Hannah Bryant
Adult Nursing Lecturer
Hannah knew she wanted to be a nurse from a young age. Early in her career, she discovered the importance of mentoring students and newly qualified nurses to help them succeed. This led her to take on many clinical educational roles and eventually brought her back to BCU as an Adult Nurse lecturer. She now enjoys supporting her students as she starts them on their nursing journeys.
"I wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember. During my time at school I always did my best and tried to help other students - It was in my nature to look after others. As a teenager, I faced a number of inequalities at school, and as a consequence I am passionate about democracy and equal human rights. On a personal level I therefore believe it is really important to ensure that everyone is supported to reach their full potential.
I started Adult Nursing in 1998 at UCE, now known as BCU. I learnt so much in my three years training. It’s fair to say that I now know that was only the beginning, every day of my nursing career I have learnt something new.
Very early in my career, I found my niche in Emergency Care and Education, having already spent time in Critical Care, Burns and Plastics and Oncology Surgery at Selly Oak Hospital, gaining a wide variety of clinical experience. This experience taught me that I liked the variety and the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life presenting with a range of healthcare needs. My first clinical mentor was an inspiration to me, selflessly offering not only their knowledge, but also their encouragement. This taught me the value and importance of supporting and mentoring new nurses that would one day work alongside me.
My passion for mentoring, teaching, and assessing grew, and I became the lead for Professional Development in the Accident and Emergency Department. I divided my time between working clinically and teaching. Healthcare over the years became increasingly complex, and I had to undertake a variety of roles to enhance the experience of my colleagues, patients, and wider community.
I decided to undertake my Emergency Nurse Minor Injuries Practitioner qualification, and I was invited back as a specialist visiting lecturer to teach on the module. I will never forget the enthusiasm and support shown to me by my university tutor, and still to this day, we remain good friends. I felt it was important to share best practice to improve care and patient outcomes, and with the encouragement of my tutor, I set about producing and submitting a variety of publications for the Emergency Nurse Journal. I have since taken up a position on the Editorial Advisory Board and enjoy peer-reviewing new literature. Enjoying the learning opportunities this position gave me, I later decided to become more embedded in education and became lead for Worcestershire Preceptorship Programme and Extended Clinical Skills, helping to ensure nurses and allied health professionals were supported and prepared when entering into their new careers. Later in my career I joined the Queen Elizabeth Birmingham Resuscitation Team. Here I developed skills in delivering high fidelity trauma and medical simulation and I was also lucky enough to form part of the Clinical Emergency and Cardiac Arrest Response Team.
In 2018, a post was advertised for Adult Nurse Lecturer at BCU. When I was offered the post, I think I actually screamed with excitement down the phone, and a new chapter in my life began. As with any job, it took quite a while to settle, all the systems and processes were unfamiliar. My students and colleagues were supportive from the beginning; there has always been a real sense of teamwork and spirit; working at BCU is like coming home to where it all began.
In the two years I have been at BCU I feel like I have never undertaken so much learning in all my life. I was quickly enrolled onto the PGCert teaching and learning in higher education, it was tricky balancing work, studying and home life at the same time, but it helped me develop my Higher Education teaching skills and gain a sense of my new identity. I also formally applied for and gained fellowship with the Higher Education Academy. Both of these achievements made me feel very proud. However, the one thing that stands out as my proudest moment was attending my first Graduation as an academic. I was bursting with pride as I cheered the students across the stage, knowing this was the beginning of their nursing journey.
Whilst I have learnt a lot from my colleagues, I have learnt as much from my students. I love it when they bring me practice examples and describe how they have put theory into practice. I love the sessions where they have lots of questions, and I can see them problem-solving, and a smile appears as the concepts become clear to them. I love to see the passion in them when they talk about the things they want to do and change. Nursing isn’t a job; it’s a calling, and we are all driven by a common goal which is wanting to do our best for our patients and communities.
When asked if working at BCU has changed me, the answer is Yes and No. It has certainly expanded my knowledge and changed my philosophy on Higher Education teaching. However, I am still the same nurse I have always been. I still feel if you are going to do something, do it properly. I am very passionate about maintaining standards in education, because the learning that happens in university will be directly reflected in patient care when our students go out on placement."