Nursing Graduate Wins Student Of Year

July 2023

Nursing graduate who found his calling wins student of the year

By Killoran Wills and Melanie Hall

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A newly-qualified student who was part of the very first cohort of the University鈥檚 adult nursing degree at the height of the pandemic has won a top education award for going above and beyond during his studies.

Mike Blackham was fit to burst when he heard he had won Further Education/Higher Education Student of the Year at last night鈥檚 Titan Awards, which showcase exceptional teachers and students in the region.

Starting his Nursing (Adult) BSc (Hons) in September 2020, knowing he would be completing placements on Covid wards, Mike had worked in aesthetics for 16 years, initially enrolling on the course to expand his practice into advanced treatments.

However, the three years of study turned out to be a life-changing experience for Mike, who not only achieved top assessment marks and completed seven placements everywhere from A&E and GP services to prisons and mental health settings, but was a pillar of support to the programme delivery team.

His unwavering support included providing input from a student perspective at Nursing and Midwifery Council quality meetings and attending approval events for new programmes such as the Mental Health Nursing BSc (Hons).

He also represented the University at regional nursing events.聽

Hearing he had won the award, Mike, who is now going into mental health services as an Adult Registered Nurse and already has a job offer on the table, said: 鈥淚 am so happy right now.鈥�

"I am very grateful for all of the experiences I have been afforded, the people I have met and got to know and all the support I have had along the way from the University nursing team. I have met some beautiful people and created bonds that will last a lifetime."

Mike Blackham BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing

鈥淭his is a fantastic way to end my journey of studying nursing at 爆料王 and a brilliant way to start my nursing career.

鈥淚 am very grateful for all of the experiences I have been afforded, the people I have met and got to know and all the support I have had along the way from the University nursing team. I have met some beautiful people and created bonds that will last a lifetime.

鈥淚 am very proud to have completed the nursing degree and the Titan award is the cherry on top! Thank you to everyone that has been a part of this journey with me.鈥�

At last month鈥檚 emotional first nursing cohort celebration, Mike said: 鈥淢y mum had been a mental health nurse and I loved the idea of going into a career in this area too. But life took over and I went into the beauty sector, started making money and was planning to build on that. But the pandemic came along and I suddenly had a reason to look at nursing again.

鈥淚 never realised just how suited I would be to the profession, I love knowing I have helped someone and supporting people with alcohol and drug addiction is what I鈥檇 like to go into when I graduate. I鈥檝e already had a job offer and can鈥檛 wait to get started as a fully-qualified Registered Nurse.鈥�

"The memories I will take from my time at University will stay with me for life.鈥�

Mike鈥檚 fellow nominee, Sarah Darling, a senior lecturer and programme lead for the Adult Nursing degree and mentor to Mike, said: 鈥淢ike is a real asset to the University and receives fantastic feedback from placement areas.鈥�

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 let Covid impact on Mike鈥檚 cohort鈥檚 learning. We flexed teaching and learning to ensure any impact was mitigated and minimised.

鈥淚 was so proud of them all, it can鈥檛 have been easy. They had started on a new nursing programme at the University in unprecedented times, but they coped fantastically and gained so much from the experience.鈥�

Read Mike鈥檚 full student story聽here.

Lecturer Sarah Darling 鈥� Teacher of the Year finalist

Sarah was also recognised at the Titan Awards as finalist for Teacher of the Year. She was put forward for working tirelessly to put students at the heart of everything she does, inspiring by drawing on her personal experiences in the health industry to ensure teaching is engaging and relatable to practice.

Professor Kathryn Riley, head of Health Education at the University, said: 鈥淪arah really cares for students鈥� individual wellbeing, personal development and progression through the programme.

鈥淭his is reflected in a course attrition rate of just 5% against a regional benchmark of 15%. That is extraordinary and Sarah's relationship with her students on the programme is one of the factors that is positively contributing to this.鈥�

Sarah said: 鈥淚 just love seeing people learn, implementing actions and skills. It is about getting the best out of people, seeing them grow in confidence, personality and outlook.

鈥淎t the end of the day, it is a privilege to be part of someone鈥檚 education journey.鈥�

Nursing at 爆料王

Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Adult Nursing degree at 爆料王 was built layer by intricate layer with key input from clinical practitioners and strategic leads at NHS Trusts, as well as service users and existing students such as Mike 鈥� all designed to create a more progressive, modern day nursing profession and healthcare landscape.

Students on the nursing degree course get to learn their clinical skills to become Registered Nurses in cutting edge聽health simulation facilities聽with a replica hospital ward. Here, they gain vital experience of the range of settings they will encounter in real life, with many sessions involving virtual reality.聽

Professor Riley, who worked clinically for 16 years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham before moving into education in 2002, said: 鈥淲e provide an excellent student support tutorial system and the students get high-quality pastoral care, which is robust and student centred.

鈥淭he nurse lecturing team are registered nurses and health care professionals and remain up-to-date, with industry experience to ensure the students get contemporary and credible learning.鈥�

Find out more about 爆料王鈥檚 Adult Nursing BSc (Hons) and our Mental Health Nursing BSc (Hons). The courses are both available through Clearing.

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