Sharon Maywood (right) and mentor Tanya Sudbury
A Nursing Associate from Peterborough City Hospital has been shortlisted in the Nursing Associate Trainee of the Year category of the Student Nursing Times Awards.
Sharon Maywood started as a Health Care Assistant at Peterborough City Hospital and was thinking of trying a nursing career when she was told about the Trust’s Nursing Associate pilot scheme. As a result, she was successfully interviewed at Anglia Ruskin University and started on the pilot scheme in January 2017.
Sharon said: “I really enjoyed the course, and did most of my training on ward A10 at Peterborough City Hospital. Doing the course has been brilliant, I have come out with more skills and it’s fantastic to know we’re here to give nurses support.”
Sadly, halfway through the second year of the course, Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer. She didn’t let this affect her studies, though, and worked her shifts around her chemotherapy sessions. With the support of the ward team, she completed her treatment and qualified with her cohort of six other Nursing Associate trainees.
Sharon said: “It was really important to me to qualify along with the rest of my cohort. They were so supportive of me, it was amazing. I would like to thank everyone for their help throughout the Nursing Associate pilot scheme course. I am thrilled to have been nominated for this award.”
Deputy Sister on Ward A10, Tanya Sudbury, who was Sharon’s mentor throughout the pilot scheme, said: “One of the new Nursing Associate trainees brought the award to my attention and I was more than happy to send an application through to the Student Nursing Times. Sharon’s dedication throughout the course, despite her extreme challenges, has been an inspiration to us all.”
The Student Nursing Times Awards take place on 26 April in London.
Sharon is now in remission from cancer and will be starting a new top-up course to take her to the next stage of her career in May.
