Graduation Newsletter January 2013 - Swansea University

College of Human and Health Sciences
Graduation Newsletter - January 2013

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Congratulations
C
ongratulations to all our students receiving awards from Swansea University this year. You
have worked hard to get to this point; studying, taking examinations, producing assessments
and for some attending work-based placement.
Graduation is a time of pride and celebration in higher education and Swansea University, and
the College of Human and Health Sciences has much to celebrate, with students completing
courses across a wide range of academic subjects and professional programmes at varying levels.
My colleagues and I work year on year to ensure that we deliver teaching that is both researchled
and practice-driven and take great pride in knowing the contribution our students will make
to society, whether local, national or international.
These are difficult times in which to be entering the world of work but you may have confidence
that an award from Swansea enables you to begin that journey positively. Some of you may
choose to continue your studies immediately or may choose to come back to us in years to
come – we warmly welcome our former students back into the fold for postgraduate and research
studies, and have a raft of options to enable you to develop further knowledge and skills
for work or for more personal development..
Whatever you choose to do it’s a big world, step out and enjoy it!
Prof. Melanie Jasper
Head of College

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Clair White
BN Nursing (Adult)
Frist Class Honours and
winner of the Margaret
Perry Award
Clair White, originally from
Hereford, is the winner of this
year’s Margaret Perry Award,
for outstanding achievement in
Nursing.
Following relocating to Pembrokeshire
with her husband and
young son, Clair was accepted
to study BN Adult Nursing in
Swansea University’s Carmarthen
campus, St David’s Park, and
was this week awarded a First
Class Honours.
She said: “Prior to starting the
programme, I was a member
of the Royal Air Force and enrolled
as an Electronic Engineer.
I would have liked to join the
military to do my nurse training,
but was unable to re-trade at
that time.
“My Great Aunt dedicated her
life to nursing and did her country
duty during the war before
going on to become a nurse
tutor. I also had other family
members who are also involved
in health care, and felt it was in
my blood to be involved in a caring
profession.
“When I relocated I felt that I
had to leave military life and
decided to pursue my lifelong
dream to become a nurse so
enrolled on the BN Adult Nursing
Course in Carmarthen.
“Although I never undertook my
training when I left school, the
timing felt right to pursue my
training now, with greater
maturity and life experience
behind me.”
Winner of the
Margaret Perry Award
Clair White
Balancing home life, university
and placements was challenging
for Clair, but she got through it
alongside, and with the support
of her course mates, who were
all working towards the same
goal, her husband and family,
and enjoyed her time studying for
her degree.
She continued: “I have thoroughly
enjoyed the practical elements
of the course, getting hands on is
such an important part of nursing
and it is hard to make sense
of the theory sometimes until you
get stuck in.
“The tutors are also very knowledgeable
and Swansea University
not only provides support to
aid academic achievement but
are also concerned for the wellbeing
of their studying students,
fully understanding the difficulties
associated with such an intense
programme.”
Clair is currently working on a
female surgical and gynaecology
ward in Withybush General Hospital
and would like to spend the
next year developing her nursing
skills to progress through the
levels of competency. In time,
she endeavours to undertake
further study, expand her academic
knowledge and become a
clinical nurse specialist possibly
in pain management. She concluded:
Clair White
“There have been many moments
throughout my training
that I will look back on fondly,
meeting great people - whether
patients or other students.
“Overall I was shocked to get a
First Class Honours degree classification
and now the Margaret
Perry Award, when at the time I
was happy and relieved just to
pass most assignments.”
Rachel Swinglehurst,
Clair’s personal tutor
“In the time I have known Clair
I have found her to be a selfmotivated
individual who is hard
working, listens and applies
advice, is meticulous in her work
and has shown outstanding application
in her nursing studies.
“She has a strong character with
a well-developed sense of what
is right or wrong. Clair fully
deserves her first class degree
and being the winner of the
Margaret Perry award.
“I wish her all the success in her
nursing career and know that she
has the capability of rising to the
top of her chosen career
pathway.”

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Q&A with Hywel Dda
Outstanding Achievement
Award Winner:
Kerrie Raybould
Kerrie Raybould, 22, of
Carmarthen is the recipient
of this year’s Hywel Dda
Outstanding Achievement
Award and a 2.1 in BN
Adult Nursing.
Why did you choose your
degree programme?
“To put it simply, nursing was the
only career I ever imagined and
dreamt of doing and even stayed
on an extra year in school to be
able to reach this goal.”
What attracted you to
Swansea University?
“The College of Human and
Health Sciences based in
Carmarthen was perfect for me.
It had all the learning amenities
that you could need to become
theoretically competent and was
closer to my placement setting
and home.”
What have you found most
difficult/challenging?
“The most challenging aspect
of the course has to be finding
the balance between theoretical
work and practice placements.
However, it taught me a lot
about time management and
how to prioritise tasks, which I
now appreciate and use in everyday
practice.”
What has been your favourite
part of the course?
“I am a more ‘hands on’ person
so my favourite part of the nursing
programme has to be the
practice placements. The
variety of clinical areas
I worked in throughout
my training gave me
the confidence and
experience that made
my final management
placement very enjoyable.”
What would you say to
other students who may be
considering studying at
Swansea?
“I would suggest asking yourself
if nursing is definitely for you. It
is the most challenging course in
all aspects; you must be dedicated,
focused and prepared to put
a lot of time and hard work into
this degree to become a nurse.
It is unlike any other degree, but
the most rewarding course you
could do.”
If you could give prospective
students one piece of
advice, what would it be?
“To enjoy every moment. Starting
the degree it seems like a lifetime
away until you will finally be
a nurse, however looking back;
it has gone so fast and was the
best learning experience and 3
years of my life.”
What are your hopes for
the future?
“I hope to become a fully competent
nurse and to excel in my
clinical area. I would hope to experience
a variety of acute health
care settings and possibly further
education within healthcare. I
Kerrie Raybould
aspire to pass on my knowledge
and experience and set a good
example to others.”
What has been your highlight
whilst at university?
“The highlight of being in university
has to be making friends for
life and knowing that there are
such wonderful, kind and knowledgeable
nurses in healthcare.”
“Kerrie was a delight on the ward.
She was always polite and happy.
“One patient called me over
once, after Kerrie had helped her
with her hygiene needs. She said
‘She’s a lovely girl, how long has
she been nursing?’. She couldn’t
believe it when I said she was a
student!
“She oozed enthusiasm and each
task was tackled confidently and
in a relaxed manner. I felt confident
that Kerrie was able to carry
out each delegated task to a high
standard.”
Kerrie’s mentor
Hywel Dda Health Board

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Laura Scott
BMid Midwifery,
First Class Honours
A Swansea University graduate
midwife has been hailed as
an outstanding ambassador of
excellence and has received an
award recognising her commitment
and achievement despite
facing some difficult personal
challenges.
Thirty one year old Laura Scott
received a First Class Honours in
her B.Mid degree and was presented
with the Myfanwy McAteer
award at Swansea University’s
Winter Degree and Award Congregations
at Swansea’s Grand
Theatre today (Friday 25th January).
Laura was supported by her
proud husband, father and
mother-in-law at her graduation
award ceremony.
Laura said: “I have looked forward
to graduating so much but
receiving the Mwyfanwy McAteer
was a complete surprise. I found
out I had the award the day
before I was due to start my new
job. I was absolutely ecstatic and
feel very honoured to receive it.”
“I am now working as a midwife
in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in
Reading, and I look forward to
building up my experience there
and having a long career as a
midwife.”
“Laura won the Myfanwy McAteer
award because of her determination
to succeed against some very
serious odds to gain a place on the
midwifery programme, and then
going on to excel in both theory
and practice, completing the
programme with a solid First Class
Honours degree.
“Throughout the programme Laura
was an outstanding example of a
hard-working midwifery student
and as her personal tutor I was
always impressed by the positivity
that Laura exuded.”
Susanne Darra,
Programme Manager
Laura, who is from Wadebridge,
Cornwall, always knew that she
wanted to be a midwife, but
worked for several years as a
nanny in a bid to gain more life
experience to better equip her for
a career as a midwife.
Then, when Laura moved to
Wales when her husband who is
in the armed forces was posted
there, she gained one of the
limited places at Swansea University’s
College of Human and
Health Sciences to study midwifery.
However the month before she
started the course, in 2009, her
mother suddenly and tragically
died.
Despite this and also having to
contend with her husband doing
two extended tours of duty in
Afghanistan, Laura threw herself
into her work. Her dedication
and hard work paid off and she
excelled in both her practice
placements and academic work.
“The lecturers also offer a massive amount of
support, both emotional and educational. Due to
the nature of the course it can be emotionally
challenging, but I always felt able to discuss any
issues with the lecturers on the programme.”
Laura Scott
Myfanwy McAteer
Award Winner,
BMid Midwifery
Laura Scott
Laura Scott

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Emily Marchant
MSc Public Health and
Health Promotion
Emily Marchant was today
awarded a Master’s degree
with Merit for her hard work
on the College of Human and
Health Sciences’ Public Health
and Health Promotion MSc,
in Swansea University’s winter
graduation ceremony.
Having studied – and achieved
– an undergraduate degree in
Sports Science at the University
before commencing her
Master’s and with family from the
area, Emily settled in to Swansea
quickly. She said: “My mother
is originally from Swansea, so I
have been brought up with the
city being a second home.
“In addition, the teaching quality
I experienced whilst at university
was of an extremely high standard
and the professionalism of
the staff really encouraged me to
continue my academic studies at
Swansea.
“During the final year of my
Undergraduate degree in Sports
Science, I decided I wanted to
further my academic studies and
undertake a Master’s degree.
With Sports Science being such
a multidisciplinary degree, I
needed to further specialise in a
subject of interest.
“Public Health and Health
Promotion is a highly recognised
subject, and a worldwide priority.
This Master’s also has a primary
focus on research, and I was
able to integrate my personal
interest in childhood physical
activity and health into every
assignment. I found this aspect
extremely appealing as it allowed
me to shape my degree around
my personal area of interest and
was the perfect preparation for a
possible PhD and career path.”
Tragically, whilst Emily was carrying
out her Master’s degree her
dissertation supervisor, Professor
Non Thomas, passed away.
However, she had made a lasting
impact on Emily and her work.
She said: “Planning, undertaking
and completing my dissertation
was a real highlight of the
Master’s degree.
“Being able to apply everything I
had learnt from my own research
project was an extremely rewarding
experience. In addition, the
dissertation introduced me to my
inspirational supervisor, the late
Professor Non Thomas.
“Non provided me with the
foundations for pursuing my
interest in childhood health and
physical activity to PhD level and
a future career.
Having secured a job as a
Research Assistant in the College
of Medicine, Emily now plans to
focus all her efforts into the final
nine months of the job.
Emily said: “The role I am
currently in is a solid foundation
for my career in research in child
health and physical activity, whilst
also providing the perfect preparation
for a possible PhD here at
Swansea University.
“I found it quite a challenge
adjusting from undergraduate
to postgraduate level study. The
style of writing and the volume of
work and research incorporated
was a huge step up from what I
had experienced as an
undergraduate.
Emily Marchant
“Without a doubt go for it! Be
prepared to work hard and
expect challenges along the
way, but through determination
and commitment to the course
you can achieve great things.
“Use all the available resources
that the University offers you.
Whether books in the library,
your lecturers or fellow
students, everything is there for
you to succeed. The staff are
always more than happy to
dedicate their time to you, and
are an extremely approachable
and friendly team. I also found
that I learnt a great deal from
my fellow students, many of
whom were already
experienced professionals in
public health and health
promotion.”
Emily Marchant
“My highlight has been obtaining
a first class honours degree
in Sports Science and securing a
position on the Master’s
programme, as well as receiving
my final grade for my Master’s -
a Merit! It was extremely rewarding
to know that twelve months
of sheer hard work and
determination has paid off.”

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Sarah Norris & Alice Gynn
Alice Gynn
BMid Midwifery,
First Class Honours
Today, Alice Gynn will be celebrating
her First Class Honours
degree in BMid Midwifery with
her classmates, and her mother,
Midwifery Tutor, Sarah Norris, at
the graduation ceremony for the
College of Human and Health
Sciences, Swansea University.
Alice chose to train as a midwife
because she wanted to do a job
that would make a difference
in the lives of women and their
families. She said:
“My mother is a midwife and
when I was growing up I thought
it was the worst job ever because
of the long and unsociable
hours, and how much hard work
it was!
“However, as I started to think
about what I would like to do as
a career I began to see the draw
to it and why people become
midwives regardless of the hours
and hard work.”
Like all Midwifery students, Alice
had to work exceptionally hard
to achieve her Midwifery degree.
The degree consists of the
academic award and attending
placements at unsociable hours,
including night shifts, alongside
working on academic assignments.
She said: “Working in
practice at the same time as
studying has been quite challenging.
Students work the same
shift patterns as practising midwives
- which includes nights
and weekends - so it can be very
tiring when you are trying to get
your academic work done too.
“My very first day on placement
is extremely memorable: I had
my brand new uniform on and
was so proud to be a student
midwife walking to meet my new
mentor, but I was absolutely petrified
of what was ahead of me.
A part of me wanted to run away
and the other half was bursting
with excitement.
“I still get that feeling of excitement
going into work and I often
think about how scared I was on
that day.”
Alice faced yet more pressure
when her husband had to move
away to work due to the shortage
of employment opportunities in
Wales for his teaching career.
Alice also faced the additional
pressure of being the daughter of
a staff member: Midwifery Tutor,
Sarah Norris.
Despite all this, Alice excelled in
her degree and is now enjoying
her first midwifery post, practising
as a community midwife in Basingstoke,
where she is reunited
with her husband.
She said: “Meeting and working
with my fellow midwifery students
Midwifery tutor,
Sarah Norris said:
“Taking a lecture in a class which
included Alice was a strange
experience for us both. She had
high expectations of herself to
achieve academically and was
successful in her aims. She did
well to rise above the rumour
amongst her peers that she was
getting extra help; as, in fact,
I never saw her work nor was
involved in supervision or marking
for her cohort.
“In her practice placements too,
she coped well with being ‘Sarah’s
daughter’. She tried to stay under
the radar but I had been a midwife
in Swansea for many years
and so the midwives who mentored
her were old colleagues of
mine. This was certainly an extra
pressure and she felt that there
were high expectations of her.”
was my favourite part of my time
at University - although we were
all working towards our own
qualification we would all help
and support each other when we
had a bad day or were struggling
with and assignment.
“I don’t think I would have been
able to do it without support of
the women on my course.”
“Never be afraid to ask
questions; there is never a
silly question - most other
people in the room will be
thinking the same thing.
“And, remember, if you’re
are afraid of being new
and not knowing what to
do, just think to yourself
that even the people who
are the best in the business
were new and didn’t know
what to do once.”
Alice Gynn

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Dr Marie Gabe
PhD Health Science,
Nursing research
Nursing research student, Marie
Gabe, has today graduated with
a PhD from Swansea University’s
College of Human and Health
Sciences, making her a Doctor of
Philosophy just three years after
receiving her first class honours
undergraduate nursing degree.
Graduates of the undergraduate
nursing degree rarely go directly
into research or PhDs after
qualifying, and Marie is the first
student funded by the Research
Capacity Building Collaboration
(RCBC) Wales at Swansea University
to complete her PhD.
Marie said: “As a student nurse
at Swansea University I really
enjoyed the research component
of the pre-registration training,
which helped stimulate my desire
to progress and contribute to
nursing research.
“In particular, I chose to begin
my PhD to develop my skills in
research, enhance patient outcomes
and increase the capacity
of nurse-led research in Wales
under the guidance of an invaluable
research team and RCBC
Wales.”
Working with Dr Sue Jordan,
Dr Fiona Murphy, Dr Dave
Barton, Professor Gary Rolfe,
Dr Gwyneth Davies, Michelle
Davies, Linzi Johnson, and Professor
Ian Russell, Marie embarked
on research that explored
the clinical impact of structured
nurse-led medication monitoring
in a nurse-led outpatient
respiratory clinic using the West
Wales Adverse Drug Reaction
(WWADR) profile for respiratory
medicine.
Beginning her PhD three years
ago, Marie had hoped that
her project would make some
preliminary steps in developing
and testing a strategy to reduce
inconsistencies in medication
monitoring to improve the health
and wellbeing of service users.
By the end of the project, she
was receiving positive
feedback from clinicians
and service users which
reaffirmed her career
choice and kept her
motivated.
She said: “Making the transition
from undergraduate student to
self-directed learning was challenging,
however, I quickly learnt
to develop ways to ensure milestones
were completed on time.
“I have had the pleasure to work
with some inspirational people.
There have been so many different
experiences during my
PhD, each helping to develop my
Personal tutor,
Dr Sue Jordan
“The research that Marie has
undertaken builds upon previous
work promoting medication
safety. Her work aims to enhance
the recognition, detection and
actioning of adverse drug reactions
by nurses, working in
collaboration with doctors and
pharmacists, to protect patients’
health and wellbeing. This will
ensure that patients get the best
from their medication.
“Marie’s hard work and dedication
made this achievable. It is
still unusual for nurses to become
doctors by obtaining PhDs,
and we should like to see future
students emulating this success.”
“Knowing now that the transition from student
nurse to nurse researcher can be done, I would
encourage nursing students to move into
research or clinical academic roles at any point
in their career. Building the capacity for
nurse-led research will, in my view, help drive
positive developments in patient care.
Dr Marie Gabe
“If I could pass on some key advice for those
embarking on research training of any sort, I
would support setting realistic goals, targets
and deadlines from day one, and using the
invaluable support from the supervisory team
to help keep you on target.”
Dr Marie Gabe

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Kristen Wils
MSc Public Health and
Health Promotion
Kristen Wils from Talent, in
Oregon, USA, had almost lost
faith in education following exam
related anxiety attacks during
her first degree in microbiology,
before coming to Swansea University
and successfully gaining a
Distinction in MSc Public Health
and Health Promotion.
Whilst studying at home, Kristen
consistently found that the perception
of her in the classroom
did not translate to her grades.
She said: “I have had problems
with test taking anxiety in the
past and have often found that
the grades I was receiving didn’t
match the overall perception of
me within the programme.
“However, I was very interested in
public health. The MSc in Public
Health and Health Promotion
was the first that I had seen and
I felt I connected well with the
head of the programme when I
first met her. I was attracted to
the degree; it excited me, and I
felt I could succeed and be supported.
“When I came to Swansea, it
was wonderful to be on a degree
where I felt I was connecting well
with the material. It was also the
first time I felt I was being acknowledged
for what I knew and
my ideas, instead of what I could
throw back on a test.”
Currently back
working as a
medical technician
in a hospital
laboratory in the
USA, Kristen is
now looking for a
job where she can
use her new skills
and knowledge in a
Public Health role.
“I’m currently looking
for a job where I can
use the skills I built in
this programme. One
hope is to find a place
where I can continue
research and work in the
academic sphere, educating,
publishing, and writing to
contribute to the field of Public
Health and Health Promotion.
“I would also like to work as a
program evaluator for public
health programmes in the US,
ideally with an aspect that allows
me to make recommendations
to improve programmes already
in place and help public health
address some of the underlying
needs of the population.
“I admit that I came to the
program somewhat frustrated
with education in general, and
initially didn’t plan to continue to
my PhD, but my experience was
so positive that I will definitely be
pursuing the next level of education.
“This has been the best educational
experience I’ve ever had.”
Kristen Wils
“This programme is difficult
because it relies completely on
your own initiative and motivation,
but that’s also a large
part of why it’s so rewarding.
I’ve never had a programme
where I was so certain that
the staff are there to support
me and rooting for me to succeed.
You have to really want
to put in the effort to succeed,
but if you’re willing to go for it,
they’ll do everything they can
to see that you get through,
and it’s totally worth it.”
“Take advantage of every
opportunity presented to you. I
learned so much by talking to
my module leaders and library
staff and, by taking advantage
of the resources available, I
was able to bring that much
more to my assessments and
the programme.”
Kristen Wils
“Kristen came to the course from a scientific background but with a passionate interest in how that could
be applied to public health and health promotion. She enjoyed the contact with students from different
backgrounds and the shared learning from their experiences.
“She is a positive and eager learner with a versatile approach to her discipline. She is a really hardworking
professional and as a student invested time and effort in her work, meticulously exploring each new
challenge. She brought joy and energy to her class group
Jane Thomas, Programme Leader and Deputy Head of College

Graduation Newsletter 2013
Q&A
Rebecca Stewart
MSc Public Health and
Health Promotion
Rebecca Stewart, 30, of
Cardiff has graduated
from MSc Public Health
and Health Promotion
with a Distinction. Here
she tells us about her
experience…
Why did you choose your
degree programme?
“Although having worked as a
practitioner within Health Promotion
for a number of years the
MSc Public Health and Health
Promotion Course offered me an
opportunity to expand my knowledge
and understanding of the
theory underpinning my work.”
What attracted you to
Swansea University?
“Having researched the course
I felt that the modules offered
were best suited to my learning
needs.”
What have you found most
difficult/challenging?
“Managing part time study
alongside a full time job, as well
as a busy home life.”
What has been your
favourite part of the
programme?
“The way that it has complemented
my job role. Where
possible, I tried to relate all my
assignments to an area of work
and the course lends itself well
to this.
“Although managing part time
study has been challenging, the
way that I have been able to
focus assignments has helped
me meet this challenge. This
was particularly the case for my
chosen dissertation topic.
“Undertaking my study gave me
an opportunity to explore further
an area of work that there just
wouldn’t be the time to do to, at
this level, within a normal working
day. In taking this approach,
it has meant that there have
been real outcomes from my
study as I intend to take forward
some of its findings and recommendations.”
What would you say to
other students who may be
considering studying the
same programme at
Swansea?
Rebecca Stewart
“The range of modules offered
is good and the opportunity to
relate your assignments to your
particular area of interest or
work, is a real bonus.”
If you could give prospective
students one piece of
advice, what would it be?
“Pace yourself, particularly with
your dissertation. Although it
can seem like a mammoth task
at the beginning, breaking it
down into more manageable
chunks and slowly chipping away
at it really does help.”
What are your hopes for
the future?
“Having gained my Master’s
award I now hope to progress
my career further and explore
more senior opportunities.”
What has been your
highlight whilst at
university?
“Meeting some of my fellow
students who have been a great
source of support throughout my
time at university.”

Graduation Newsletter 2013
HALL OF FAME
For more photos from graduation, see our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/humanandhealth