Juliet Bostwick
Programme Lead for Nursing
My name is Juliet Bostwick and since 2005 I have been the Programme Lead for Nursing at Oxford Brooke’s University. I qualified as a Nurse in 1980, having completed my training at The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, Devon.
After working for 2 years in the Trauma unit in Exeter, I then moved to Switzerland and had 3 exciting years working in a local hospital in Nyon, a small town on the shores of Lake Geneva. I would certainly advocate the merits of nursing overseas to gain experience of caring for people from different cultures, as well as learning another language! I frequently confused the words for bedpan & flower vase (le vase or la vase) - with very amusing consequences!
In 1986 I returned to the UK and undertook a specialist Neuroscience Nursing course at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. From then, my career progressed within neurosciences and I eventually became the Senior Nurse in charge of the Neuroscience unit in Cambridge. It was during my time here that I also decided to undertake a Master’s degree in Health Sciences at Birmingham University. I am currently studying for a professional doctorate in education, for completion in 2017.
Nursing people diagnosed with serious neurological disorders has always been my passion. I relished the challenge of caring for and supporting patients and their families at some of the worst times of their lives, for example following serious head injury or cerebral haemorrhage, as well as providing care for people with chronic neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. It was humbling to see the courage of patients and their families when faced with difficult decisions about their care and treatment.
Over a period of 15 years in neuroscience nursing I also had the privilege of witnessing the development of cutting edge treatments for certain neurological conditions, for example the treatment of cerebral aneurysms.
In my current role as Programme Lead I am responsible for the education of over 400 pre-registration nursing students and the management of a team of about 30 academic staff. In 2015 I was part of the team who won the Oxford Brooke’s People Award for Confidence. I strongly believe in the power of education to change people’s views and opinions and enjoy supporting nursing students to go on that journey of development and discovery and the opportunity to shape the future nursing workforce. It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of the nursing profession, a career choice which I have never regretted.