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Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in nursing?

After qualifying, I worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals as a staff nurse in the Critical Care Department. It was here that I discovered a real interest in supporting early career nurses. Following the pandemic, I decided to take the leap into education, securing a fixed-term project management role at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to roll out the new SSSA.

This role sparked my passion for practice education. After that, I worked as a Student Experience Manager and later took another project management role to create a new preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses.

During this time, I completed my PG Cert in Medical Education. The skills I gained helped me develop more meaningful lesson plans and curricula that truly aligned with the intended learning outcomes.

I now work for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a Practice Education Facilitator. In this role, I am responsible for supporting all adult student nurses while they are on placement in the Trust.

I love my job and get to do different things every day, including facilitating simulation learning, teaching staff assessment and supervision skills, providing pastoral support for learners in practice, organising placements, and working hands-on with students.

What inspired you to pursue a PG Certificate in Medical Education?

I decided to undertake the PG Certificate in Medical Education to deepen my foundational knowledge of educational theory and practice. I also hoped that the programme could help build my confidence and credibility in my role as an educator.

What made you choose the СŷÊÓƵ of Sheffield for this course? 

Having previously worked with the СŷÊÓƵ of Sheffield to support their students, I was consistently impressed by the university’s organisation and responsiveness. Additionally, the curriculum at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals closely aligned with the areas I wanted to develop, and the course structure offered the flexibility I needed to balance my studies alongside my day to day work.

How have/did you find balancing your studies with your work as a nurse?

While balancing the demands of a busy nursing role with studies can be challenging, I was fortunate to receive support from my manager, who enabled me to dedicate time to attend study days as part of my continuous professional development. The flexibility of the course allowed me to integrate learning into my working day with minimal disruption to my work day. I would encourage fellow nurses considering this programme to have early discussions with their managers about securing protected study leave and dedicated time to complete the assessment components effectively.

What has been the most valuable thing you’ve learnt?

The course had large amounts of peer support embedded into its structure, learning with a wide range of different healthcare professionals helped enrich my learning by providing different perspectives and approaches to clinical learning. 

How has this course helped you in your career?

This course has really helped me improve the way I teach by giving me the tools to better structure and plan my sessions. I hadn’t studied in quite a few years, so it also helped boost my confidence and encouraged me to keep learning. Before starting the programme, I was pretty nervous about writing essays, but the online essay writing sessions and the amazing support from the lecturers made a huge difference. Since finishing the course, I’ve gone on to complete another Level 7 course and have even applied to start my master’s this September!

What advice would you give to other healthcare professionals thinking about studying medical education?

• Advocate for yourself to get protected work time to complete your learning as part of your continuous professional development
• Engage early on with the team if you are struggling with any of the academic aspects
• Try and engage in the online activities weekly