Celebrating 25 years of healthcare education in Swindon
Oxford Brookes University’s Swindon Campus is celebrating 25 years of healthcare education training future nurses and healthcare professionals.
Oxford Brookes University’s Swindon Campus is celebrating 25 years of healthcare education training future nurses and healthcare professionals.
Since its inception, the campus has played a vital role in addressing the region’s healthcare needs. The campus, originally established to meet a growing demand for skilled healthcare workers, has become a cornerstone of the community, producing hundreds of graduates who now contribute to the local NHS and beyond.
Also celebrating is Anna Rudkin, Nurse Manager at the Emergency Gynae Unit at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Anna, one of the first cohort of nurses to train on the campus, said: "I had some wonderful teachers and amazing mentors while I was studying at the Swindon Campus. They helped me learn and grow into the confident nurse I am today.
“Their support helped me with my first steps into nursing and I have fond memories of my student days. I also made some great friends who I am still in touch with and meet up with every year. It's great to hear that 25 years later Oxford Brookes University is still training nurses in Swindon and I wish them a long and successful career."
Looking to the future
As the Swindon Campus celebrates its past, it’s also looking ahead to the future. Campus leaders are planningfurther expansions and upgrades to ensure they remain at the forefront of healthcare training. These include expanding health care apprenticeships and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offered at Oxford Brookes.
Professor Lorraine Dixon is the Director and Dr Laura Strumidlo is the Head of the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery. They said: “We are immensely proud of the strong foundations that our talented academic teams have co-created in collaboration with our experienced health and care partners and incredible students over the past 25 years. Our nursing programmes deliver high quality education preparing our graduates to be the future nurse leaders, educators and researchers to drive innovation and practice which meets the demands of a modern health and care system and delivers high quality care to the people it serves.”
Luisa Goddard, Chief Nurse at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are committed to supporting those who are looking at a career in nursing, and offer multiple placements right across our organisation to students from the local area, including those studying at Oxford Brookes University.
“Every year we have around 200 Oxford Brookes student nurses with us, learning on the job from our skilled teams and developing their knowledge and experience during their period of study.
“We are also always pleased when some of these student nurses come back to join us in employment once they have graduated, and help us continue to grow our incredible nursing workforce.
“We are proud of our partnership with Oxford Brookes University, working with one another to foster the next generation of nurses.”
Celebration events
To mark the anniversary, a celebration event will take place on 11 June with external partners, students and staff along with Professor Dixon and senior leaders from the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery. The celebration will round off the final year Student Dissertation Conference where many students will present their dissertation findings.
Visit the Oxford Brookes University Swindon Campus webpage to learn more about the facilities and courses available.