A UNIVERSITY student has been honoured with a national award for midwifery.
Debbie Taylor was given the British Journal of Midwifery’s Student Midwife of the Year award at their annual ceremony in London last Monday (March 23).
The third-year University of Worcester student was recognised for her work with bereaved families as a volunteer with her local Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (SANDS) group. Since 2011 she has worked with other members to help help organise different projects and fund-raising activities.
She said: “It was a real shock. All of the award categories were incredibly strong, so I was delighted to be nominated, let alone to win the Student Midwife of the Year award.
“It is wonderful to receive such recognition, but much of the credit must go to the incredible parents I have worked with; I have learnt a huge amount from all of them, and hopefully that will stand me in good stead both in my final few months as a student and after I graduate.”
The British Journal of Midwifery Award Ceremony was set up in 2004 and is one of the most prestigious events in the field.
This year they handed out honours for Midwife of the Year, Leadership in Midwifery, Team of the Year and Educator of the Year.
Toni Martin, senior lecturers in midwifery at the university, nominated Miss Taylor for the award.
She said : “Debbie’s success is extremely well deserved. The Midwifery team is very proud to have her as a student; she is a great ambassador for the course and the profession.
“She is an inspiring student midwife who has consistently demonstrated a passion for providing excellent care of women and their babies.
“Her compassion for women who have suffered the loss of their babies has shone throughout her three years as a student midwife, and she is an advocate for women in this situation. We look forward to working with her as a qualified midwife in the near future.”
