RCN Educational Awards

For the first time this year we were proud to include some of our educational award winners at the Royal College of Nursing Awards ceremony.

These were the Margaret Parkinson scholarships and the RCN Award for Student Activists.

Margaret Parkinson scholarships 2010

The Margaret Parkinson scholarships are funded from a generous donation and are aimed at encouraging and assisting graduates who have a non-nursing degree to enter the nursing profession. Since 1999, the scheme has supported 39 graduates during their pre-registration years.

This year's winners were Nicola Blackburn, Daniel Cullen, Charity Garnett, Naomi Farrington and Rebecca Hancox.

Nicola Blackburn

After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from the University of East Anglia, it was Nicola’s desire to be more than just a visiting professional on the ward that inspired her to retrain as a nurse.

She has been offered a place in September 2010 to study the accelerated Child Nursing Diploma at King’s College London.

During her studies Nicola is keen to build upon her existing skills in diabetes care, she currently works as a diabetic retinal screener and grader in London. She is also looking forward to experiencing a wide variety of clinical placements and broadening her knowledge in other areas of nursing. In the future Nicola would like to be involved in teaching and mentorship.

Daniel Cullen

Since 2008, Daniel has worked both voluntarily and as a full time support worker in mental health and learning environments. The experience he has gained in these roles has cemented his dedication and ambition to advance his career in mental health care.

Having previously achieved a first class honours degree in English from the University of Sussex, Daniel went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Critical Methodologies from King’s College London. He has now decided to pursue a postgraduate diploma in mental health nursing and has been accepted on an accelerated course this year at King’s College London.

With aspirations to be at the forefront of mental health nursing research, this award will help him to achieve his ambitions and enable him to continue his studies in this chosen field.

Charity Garnett

With an academic background in geography and environmental studies, and after a number of years working in roles with an environmental focus, Charity has made the decision to focus on her true passion of nursing. After gaining experience as a carer for children and as a residential carer working with a patient with Alzheimer’s, Charity began her diploma earlier this year at the University of Worcester. This award will help to support her through her studies.

Drawing from personal experience she has a particular interest in palliative care. However she is also keen to gain as much nursing experience as possible, with professional ambitions to work in intensive treatment nursing and community nursing.

Naomi Farrington

With a raft of academic qualifications in archaeology and religious subjects behind her, Naomi decided not to follow the obvious career path but has instead chosen to study nursing.

Ignoring careers advice to study medicine, she remained committed to train as a nurse citing the high degree of interpersonal contact as a key attraction of the profession.

Both her current role as a care assistant in a residential home for older people and her work experience at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital convinced her to apply for a postgraduate diploma in nursing. Naomi has a particular interest in the care and treatment of older people especially those with dementia. In February this year she commenced her studies at the University of Southampton and this award will prove invaluable to her during her course.

Rebecca Hancox

Since leaving school Rebecca has worked in a variety of roles for the NHS, including working for two mental health trusts. This experience contributed to her decision to apply for a graduate diploma in mental health nursing. It was with great delight that Rebecca accepted her place from the University of Worcester where she began her studies in February 2010.

Rebecca has always enjoyed the challenge of studying and says her degree in psychology gave her a thirst for knowledge and learning. She is also looking forward to making an active contribution to her university. This award and course has given Rebecca the opportunity to broaden her experience in aspects of mental health that she has not yet encountered, and will enable her to fulfil a lifelong ambition of gaining a professional qualification as a registered mental nurse.

RCN award for Student Activists 2010

Announced at Congress 2009, this new award recognises the work of RCN student activists. It is kindly sponsored by a gift from Professor Dame Betty Kershaw and her family to support continuing professional development. Through this award the RCN wants to acknowledge the value of work undertaken by student activists and encourage and support newly qualified nurses in furthering their careers.

This year's winners were Jennifer Luchoomun and Charles Sloan.

Jennifer Luchoomun

After attending an RCN regional student road show in 2007 Jennifer Luchoomun was inspired to become an activist. She was soon recruited to the position of Association of Nursing Students (ANS) Executive Committee member for the London Region. With the support of RCN staff, Jennifer began attending ANS Executive Committee meetings, representing the views of nursing students in the region.

Recognising the importance to consult with the students she represented, one of Jennifer’s initiatives was to set up meetings of Student Information Officers (SIOs). These proved to be a successful way of networking, raising concerns, sharing best practice, and communicating with RCN staff and regional board members. Consequently, London SIOs have been vital in representing nursing students at a national level.

Since graduating, Jennifer has aspired to a vision of mental health nursing that provides high quality care for adults requiring inpatient treatment. Keen to enhance her clinical practice experience, Jennifer will use the award to attend a course at the Institute of Psychiatry on enhanced skills for inpatient mental health professionals.

Charles Sloan

An RCN activist from 2006 until 2008, Charles represented students as one of the Association of Nursing Students’ Executive Committee members in Scotland. Referring to this time as a highlight in his student career, Charles rose to the challenge. He enjoyed the opportunity to represent fellow students at a national level and recruit new members.
Whilst at university Charles was encouraged to follow the diploma path and is currently a registered nurse in learning disability (RNLD). During his first year as a RNLD he nursed patients with varying mental health issues which led him to undertake a conversion programme for a dual qualification in mental health. As part of this course he has undertaken to complete the first module of a degree. Charles intends to use this award to complete the further two modules required to obtain a full degree. He strongly believes that bringing his qualification in line with the graduate profession will further enable him to be the best nurse he can be.