Student Nurse of the Year
Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:57:00 GMT
Richard is one of the two national finalists
Student finalist Richard Broadhead
A STUDENT nurse at the University of Huddersfield is passionate about improving the care and treatment of elderly dementia sufferers and providing support to their families. Richard Broadhead’s dedication and innovation have already earned him national recognition – and the prospect of talks with the Prime Minister.
Richard, aged 21, is completing the final year of his degree studies in mental health nursing. Experiences during his teenage years, when he encountered and helped to care for a number of people suffering mental problems, helped him decide on his future career and after graduation he aims to work in the field of geriatric care, in a hospital ward and at large in the community.
But first, he is in line to win the prestigious title of Student Nurse of the Year at a ceremony organised by the Nursing Standard. After a tough selection process, Richard is down to the final two and the winner will be announced at a glittering event in London towards the end of March. And one of the spin-off benefits is that he and his fellow finalist will have an appointment with the PM, to talk about health issues. This has become an established feature of the award.
Richard, who was brought up in Huddersfield, was nominated by a manager for whom he had done a work placement.
“I was then asked to write about 1,000 words on what I had done and how it had changed my thoughts and feelings on dementia and how it had affected my nursing.”
The result was that, out of 1,000 applicants, Richard made the final shortlist of three and was invited to London for an interview. He also made a half-hour presentation to a group of some of the leading figures in the nursing and medical professions.
It was a daunting session, but at the end of it Richard was confirmed as one of the two finalists in the 2012 RCN Fellows Student Nurse Award. He is up against a third-year nursing student at a London university.
The plaudit has come Richard’s way partly because of the key contributions he has made during the work placements that have been an integral part of his studies.
For example, while on secondment to the Folly Hall Mill premises of the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Richard played a role in promoting dementia awareness, appearing in a DVD.
“I talked about current services in the NHS that support people with dementia and gave my own opinion on how dementia services could be improved. I also got the chance to advocate for carers of people who had got dementia, and how I thought services could be improved.”
He has also appeared in a DVD demonstrating a form of therapy known as Life Circle Work, as part of a bid to attract funding.
Richard has given many presentations on the subject of dementia and has recently been working in a psychiatric ward for the elderly in Dewsbury.
After graduation he plans to work in the field for several years – in a hospital and in the community – before embarking on PhD research in his chosen area.
“Dementia is a degenerative disease. There is no way of curing it, but we can slow it down,” says Richard. “But we help with the carers as well by giving them our support.”
He will find out if he has won the Student Nurse of the Year Award on 22 March at the Nursing Standard’s 2012 awards ceremony at the London Hilton.
The RCN’s Regional Director for Yorkshire and The Humber, Kevin Austerberry, paid tribute to Richard and the University of Huddersfield: “The Nursing Standard annual awards shine a light on excellent practice within the nursing profession. The fact that Richard has been selected as one of just two finalists in his category reflects not only his own hard work and dedication but also the high calibre of students and teaching at the University of Huddersfield.”
