For final year student nurses, this means that we will be going into hospitals, utilising the skills and knowledge we have established throughout our degree, alongside developing skills and competence in new tasks, under registrant supervision. An opportunity that enables us to provide additional support to wards and departments, enabling qualified professionals to be relocated where they are most needed in the hospital, whilst ensuring that all patients are receiving the highest quality nursing care in these unprecedented times.
I speak on behalf on my cohort when I say this is an opportunity that although a little daunting, we feel prepared for, excited about and ready to face the challenges that confront us, with the ongoing support of the University.
As a very close knit, and relatively small cohort in comparison to other fields of nursing, the peer support has always been exceptional. However, in recent months this has been magnified, and I feel enormously lucky to stand beside the most incredible peers, but more importantly friends, as we enter this journey together. From daily group chat queries, messages of hopes and positivity, to group quizzes and skype meetings; everybody has recognised that we all face different challenges at this time, and without question or prompting, have come together as one.
And it goes without saying, that this team spirit is inspired by the remarkable support and effort from the child health nursing academics. The task they have had in revising assignment deadlines, altering teaching styles to online digital learning, and responding promptly to meet the needs of all students whilst facing ever-evolving changes, has not gone unnoticed and is hugely appreciated by all. The changes they have faced are a real test of skills and logistics, and their continued passion and commitment to successfully supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals, has been awe-inspiring. I would like to finish by thanking my peers, the academic team and the University for the most incredible three-year journey, and I know that whatever the challenges we face in the coming months, we will look back on these times, with gratitude and pride.