Jul 5 2011 10:00AM
On the 4 July, UCS held a Leavers Conference to celebrate the achievements of Nursing and Midwifery| students who will be graduating this autumn.
Around 100 students attended the event which featured professional speakers who discussed the opportunities available to the newly qualified students. UCS Provost, Professor Mike Saks, opened the conference by congratulating the students on their accomplishments before Dr Lynne Wigens, UCS Visiting Senior Fellow of Nursing|, gave a talk on providing quality care in relation to her role at NHS Suffolk.
Other speakers included Siobhan Jordan, Director of Nursing at Ipswich Hospital and Laurie Moody, Chief Petty Officer for the Royal Navy, who outlined potential career opportunities.
Carol Smith, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, presented awards during the event to individual students for ‘Ideas in Service Innovation’. Awards were given to Victoria Goddard for her work on improving knowledge of patient meal times, Adam Ransome for his plan to introduce fold away tables and chairs so patients can sit away from the bedside at mealtimes, Maxine Galley who planned to introduce a healthy trolley for patients in hospitals and Jamie Cocksedge for his proposal to implement protected bedside areas.
The students themselves were also asked to vote for their peers in the ‘student’s student awards’- rewarding those who had made an outstanding contribution to the course. Awards were presented to Kerry Pearce, Adam Ransome, Natalia Sytchova, Tracey Saunders, Maxine Galley and Victoria Ward.
Julie MacLeod, UCS Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery|, was part of the team that organised the special event. "The Leavers Conference is a way of celebrating the considerable achievements of our students and providing them with an informative and enjoyable day to explore the many opportunities open to them upon successful registration".
The third year students will attend a graduation ceremony at the Ipswich Town Hall and Corn Exchange in November where they will be presented their degrees by honorary graduate Dr Akmal Makhdum|, deputy medical director and consultant psychiatrist at Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.