FIRST-CLASS NURSE AND MUM  

16 December 2019

Rebecca Stark graduated on 13 December, at the last graduation ceremony of the decade at Queen’s, with a First-Class Honours Degree in Adult Nursing, the culmination of three years of hard work and a lot of support from her family.  

The decision to study Nursing at Queen’s, which meant giving up a full-time Care Assistant role, came just three years after Rebecca had her daughter, Grace, who turned four within weeks of her starting University life.  

“I have always had a passion for Nursing since a very young age and I began studying nursing in 2016, just a few years after having my daughter.

“The decision was tough as I was a mum who was still trying to juggle my many roles in life, however, it was the best decision that I ever made.”

Rebecca, who lives in Jordanstown, County Antrim, describes her University experience as challenging, especially managing academic submissions, clinical placements, and motherhood. Queen's has played a big role in her family's life - her husband Patrick earned his PhD at the University and has worked as a social sciences researcher here for four years. 

“With each hurdle, I pushed myself to be the best that I could be. I wanted my daughter to look up to me as an important role model and to teach her the importance of working hard,” said Rebecca.

In 2018 she was awarded the George Alexander Baird Award for academic achievement, a success Rebecca puts down to the support she received from Queen’s staff, her patients, her husband – and daughter Grace of course – and Patrick’s parents, who regularly stepped up to do school runs.

While her fellow classmates moved outside Northern Ireland to undertake their 3rd year placements, Rebecca, for obvious family reasons, opted to stay at home to work in the A&E Department at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH).

In her final year, Rebecca was given the opportunity to attend a conference on behalf of the University and Northern Ireland in Liverpool, where she rubbed shoulders with influential people in the world of nursing and midwifery.

Since returning, she has secured her first full-time, permanent post in the Emergency Department at the RVH as a Staff Nurse.

“I love working at the Royal, where we can often see upwards of 200 patients every day, many of them children which shows the variety within adult nursing.

“The people we see on a daily basis are often very unwell; for them it is frequently the worst day of their lives. But most can be treated and sorted out and it’s an amazing feeling when they recover and can return to their families. A little bit of compassion goes a long way.”

Clearly passionate about her calling and profession, Rebecca says it is the patients who make it all worth it, and she just wants to “give them the reassurance that they are getting the best care available to them.” 

In recent weeks she was invited by the Chief Nursing Officer of Northern Ireland to speak at the 6th All-Ireland Chief Nursing Officers’ Conference scheduled to be held in Titanic Belfast on 03 December, which was cancelled due to ongoing industrial action. Rebecca had been looking forward to talking about her experiences and adventures as a newly qualified nurse. 

The presentation of her degree is Rebecca’s second ‘magic moment’ of recent weeks, following her marriage to Patrick on 02 November. Such is the part that the University has played in their lives that the couple even had some of their wedding photographs taken outside the main Lanyon Building.  

Will this be the only foray into third level education for the nurse who worked weekends as a care assistant?  “I will come back to study but want to work for a few years first. I’d like to do specialist practise or a PhD.

“With each victory Queen’s University has always cheered me on and it has been an absolute privilege to study here. Thank you.

“It’s been hard work but it’s certainly been worth it.”

To find out more about funding an award or scholarship at Queen’s University Belfast, visit the Queen’s Foundation web page or contact Naomi King, Development Manager, telephone: +44(0)28 9097 3101.

Media enquiries to Communications Office at Queen’s University Belfast, or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5292.

 

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