'Outstanding' student nurse from Kimberley wins major national award

Shellie Jean Radford was crowned ‘Learner of the Year: Post-registration’ at a ceremony in London.

Four other members from the University of Nottingham’s School of Health Sciences were runners up in other categories.

Shellie Jean grew up in Awsworth and Kimberley and graduated from the university with a BSc in Nursing in 2013.

After completing a research MSc last year, she has now embarked on a PhD in the School of Medicine, looking into the use of ultrasound in Crohn’s Disease alongside her work as a clinical academic IBD nurse specialist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Reacting to the award, Shellie said: “Winning this award means so much as it is a testament to the hard work I have done so far, but also the support and encouragement available at the University of Nottingham from my supervisory team and mentors.

“I am an aspiring Clinical Academic leader and being able to highlight the work that Nottingham University Hospitals and the University of Nottingham do together in this way will hopefully inspire others to find their own clinical academic pathway."

Shellie is also the IBD research nurse representative on the committee of the British Society of Gastroenterology, a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholar, and a travel award scholar of 2021 with plans to travel to Canada to complete an international study to compliment her PhD research.

Runners up in other categories at the Student Nursing Times Awards were: Ashley Thomas for Student Nurse of the Year: Children, and School of Health Science Teaching Associates, Ella Guerin and Louisa Long for Teaching Innovation of the Year.

Head of the School of Health Sciences, Professor Joanne Lymn, said: “We are extremely proud of Shellie who is truly a home-grown success story in the world of nursing education.

“Her dedication to her vocation and the hard study needed to push the boundaries of clinical nursing is truly inspiring – she is a vital role model for others who may be thinking of pursuing the profession which is needed more than ever in pandemic times.

“We are also proud of, Ashley, Ella and Louisa, who did magnificently to be nominated in the other categories.”

Shellie’s PhD supervisor and Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, Dr Gordon Moran, added: “Shellie is an outstanding student, producing high standard academic work, influential research which has been presented nationally and internationally and continues to excel and surpass even her own expectations, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Shellie spends time to engage with and guide other nurses, Midwives and AHPS who are looking to get into research and are considering post graduate education. by showing us what is possible, Shellie inspires the next generation of healthcare researchers, all whilst smiling and providing excellent care to her patients.”

The Editor of Nursing Times, Steve Ford, said: “The awards recognise a group of outstanding students on their journey to entering the nursing profession, as well as all those who support them along the way, including lecturers, universities and healthcare providers.

“Given the ongoing difficulties facing the education sector due to the pandemic, I was really impressed by the strength of entries that we received for the awards this year. Many featured learning innovations and outstanding students that reflect the challenges created by Covid-19, and that saw usual learning processes disrupted and nearly 30,000 students doing paid placements to help out on the front line.

“Our awards recognise students from all over the UK and at different stages of the nursing education journey, from first years to those who have recently qualified. Their innovation and achievements so early in their career already mark them out as sources of inspiration and rising stars for the future.

“Meanwhile, the many higher education institutions and placement providers represented on the shortlist demonstrate the constant evolution and development in the way the next generation of nurses are educated, equipping them to deal with the challenges they will face and to provide the best care possible.”