Royal Surrey staff make the shortlist for two Student Nursing Times Awards | News

In a record-breaking year for entries, we’re thrilled to announce that Royal Surrey staff have been shortlisted in two categories of the Student Nursing Times Awards 2023.

Lynette Nunn, Senior Sister is in the running for Practice Supervisor of the Year while Sally Whitehouse, Learning Environment Lead Nurse, Victoria Wilding, Senior Practice Development Sister, and Will Hibbert, Practice Development Charge Nurse have been nominated in the Student Placement of the Year: Hospital category.

Described by colleagues as an ‘outstanding Practice Supervisor,’ Lynette was nominated for her strong coaching skills and exceptional care for students, particularly those needing extra help and support. Her ability to challenge and inspire students to develop their professional curiosity and her fair and accurate approach to assessment were also highlighted.

Lynette said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be nominated and I’m quite overwhelmed by the news. I think you’re only as good as the people you work with so this definitely reflects how brilliant the team I work with are.

“Although I was surprised to hear I’d been put forward for the award, it is wonderful because I genuinely love teaching and developing others. I enjoy sharing my knowledge, getting to know the students and guiding their progression. Without our student nurses, we wouldn’t be able to ensure the future of nursing so training good nurses is so important.”

Also excited to be shortlisted, the Practice Development Team have been recognised for developing a culture of learning through coaching. Moving away from a traditional one-to-one mentoring model, the team have promoted a coaching model, including the introduction of the ‘Golden Hour of Learning (GHOL)’ for students.

Sally said: “We work closely with the local universities and our coaching model for student development, which follows the NMC’s Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment, is really popular with students, tutors and assessors.

“The idea behind the GHOL is that students can take an hour away from their patients to research and gain a greater understanding of the individual that they are caring for, before returning to the bedside to apply and embed their newly acquired knowledge.

“The aim of coaching our students is to develop their critical thinking skills and encourage them to ask questions, find out the answers independently and be motivated to learn more.

“It’s about how we are empowering our students to be the best they can be. The more they know, the safer they are and the more confident and motivated they are. I am so proud and thank every Practice Supervisor, Assessor and Team Leads in the clinical areas for supporting the GHOL, for empowering our students and for striving to challenge the learners to find the answers themselves - not to give all the answers."

Chief Nurse, Jo Mountjoy said: “I’m over the moon to hear that we’re in the running for two Student Nursing Times Awards. This is a fantastic achievement and I commend the drive and determination that has gone into making our students’ experience the best it can be. Well done to Lynette, Sally, Will and Victoria.”

The winners will be announced on Friday 28 April at the Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony in London.

Pictured above, from left to right, Victoria Wilding, Will Hibbert, Sally Whitehouse and Lynette Nunn.