By joining the School of Nursing and Midwifery you become part of the family. No event could demonstrate this better than our ‘Lamp of Learning’ ceremonies which we held in November for our first-year Nursing students.
Three ceremonies were held during the day and included all four fields of Nursing – Adult, Child, Learning Disability and Mental Health. A third-year representative from each field handed a replica Florence Nightingale lamp to a first year from their field, to represent the passing on of knowledge and highlighting our Nursing community here.
We presented every student and member of staff who attended with a BCU lamp pin to wear on their lanyards as a reminder of the event and what it represented.
Staff present at the event included Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor, Carol Doyle; and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of our Faculty Professor Ian Blair in addition to one of our graduates, Professor Mark Radford who also happens to be Chief Nurse for Health Education England and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Sue Brown, lecturer and Adult Nursing Deputy Course Lead, organised the event. Commenting, she said: “The handing over of the lamp represents the transmission of knowledge from one group of nurses to another. Light is a symbol for knowledge and learning, and represents the bond between the student and the University, and our shared commitment to support students as they begin their nursing education.”
Sue added: “We also stress that self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly. As important as it is to have a plan for doing work, it is perhaps more important to have a plan for rest, relaxation, self-care and sleep.”
Third-year Adult Nursing student, Debbie Brennan, was one of the lamp-bearers who shared some pearls of wisdom with the students: “Treat yourself with the same respect, dignity and kindness that you give to your patients. As nurses we’re taught to look at the whole patient; to not only look at their physical needs, but their emotional needs as well.
“Although I recognise it’s perhaps easier to do that in other people, how can you care for your patients to the best of your ability if you’re not first caring for you? So, look after yourself so you can look after others.”
Debbie’s second piece of advice was to “embrace every opportunity”. “This course is hard and you’re going to be pushed out of your comfort zone – more than perhaps you would like to be – but now I’m the lead mentor on a physiology workshop, and I’ve written in academic journals and presented at conferences.
“None of that would have been possible without BCU offering those opportunities. For me, the networks I made during these experiences provided me with the support I needed when things got really hard.”
Professor Mark Radford told the students about how he started his career as a nurse at BCU in 1991. “This course and this experience as a nurse will set you up for what I think is a phenomenal career. There is no nobler thing than what you are about to embark upon.
“There are times that all of that knowledge, all of that skill, and all of that experience will culminate in the ability for you to change somebody’s life. As a nurse, you will do this day in, day out, but never lose sight of the impact you will have on the lives of those patients, their families and the communities you work in.”
The ceremony had an impact on our first-year Nursing students who received the ‘lamp of learning’. Zaima Tasmin from the Child field said: “I felt inspired by the words of wisdom from the third-year students. It made me proud to be entering such a profession and has further increased my determination to do well.”
Megan Reynolds, who was also a lamp receiver for the Child Field, added: “It was an honour and a privilege. What made it so special was what it symbolised – the passing of knowledge and wisdom from those who’ve completed this journey and are about to move onto a new chapter as qualified nurses. The ceremony as a whole was an unforgettable experience as I’ll always remember the fact I was part of the first cohort in the country to participate in a ceremony like this.”
Beatrice Hyde, who received the lamp for the Adult Field summed up her experience: “…to receive the lamp was an honour because I feel it is an important part in my journey to be an adult nurse. I see the handover as being particularly relevant as four generations of my family have provided nursing service and health provision both before and after the founding of our fantastic NHS Service. I was able to reflect on my past while looking towards the future. The joy in the room on that day was beyond electrifying. Since then, I have bonded better with others and have even been to a social event with a number of other students. We walked into that room as single individuals and walked out united, having great pride in being a BCU student.”
What inspired our students?
We spoke to some of our student nurses and midwives to find out what spurred them on to go into a career in healthcare.
