Nursing students Claire Thompson and Patrina Loughran, who are both set to graduate later this year, attended prestigious award ceremonies in Belfast and London, and were thrilled to take home numerous accolades between them.

There was an impressive double win for Claire Thompson, Belfast, who received the award for Student Innovation in Practice and was also crowned Student Nurse of the Year: Learning Disabilities at the 13th edition of the Student Nursing Times Awards.

Held in London recently, the ceremony annually recognises the exceptional accomplishments of student nurses and nurse educators.

Commenting on her accolades, Claire said: “I am still in utter shock and very much still on cloud nine. I absolutely love what I do and to be awarded for my work is extraordinary.”

Alongside her studies, Claire dedicates her time to working for Northern Ireland charity, the Mae Murray Foundation, which endeavours to enable people of all ages and abilities to take part in activities, experience the world, and enjoy friendship together. In addition, she is also a Tutor of Makaton, a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.

Claire adds: “My hope is to continue to raise awareness of Makaton and to ensure that every voice is heard whether that is verbal or non-verbal. I want to inspire healthcare professionals to learn Makaton to make the routine appointments, the emergencies and the care they are giving accessible to the service users. By winning these awards I have been able to raise more awareness and shine a light on the impact of learning disability nursing, for this, I could not be happier.

“The nursing team at Queen’s have had an instrumental impact on my university experience. I have felt so encouraged by them and I am honoured to learn from them. The staff have inspired me to continue to be an advocate for those with a learning disability, and for that I am so grateful.”

In addition, Patrina Loughran, County Tyrone, was the deserving recipient of the Northern Ireland Student Nurse of the Year at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) ‘Nurse of the Year’ Awards.

Organised by the RCN,  the special ceremony was held at the Culloden Hotel, Holywood, earlier this month.

A mature student and busy Mum of three, Patrina was Lead Peer Mentor and has been an advocate for fellow students, dedicating her time to guiding and supporting them.

Patrina has also used her role as School Representative to place significance on promoting the importance of learning disability nursing, and her poster on learning disability syndromes can be found in all Health and Social Care Trust centres in Northern Ireland.

Delighted to take home the title, Patrina said: “It was an absolute honour to win this significant award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a nursing student at Queen’s and to be recognised for the positive contribution I have made is wonderful.

“I cannot thank the Queen’s staff and students enough for the kindness they have shown me over the years. Winning Northern Ireland Nurse of Year has been the cherry on top of a fantastic few years.”

Congratulating the students, Professor Karen Morrison, Dean of Education, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Sciences at Queen’s, said: “We are all extremely proud of Claire and Patrina, and thrilled to see that all their hard work and commitment has been acknowledged on such important stages. We envisage remarkable careers in nursing ahead for them and look forward to watching them graduate with us.”

Celebrations for the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s didn’t stop there, as RCN presented Professor Donna Fitzsimons, Head of  School with the prestigious Kathleen Robb Award for outstanding contribution to nursing, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council.

Additionally, Dr Mark Dornan, Lecturer in Education for the School took home the RCN Nursing Research Award, recognising his advances in research into social eating for patients living with head and neck cancer.

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For media enquiries please contact Grace White g.white@qub.ac.uk