.
So, will they still be talking by the end of the night, if one of them ends up winning? “It’s actually really nice because it means you’ll have some support there,” says Avril. “I feel like we’ve already won by being shortlisted. It’s just lovely that Edinburgh Napier’s being represented twice in the same category nationally. I think it’s testament to how hard the University works at providing really specialist student-focused programmes.”
Anne feels very much the same. “Being shortlisted is so good for our postgraduate programmes and it’s so good for the University, for our reputation,” she says. “And if it’s advertising what we do and it opens us up to more students, then that’s fantastic.”
Where to next?
From here, the only way is up for both programmes. Anne’s plans for the future include continuing to fly the flag – and raise the bar – for neonatal nursing.
“I try to make neonatal nursing much more visible than it is at this moment in time, so that more qualified nurses know that it’s a career path they could follow,” Anne says. “The Graduate Certificate fits in very nicely with the Advanced Practitioner programmes that we run here too. A nurse would be expected to have the Qualified in Specialty Certificate before going on to do a Master’s and become an Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. So it’s about just always raising the bar for neonatal nursing at Edinburgh Napier.”
For Avril, who is seeing more and more practice nurses enrol on her Graduate Certificate programme, the focus is on responding to student demand.
“I’d like to look at exploring a Master’s route for a couple of the modules that sit within the programme – there seems to be a bit of a demand for that,” she explains. “But I think to continue to build on what we’re learning, what the students are saying, and incorporate that into the running of the programme will be what I’m focusing on next year.”
Sounds like both finalists are onto a winning formula. The Bones wishes Avril and Anne all the best for awards night.
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