Nursing lecturer earns Nightingale fellowship

The University of East London has chosen senior lecturer in nursing, Kelly Ncube, to be its first Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy fellow.

The foundation’s 12-month fellowship programme for nurses and midwives provides leadership development opportunities, including training sessions, seminars and two-way mentoring. Fellows are also invited to attend the Florence Nightingale

Commemoration Service in Westminster Abbey.

Kelly said,

To be nominated as the UEL Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy Fellow is very humbling and it is an honour to represent UEL and my nursing profession.

“This opportunity will bring about invaluable exposure - not only to UEL - but also add value to teaching strategies and future curriculum development and expansion of our nursing programmes. It will give me a professional opportunity to add to, gain new insights, network with people and stakeholders from different nursing specialities.

Practice nursing skills are an essential part of innovative and continuous nurse development. Being a fellow will mean our UEL nursing students will gain a very varied and rich learning experience through gained expert knowledge and skills,” Kelly added.

Professor Gemma Stacey, the foundation’s deputy chief executive officer, said, 

The Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy is providing leadership development to nurses and midwives working at all levels and within a diverse range of clinical settings.

“Our vibrant alumni community represent an inclusive and expert group whose experience and knowledge feeds directly into our policy work and generation of evidence. The academy offers an avenue for independent thought leadership and high-quality educational provision that is agile and responsive to workforce needs."

The Florence Nightingale Foundation was founded in 1934 as a charitable organisation with the aim of improving nursing standards by providing scholarships to nurses, midwives, and other health professionals, while serving as a living memorial to the work of Florence Nightingale. As a member of the foundation UEL is able to nominate one academy fellow annually.