The power of care cannot be underestimated, Fiona says:

Studies show that well-supported nursing teams can lead to shorter hospital stays and prevent hospital admission. Underpinning this is a culture of care, compassion, safety, evidenced-based practice, open communication, innovation, professional development and importantly the promotion of wellbeing. We embed this in each year of our pre-registration nursing courses at UWL.”

UWL offered Fiona her first senior post in higher education 10 years ago after a diverse career spanning both clinical nursing and nursing education.

Her paediatric nursing career began at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Drawn to the specialist children’s services offered in London, Fiona then moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, where she spent her clinical career.

Her roles included becoming Senior Lecturer Practitioner; Modern Matron and Clinical Manager for the first children’s Clinical Research Facility in the UK.

Fiona is an ardent supporter of the positive impact of nursing leadership, education, evidenced-based practice and research on patient care.

She then worked for NHS London commissioning pre-registration healthcare education and quality assuring delivery, before finally joining UWL.

In every phase of my career there have been colleagues who inspired me, giving me the confidence to make a difference to care delivery and education by thinking differently,”

she adds.

Fiona was the first in her family to go to university and is a passionate advocate for UWL’s widening participation commitment.

She is particularly proud of the commitment and determination shown by many of UWL’s nursing students and apprentices. Patients, families and clinicians often document the excellent care and compassion CNMH students demonstrate and the extra mile they go in practice.

UWL offers students wanting to study nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, operating department practice, social work and public health a range of entry routes.

At UWL we give our students the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in a fast-paced rapidly evolving healthcare sector. We do so via innovative approaches to learning and teaching, passionate subject specialists and our practice partners who invest in our students from day one,

Fiona says.

Many applicants studying nursing at UWL have come to us through word-of-mouth recommendation, as a result of the extensive level of student support we offer both at the course level and within the wider University.”

The focus of nursing isn’t only on care giving, she concludes:

It is also about ensuring our students have personal resilience, emotional intelligence and are able to look after their own well-being, while caring for others.

There are so many rewarding opportunities in nursing and UWL’s job is to make sure you can be your best in your chosen career path.”

• Learn more about studying Nursing at the University of West London