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Nursing placements at BU in the Nursing Standard

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BU practice educator Belinda Humphries and practice learning advisor Jo Hirdle shared their thoughts on the benefits of student nursing placements in the Nursing Standard.

“Practice experiences can be among the most memorable, enjoyable and rewarding times for students embarking on their nursing careers,” they wrote in the article, which appeared in a student supplement.

“They can also be thought-provoking, pressurised and challenging.”

Nursing students spend 50 per cent of their course on placement, and Belinda and Jo said that the BU practice learning adviser team helps students discuss any concerns they may have in advance of their first placement.

They also suggest that students should try to make a placement preparation checklist, including things like checking shift patterns and travel arrangements, identifying their mentor and other placement support, and looking at uniform policies.

The article also featured first year BU nursing student Kate Allaway, who spoke about her placement experience at Magna Care Home in Poole, and her mentor Heidi Williams, who manages the care home.

Kate said: “As I learned new nursing skills, Heidi encouraged me to write a case study.

“This was helpful and I believe all students should do this.”

 

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis on Spain’s rising tourism levels

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Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Director of the E-Tourism lab at Bournemouth University, has commented on Spain’s record year for tourism.

His views went on to feature in 13 media outlets including Reuters, Yahoo News and CNBC Online.

Sunseekers avoiding the unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers last month, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to its ailing economy.

Professor Buhalis put the rise of private rentals in Spain down to the economic crisis. He says that because people have less money they are choosing smaller accommodation and less established airlines for their holidays.

“What’s happening … because of the economic crisis is that people are preferring smaller airlines, smaller hotels and they are paying less,” he said.

Professor Buhalis’ work was also featured in the Business section of the Bournemouth Echo, with a feature on a social media seminar he will run in November.

The seminar will look at how social media is increasingly influencing consumer behaviour, with travellers relying on the guidance of others.

Professor Buhalis said: “Travellers will, more and more, rely on the advice of other travellers as against advertising, guidebooks and printed material” and suggests “marketers should use social media to try to stimulate conversation and encourage interaction”

New Media Writing Prize 2013 now open for entries

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The fourth annual New Media Writing Prize is now open for entries, with a £1,000 top prize.

The international competition showcases story-telling specifically created to be accessed through new media devices, such as computers, hand-held tablets and mobile phones.

Entries could be anything from a short story, novel, documentary or poem using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction.

The competition is open to all, with a prize for the overall winner of £1,000, donated by if:book UK.

There is also a People’s Choice winner, chosen by readers through an online vote, who will receive a prize of £250.

Students can also enter, with the student category prize of a 3 month paid internship at Bournemouth-based e-company Unicorn Training.

Competition organiser, Dr James Pope, who is also Programme Coordinator for the BA English programme at BU, said: “This competition attracts the best innovative writing from around the world, and is truly breaking new ground.

“Each year we see terrific work that showcases new-media as the future of storytelling.”

Previous winners have included Hurst – the story of a fictional character unravelling through Twitter and YouTube – and Window, which combined different words, sounds and imagery depending on which categories a reader selected.

The competition, run by Bournemouth University, also aims to provoke discussion and raise awareness of new media writing, the future of the written word and storytelling.

Winning entries will be published on new media web-hub The Literary Platform, the Bournemouth University website and will be showcased at the Awards Ceremony, which will take place at BU on January 22.

The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges including Joanna Ellis, Associate Director at The Literary Platform, Chris Meade, writer and founder of if:book UK and Dan Franklin, Digital Publisher at the Random House Group in the UK.

Dan said: “I’m delighted to be involved with the judging of the New Media Writing Prize again this year: it respects the fact that media is converging, authors are adopting new skills, and writing is changing.”

The deadline for entries is Monday November 25th at 12 noon, and the closing date for student entries is Friday December 13th.

Each entry should be submitted by email to submissions@newmediawritingprize.co.uk.

To see previous winners and enter the competition visit the New Media Writing Prize website.

BU lecturers share advice in Nursing Times

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Clinical demonstrator Catharine Handford and lecturer Cate Wood shared their advice on what first year nursing students should expect from their degree in an article for the Nursing Times.

“Learning to be a nurse is not as simple as just being told what to do and then going out and doing it,” they wrote.

“The process involves time spent in lecture theatres and on self-directed study, alongside learning practical aspects of nursing taught in simulation departments and on practice placements in a variety of settings.

“To succeed you need to be determined, organised, positive, assertive and self -directed.”

Alongside attending lectures and seminars, students should be prepared to become “independent learners”, they added, completing background reading and self-directed study.

“To look after the health of others you need to start by taking care of your own,” they wrote in the article.

“Plan your study wisely and take up all the help offered to you, a study timetable will allow you to work hard and give you time to do other things you enjoy.”

They also explained some of the practical skills that nursing students will be expected to learn and complete assessments in – including practice placements and ‘simulation’ exercises.

“Simulation is used by universities as a way of reflecting on real-life situations,” they said.

“It allows for a variety of clinical skills to be taught and practised in a realistic and safe environment before you practice these skills on actual patients.”

They explained that simulation exercises for first year nursing students at BU included learning moving and handling skills, how to assess a patient’s nutritional and hygiene needs and practicing basic observation techniques – working with other students to learn how to take pulses, temperature and blood pressure.

Catharine and Cate, who are both from BU’s School of Health and Social Care, said: “This is where you really get to know your fellow students.

“By sharing experiences and learning together what it is like to be a patient, you build firm friendships and a strong support network of individuals who understand exactly what you’re going through.”

They added: “The journey to becoming a nurse can be challenging and hard work, but it is also a time when you will grow as a person, meet some amazing people and, hopefully, have a lot of fun.”

Read the Nursing Times article in full (subscription needed)

BU student receives BAFTA scholarship

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A budding animator has been able to realise her dream of studying at Bournemouth University after receiving a £7,500 scholarship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Mawusime Blewuada, 29, will start her MA in 3D Computer Animation at BU at the end of the month after receiving the BAFTA grant towards her course fees.

The money has come from the BAFTA Scholarship Programme, which assists talented people in need of financial support to study a postgraduate course in film, television or games.

Mawusime is one of just ten students from across the UK to receive a BAFTA scholarship this year.

She said: “I was obviously very delighted to hear I had been chosen – I knew there was a lot of competition so I wasn’t certain I would get it.

“Receiving the scholarship meant I didn’t have to defer taking the course or take out an expensive loan to cover tuition fees.

“I can focus on studying without stressing too much about finance.”

Along with the money towards her course fees, Mawusime will receive mentoring support from BAFTA members and free access to BAFTA events around the UK.

The scholarship recipients will also share their learning experiences on BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning channel, and participate in future BAFTA outreach with young people.

Mawusime, from Thornton Heath in London, hopes to work in animated films and the visual effects industry after completing her Master’s degree.

She said: “I’ve chosen to study 3D Animation at BU because it has the reputation of being a challenging and comprehensive course that provides the teaching and resources I require. I’m really looking forward to collaborating on projects with other students from the National Centre for Computer Animation [based at Bournemouth University].

“In addition, the mentor support provided by BAFTA will be a great personal and professional advantage.”

Anne Morrison, Chair of BAFTA’s Learning and Events Committee, said: “This year’s scholarship recipients have great talents which, without the right support, were at risk of being lost from our industries.

“Through the BAFTA Scholarship Programme they now have access to funding, industry events and one-to-one mentoring, to help them make a tremendous contribution to our moving image industries.”

Adam Twycross and the UK videogame industry on BBC Radio Solent

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As many queued for hours to get their hands on the latest Grand Theft Auto video game, BU’s Adam Twycross – an expert in computer animation and video games – talked on BBC Radio Solent about the computer game industry in the UK.

Grand Theft Auto is just one of the games franchises produced in the UK, and Adam, a Demonstrator and Lecturer in Computer Animation at BU, told presenter Alex Dyke that while the UK video game industry only employed around 7,000 people, it generated more than $5.2 billion last year.

“They really benefit from the fact that you can do it on a much smaller scale with a much smaller team and have just as much impact in terms of economic value and cultural value as if you were working on a movie or television,” he said, adding that video games companies could be found up and down the country.

He told Alex that BU computer animation graduates went on to work in both TV and film and the video game industry, with around a 50/50 split.

“I think one of the reasons that we’ve had a lot of success here in Bournemouth in the video games sector is that it’s an extraordinary industry which meshes together maths and programming and physics with art and animation,” Adam said.

“You’ve got a huge, broad range of skills which go into a single game and that’s what we try to replicate at Bournemouth where we teach our artists not just how to animate and create artistic things but also the programming and maths.

“So we traditionally have produced the individuals that the video game industry likes to have.”

Adam added that he believed the games industry in the UK would only continue to grow and diversify, reaching out to different audiences and demographics.

“It’s almost hard to imagine how big it can get,” he said.

Listen to the full interview

MP who battled depression among speakers at BU mental health conference

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An MP who was one of the first to speak publicly about his battle with mental health issues shared his thoughts and experiences during a conference at Bournemouth University.

Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham, raised the topic of his depression in the House of Commons in a bid to reduce the stigma around the subject.

He was one of the keynote speakers at the Engagement in Life: Promoting Wellbeing and Mental Health conference, which took place at Bournemouth University’s Talbot Campus on Friday September 6.

The day-long conference was organised by the University Department of Mental Health, a collaboration between BU’s School of Health and Social Care and Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.

http://youtu.be/5Ip1DMYhpBM

Kevan said: “I think academic research into mental illness is very important, but it shouldn’t stay in an ivory tower, and I think this is good example of the university looking outwards and actually engaging with its local community. I think that’s very important.”

During his keynote, Kevan spoke about his own personal battle with depression and the need to reduce the stigma around talking about mental health.

“We need to see mental illness as the same as a physical illness,” he said.

“We’ve got to get it into people’s heads that just like any other condition,” he said.

The conference was attended by more than 200 service users and health professionals from across the country and looked at innovative, recovery-focused service development, training and research in mental health care.

Other keynote speakers at the conference were Rachel Perkins OBE, chair of cross-government advisory committee Equality 2025, and Professor Geoff Shepherd, who leads a national programme for the Centre of Mental Health around supporting recovery journeys.

Professor Shepherd said: “It’s an important conference, bringing together a lot of people who are interested in a number of things but particularly these ideas which come now under the heading of recovery.

“Up to now, most people have thought that it’s the staff who are in charge, that they have all the knowledge, and expertise,” he added.

“But actually, the people who come to the service know a lot as well and know some rather different things.

“The way that services will be most helpful in the future is if we can combine these two elements.”

There was also a wide-ranging programme of sessions looking at recovery-focused topics including measuring recovery outcomes, personal stories of recovery and developing peer support workers.

Professor Sue Clarke, Director of the University Department of Mental Health, said: “Good mental healthcare depends critically on bringing service users and service providers together in a mutually respectful and compassionate way.”

Find out more about the University Department for Mental Health

The changing face of student digs on BBC Radio Solent

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Around 12,000 first year students will be arriving at universities across the South over the next week – with many staying in Halls of Residence.

BBC Radio Solent’s breakfast show looked at how ‘student digs’ had changed and improved over recent years, and reporter Jo Palmer visited BU’s recently refurbished Cranborne House Halls of Residence.

The Halls have undergone an £8.3 million transformation, with all of the flats being completely remodelled, the creation of a common room and outside seating area and even wireless technology to allow students to see if the washing machines are free from the comfort of their own bedroom.

Jo reported live from Cranborne throughout Julian Clegg’s breakfast show and spoke to BU’s Residential Services Manager Richard Search.

“I think the vast majority [of student accommodation] have improved considerably over the last ten or fifteen years,” Richard said.

“I think the time’s gone now when you could get away with the charity shop furniture and the old 1950s-style carpet. I think it’s got to be a little bit more modern, a bit more minimalistic.

“There’s an element of supply and demand here – I think students are demanding more, and if you are a landlord then you need to improve your premises to get them let.”

He added that he didn’t think students were missing out on ‘character building’ by going into more luxurious accommodation.

“Times have changed and I think perhaps modern students have quite a lot of other things they have to worry about without worrying about things like that.”

BU has built six new Halls of Residences from 2005 to 2012 in the Bournemouth and Poole area, and Richard told Julian that students could typically expect their own bathroom.

“Our surveys of students tell us that en-suite is the first thing that they look for in their accommodation.

“So you’ll find that the vast majority, if not all, of new buildings will have en-suite facilities.”

Listen to the feature in full on BBC Radio Solent (available for seven days)

Dr Chris Chapleo talks university branding in the Times Higher Education

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Senior Lecturer in Marketing Dr Chris Chapleo gave his opinion on a university’s branding strategy in the Times Higher Education.

Chris, who specialises in higher education marketing and branding, commented in an article discussing the University of Essex’s plans to work on their brand and identity.

Chris said in the article that he “struggled to see real differentiation” between their strategy and “any other good brand generally.”

He added that while many universities talk about the need to create a “distinctive” brand in the emerging market, they are “inherently similar and…don’t have absolute control over their products”.

Read the Times Higher Education article

Dr Anna Feigenbaum on BBC Radio Solent talking about chemical weapons use

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Bournemouth University’s lecturer in Media and Politics, Dr Anna Feigenbaum, featured on BBC Radio Solent’s Drive Time show, giving comment on the alleged chemical attacks in Syria.

It is estimated that over 1,300 people have been killed due to nerve agents, but with the Syrian government denying the attacks, all reports are considered unofficial.

Along with 37 other countries, the UK have urgently written to the United Nations, asking for access to Syria.

“I would go along with what human rights organisations are saying, who have expertise in what’s happening,” Dr Feigenbaum told presenter Steve Harris.

“The organisations have been dealing with chemical weapons for decades now and they’re reporting that what they’re seeing are nerve agents.”

Dr Feigenbaum then explained the history of chemical warfare and how this reflects the current affairs in Syria.

After the First World War when people saw both the physical and psychological terror and injury chemical warfare caused, they were outlawed in the Geneva Protocol in 1925, signed by a number of the European countries. The US was resilient and it was further passed on when the US were found to be using chemical weapons in Vietnam.

“Again in 1993, when we saw the conflict in Iraq, there was another international outcry,” said Dr Feigenbaum.

“Syria is not part of the international chemical warfare ban.”

“One of the things that I find interesting, is that we are not taking seriously the reports from the human rights officers and the doctors helping casualties”, she added.

Dean Eastmond

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.