Nursing student wins prestigious national scholarship award

Keira Jenkinson, a nursing student studying at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, has beaten hundreds of hopefuls from across the UK to win the prestigious Edith Cavell Leadership Award. The scholarship fund of up to £2,000, awarded by the UK’s leading charity for nurses, aims to help nursing and midwifery students at the start of their careers.

Keira, who is studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Children’s Nursing, said:

“I was really excited and surprised to hear that I had won the Leadership Award. I’m pleased that my passion for my work and my desire to progress in the field came through in the interview.

“As part of my studies I would like to visit a neonatal unit in Australia where some of the world’s leading research has been carried out. Without the scholarship prize, finding the money to fund this would have been very difficult. Winning the award will hopefully also make me stand out when I approach the neonatal unit about the possibility of visiting.”

Professor Helen McCutcheon, Head of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, said:

“I am very pleased and proud that one of our students has been recognised by the Cavell Nurses’ trust. Keira has demonstrated her academic ability, her compassion and her desire to increase her knowledge within the field and I think this award will give her a fantastic opportunity to experience and learn from a different health system.”

The finalists will be presented with their awards at a ceremony held in April 2012 at Fishmongers’ Hall in London.