Celebrating our nurses and midwives
To celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020, we asked our nurses and midwives to share their stories, why they chose their careers and what inspired them to help others.
Alison’s story
Dr Alison Callwood became a midwife to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable women and children, after volunteering in a home set up by Mother Theresa.
Helen’s story
Helen Stanley began her career as an adult nurse over 40 years ago and fell in love with the science of nursing after joining the St John Ambulance.
Jackie's story
Jackie McBride became an adult nurse to make a difference to the lives of her patients and improve the delivery of care across the sector, influencing policy change.
Kathryn's story
Kathryn Lawton trained a midwife more than 30 years ago and is passionate about helping mothers make informed feeding choices for their babies.
Laurence's story
Laurence Drew became a mental health nurse to help people with their mental health needs, in particular men, who may struggle to acknowledge their feelings.
Louis' story
Louis Nyuyse became an adult nurse after a near-death experience inspired him to work in emergency care, looking after vulnerable people when they need help the most.
Melaine's story
Professor Melaine Coward decided to become a nurse at age 13 to fulfil her love for people, volunteering at her local cottage hospital to wash and feed patients. After qualifying, she specialised as a cancer nurse, before stepping into higher education to train the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Louise's story
Louise Davies become a midwife after seeing first-hand the positive impact the role can have for women and their families.
Sara's story
Sara Faithfull became a cancer nurse to look after people living with cancer, to manage their treatment, and to support survivors beyond their diagnoses.
Wendy's story
Wendy Barrie was inspired to train as an adult nurse after she lost both of her parents to cancer when they were in their early 50s.
Share your nursing and midwifery story on Twitter using #YearoftheNurseandMidwife, tagging @UniOfSurrey.
Giving thanks to the NHS
Nurses and midwives are the unsung heroes of the NHS, doing everything they can to help others in their care. From all of us at the University of Surrey, #ThankYouNHS.
