Third-year Bachelor of Nursing student Ruth Trow has been awarded the inaugural Summerset Graduate Nurse Scholarship.
The scholarship supports final-year nursing students who are passionate about primary health care and the wellbeing of older adults. The new scholarship, valued at $2000, is offered annually, and is open to students on any of Massey University’s three campuses. It is aimed to give financial support to students completing 360 hours of clinical placement, as required by the Nursing Council of New Zealand.
Ms Trow, 21, says the scholarship will provide her with financial support through her final year of study. “Nurses play such an intimate and important role within the healthcare system and good nursing has the ability to positively impact patient outcomes in so many ways. It’s a privilege to be part of that. Nursing is a challenging yet rewarding profession, full of opportunities and amazing people. This scholarship will enable me to continue following my passions within nursing.”
Associate head of school, Dr Stacey Wilson says Ms Trow strives for excellence in her academic and clinical work and has shown to be a confident and capable leader through her role at the Wellington Massey University Students Association. “She was able to describe in her application how rewarding making connections in aged care environments are, and how they often improve health outcomes and wellbeing for patients. She has also demonstrated the compassion needed to work alongside both older people and families to make the transitions through palliative and end of life care a smoother journey.”
There is a serious shortage of nurses in primary health care and in particular services for older people, Dr Wilson adds. “Key partnerships with clinical agencies to enable our students to be inspired to work in areas of significant nursing workforce shortage is crucial. Summerset aims to create a retirement community that puts respect for their residents at the heart of their service and takes a proactive approach to attracting high quality nursing staff to lead their care.”
Summerset operates 25 retirement villages across New Zealand, and is one of the country’s largest and most respected operators in the retirement village and aged care sector.