Do you know an exceptional nurse who you think should be rewarded?
On #InternationalNursesDay we recognise the amazing work of nurses across the world, and think of the ones who have made the biggest difference to our own lives.
We spoke to Helen and Katie from Manchester University Hospital who received the Nursing Times Awards for Respiratory Nursing in 2018, to learn more about their experience, and the impact it had on them.
How did you feel about applying for the award? Were you advised to or did it just feel right?
Our Trust lead nursing team sent round information about it, we had never considered applying for anything like the Nursing Times award before. We discussed it as a nursing team and wondered whether our network approach would be something they were interested in hearing about so we took a chance and applied. We really did not think the approach we would get very far in the process at that time.
How easy / long did it take to apply for the award?
It took longer than we thought it would to gather all the information together that was required but it was not a difficult process, we had all the information they needed.
As finalists we had to go to the Nursing Times offices and present our work to a panel, we prepared a small presentation then there was a Q and A afterwards.
How did it make you feel when you found out you’d won?
We could not believe it we were really surprised, we were up against so many other fantastic respiratory nursing projects . We were really delighted, we had all worked really hard to make the network a success.
Did winning the award have an impact on your role / how you felt about your role?
The award cemented what we thought, we were going in the right direction with the service. You sometimes get a little bit lost in what you are doing, it sounds like such a small thing. We have found that applying and receiving the award has helped us take a step back and evaluate the service.
It is something that the 3 of us will always be really proud to have been a part of and I hope it encourages other ILD services to review their service and consider applying too. We were asked to present our work at the ARNS conference.
Nursing Times Awards say:
We want to highlight your [nurses'] innovation, perseverance and incredible work across 24 categories covering a wide range of nursing specialties from mental health to clinical research. We will also recognise individuals who stand out as truly exceptional and awards will be given to a Nurse of the Year, Nurse Leader of the Year and Rising Star who have gone above and beyond what is expected of them in their day-to-day role.
The awards are open to entries from individuals and teams, or nominations from those who wish to highlight a nurse or team who they believe deserves recognition. It provides you with the perfect opportunity to congratulate your peers, leaders and the brightest talent entering the profession.
You have until midnight on Friday 4 June 2021 to submit your entry. We can’t wait to hear your story – start your application today!
Ask the special nurse in your life to nominate themselves for the Nursing Times awards by June 4th to be in with a chance of winning for their incredible work!