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Oliver Hutley, BSc Children's Nursing (Hons)
A strong family tradition meant Ollie had always known he was going to be a nurse. When he visited LSBU on an open day, he found the right place to make it happenIt’s fair to say there was a degree of inevitability about LSBU graduate Ollie Hutley’s choice of career. “My mother and my grandmother were nurses,” he says with a smile, “and we’ve always said that it must run in the blood.”
It came as little surprise, then, when Ollie enrolled at LSBU on our BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing degree. “A friend had just finished her degree at LSBU and recommended it to me,” he explains. “I felt really welcome on the open day, and immediately knew it was the right choice for me.”
Work placements
It’s a decision that has certainly paid off for Ollie, who is now working at Great Ormond Street Hospital – something he believes was made possible by his LSBU degree. “I did my work placements at Great Ormond Street while I was studying,” he says. “It was a fantastic experience. I was able to gain first-hand experience of many different areas of nursing, including theatres, intensive care and neuroscience – which is the area I actually work in now.”
Great team
Ollie is especially pleased to be working on Koala Ward at Great Ormond Street Hospital. “I wanted to be a part of the great team that taught me so much while I was a student on placement here,” he says. “I feel privileged to say that I work there.”
Clinical settings
Ollie is a firm believer that the practical, hands-on nature of the BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing degree has played a big part in him securing the start to his career he hoped for. “Part of the reason I chose to study at LSBU was because many of the lecturing staff still work in clinical settings, so they maintain an up-to-the-minute knowledge of clinical techniques and best practice,” he says.
The placement opportunities were incredible. The university is linked to some of the best hospitals in the world- Great Ormond Street, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster hospital, and King’s - which really makes it stand out from the opposition.
Ollie Hutley
Fundamentals of nursing
While Ollie is quick to emphasise the importance of work placements, crediting them with increasing his confidence and helping develop an understanding of his future career, he also acknowledges the value of other elements of his degree. “From academic modules to practical simulations, LSBU has pushed me along the first stepping-stones of my nursing career,” he says. “Studying topics including Law and Ethics, Safeguarding, and High Dependence Care highlighted the fundamentals of nursing to me.”
Mock interviews
Ollie’s preparation for work extended beyond the classroom, however. “LSBU supported me in getting the job I wanted in a number of different ways – offering mock job interviews, helping me to build my portfolio and giving me references for my job offers,” he says. “Just as importantly, my time at LSBU taught me the importance of communication. My job requires me to talk to children, their parents and family, and other members of the medical team, and LSBU really helped build my knowledge and confidence to do just that.”
Career opportunities
Like many of our nursing graduates, Ollie is excited and enthusiastic about a future that can take him in whichever direction he chooses. “The great thing about nursing there are so many opportunities,” he says. “I could work all over the globe - in schools, in hospitals or the in community. I know that I will learn new skills throughout my whole nursing career and I plan to use these to work my way up the professional ladder.”
Strong foundation
With such a commitment to excellence and a strong foundation in the skills he needs to succeed, it is clear that Ollie is someone for whom nursing doesn’t just form an important part of his family’s history – it is set to form an important part of his future too.