Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is set to challenge the stereotypes of being a nurse in a new film, which stars its nursing students.
The school of nursing at ARU is keen to showcase the real world of nursing and all the opportunities it offers. Nursing is a profession of care and service but has often been undervalued. According to the Royal College of Nursing¹, just 11% of the nursing workforce are male; there’s also sometimes stigma if men opt to follow a career in child nursing. The film shines a light on outdated misconceptions of nursing and demonstrates why nurses need degrees, why you’re never too old to become a nurse, why nursing is such a rewarding career option and showcases how lecturers understand what it’s like on the frontline.
Dr. Melanie Bird, Head of School for Nursing and Midwifery in Chelmsford, Anglia Ruskin University, is keen to bust myths around the profession to attract a wide range of people of all ages and backgrounds into the sector. She says: “Nursing is a wonderful and rewarding career option. We want to challenge the stereotypes of nursing as we know they can be a barrier to attract people into the profession.”
She continued: “Many people think nurses just work in hospitals but in England there’s 86,000 community nurses, who provide support in a variety of settings from homeless health to prison outreach.”
ARU offers nursing degrees in adult, child and mental health nursing from its campuses in Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough and it also offers Primary Care as First Destination as a new exciting route into Adult Nursing, which focuses on delivering care in the community rather than acute settings.
The school of nursing benefits from high-tech training facilities and offers skills labs that simulate real hospital wards, which include AI-aided mannequins and first-rate lecture theatres.
Sean Haskell-Mills, 31, is currently studying child nursing at ARU. He’s keen to challenge the stereotype of nursing and took part in the film. He says: “I was headed for a career in the military but was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I chose to study child nursing at ARU and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made! I want to shine a light on male nursing. I’m the only male on the child nursing course and there’s a real stigma about men in child nursing that I’m keen to challenge.”
To view the film or to find out more about training to become a nurse and apply for a degree course, visit www.aru.ac.uk/nursing.
