Success at the Student Nursing Times Awards

BCU won two awards at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2021 which took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Wednesday 4 November.

The awards celebrate the best in nurse education, recognise and reward brilliant educational establishments and honour those who are committed to developing new nursing talent as mentors, lecturers, and providers of placements. The awards also pay tribute to students who have demonstrated the academic achievement, clinical prowess and personal qualities that will make them brilliant nurses.

There were 21 categories in total, and BCU had 13 shortlisted entries across nine categories, and scooped two awards at the ceremony.

The University’s FdSc Nursing Associate Programme won the Nursing Associate Training Programme Provider of the Year (Pre-Registration) in recognition of ‘Breaking barriers and choosing change: embedding learning from the pandemic to positively shape TNA experiences’. Secondly, third year Mental Health Nursing student Elizabeth Eze was awarded Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health.

Nursing Associate Training Programme Provider of the Year

Associate Professor – Head of Department for Pre-Qualifying Healthcare Practice Dezita Taylor-Robinson said: “To say that I am proud of our Nursing Associate team here at BCU would be an understatement. We continually demonstrate drive, courage and dedication to our Trainee Nursing Associates Apprenticeship journey and experience, and we continue to utilise the pandemic as a positive catalyst for change within our programme.

“Being awarded the Nursing Associate Programme Provider of the Year at this year’s Student Nursing Times Awards, as well as the BCU Deans Award 2020, in recognition of our notable contribution to overall student experience, faculty life and performance and lastly, receiving an amazing 2021 National Student Survey result of 91%, demonstrates our commitment to growth, our passion for our learners’ development and our strong partnership working with employers.”

Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health

Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing Andrew Walsh said he has been proudly supporting BCU student nurses to apply for these national awards for many years now.

Andrew said: “I am really delighted that Elizabeth Eze won Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health, because she is a great representative for all of our BCU student nurses. Elizabeth has distinguished herself throughout her training and she greatly deserves this accolade. I suspect I will never forget the look of astonishment and happiness on her face when the result of this award was announced!”

Elizabeth commented: “Being a good nurse is about working through difficulties and creating an intentional lasting impact in peoples’ lives where changes can last beyond contact with services. Be a good nurse; love what you do, be inclusive, human, kind and compassionate. Understand with your heart and care. We are all amazing and we are all winners. Thank you BCU and thank you Nursing Times.”

Recognising talent

Editor of Nursing Times Steve Ford said: “Congratulations to all our winners at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2021. The awards recognise a group of outstanding students on their journey to entering the nursing profession, as well as all those who support them along the way, including lecturers, universities, and healthcare providers.

“Given the ongoing difficulties facing the education sector due to the pandemic, I was really impressed by the strength of entries that we received for the awards this year. Many featured learning innovations and outstanding students that reflect the challenges created by Covid-19, and that saw usual learning processes disrupted and nearly 30,000 students doing paid placements to help out on the front line."

See the full list of winners here and the shortlist here.

Pictured: Elizabeth Eze receiving the Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health award.