A top Nursing student, who was shortlisted for a national award, is among the latest cohort of outstanding students who will be helping to tackle the national healthcare crisis after completing their degrees.
As the NHS battles to fill vacancies, Andrew Jesson is one of more than 200 Nursing students graduating from the University of Worcester this year, who will now go on to make a significant contribution to hospitals, GP surgeries and clinics across the region.
"I'm really looking forward to getting started in my career," said the 28-year-old, who was shortlisted as Student Nurse of the Year by the Student Nursing Times in 2017. "I would like to work in intensive care and to complete a Masters" degree in the next 3-5 years to become an advanced nurse practitioner."
Earlier this year, the University of Worcester was shortlisted for the 5th time in the last 6 years as Nurse Education Provider of the Year (pre-registration) in the Student Nursing Times Awards.
The University is one of the country's leading educators of healthcare professionals, from Nurses and Midwives, Paramedics and Physiotherapists through to Occupational Therapists and Social Workers.
Andrew, who achieved First Class Honours in his degree, said: "As a local Worcester resident, I was well aware of the University's glowing reputation in providing top quality nursing education, which is why I wanted to study here."
During his studies at Worcester, Andrew was one of 25 students from across Europe who attended a major conference in Brussels. He also spoke at the General Practice Nurse conference about the requirement to increase student nurse placements within General Practices.
Students at Worcester spend three years combining academic study in the classroom with practical skills training in the University's state-of-the-art clinical skills centre, and a minimum of 2,300 hours working in hospitals wards, GP surgeries and community health clinics.
After passing all of their practical and academic assessments, they will be eligible to register as a nurse with the Nursing & Midwifery Council and filling much-needed vacancies in the local health care system. 99% of Worcester's nursing graduates become registered nurses, with many being offered jobs on placement, and most with a job lined up before graduating.
The University offers pathways in Adult, Child and Mental Health Nursing.
Robert Dudley, Acting Head of the Institute of Health and Society at the University of Worcester, said: "Working with our healthcare partners, we produce some of the very best nurses in the country and we congratulate our latest cohort who are now going on to fill much needed vacancies in our healthcare system. We will need to be educating many more in the future if we are, as a nation, going to get to grips with the dire national shortage."
There are a limited number of places available to start in September 2018 for well-qualified applicants.
For more information visit www.worcester.ac.uk or call 01905 855111.