Meet Brighton’s Titans (School of Health Sciences)

With subjects ranging from nursing and midwifery to occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry, Brighton’s School of Health Sciences has an incredibly diverse range of students and graduates with a rich variety of career paths. With the launch of the new Brighton’s Titans campaign, we’re proud to share the experiences of just a few of our high-flying alumni.

Kate Stringer is a midwife at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust. She graduated from Brighton in 2009 with a BSc(Hons) in Midwifery, and she described Brighton as “a fantastic place to study”. She continues: “I felt very well prepared when I left university. The course was set up with 50% theory and 50% in practice which gave a really good insight into midwifery practice. We had teaching in the classroom and room to reflect and then practice out on the wards. I truly love my job and think it’s the best job in the world. Thank you, University of Brighton for enabling me to become a midwife.”

Kate recently shared the ‘Euroking Award for Better Births’ with fellow Brighton graduate Marion Wilyman (MSc in Women’s Health, 2012) for their work around improving the home birth rate at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust. Marion shares Kate’s view of the course at Brighton. “It made me develop academically and gave me the opportunity to progress my career,” she says. “Due to my new knowledge base I am able to argue more effectively for improvements in care for mothers and babies and their families in the community setting.”

 

Another Health Sciences graduate is Peter Skelton (MSc Rehabilitation Science 2008) who is now working as Humanitarian Rehabilitation Advisor for the UK Emergency Medical Team and Handicap International. Peter felt that his time at Brighton gave him “a great foundation in physiotherapy with an ability to critically analyse different approaches to rehabilitation”. He goes on to say: “I was fortunate to have had incredible course leaders and tutors who had done a lot of work internationally, and they helped guide me as to how to first build my skills in the UK so that I would have skills that would be useful abroad in the future.”

Katie Ledger (PRDN Adult Nursing 2012) works in the oncology department at Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital where she nurses local cancer patients. Katie credits her experience at the university for equipping her with the professional skills she needs to fulfil her role: “It is part of my job to remain professional and concentrate on patients’ clinical as well as emotional needs. My time at university had a strong and lasting effect on me. It has inspired me to always try to make a real difference in what I do daily.”

Katie has continued her professional development with the University of Brighton and is currently undertaking a postgraduate course: “The University of Brighton and the hospital are well linked which means there is a strong collaboration for completing the course and the assignments.”