Award For Outstanding Nursing Graduate Who Went ‘Above & Beyond’

An outstanding graduate who went above and beyond to support her fellow nursing students collected an annual memorial prize in honour of a former Wrexham Glyndwr University student.

Katy Fortune-Probert formally received the Sylvia Crowe Memorial Prize for 2016 alongside her degree in a ceremony at the William Aston Hall on Wednesday, October 26.

25-year-old Katy, who achieved a first class BN (Hons) Nursing degree in adult nursing, was nominated for the award by her tutors.

“I acted as student rep for the course and took the role very seriously so it’s great to be recognised for the work I did on their behalf through the award,” said Katy, who also received positive feedback from hospitals while working as a student nurse.

Katy, from Flint, worked in a bank straight from school until deciding she wanted to train as a nurse, joining Wrexham Glyndwr University after completing an Access to Higher Education course.

She now works as a staff nurse in a gynaecology unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, where she spent time on placement while studying in Wrexham.

“Although the career in finance was enjoyable, I knew all along that nursing was what I wanted to do eventually,” said Katy. “I just didn’t feel it was the right time to do it straight after school, I wanted some life experience first.

“I started working as a healthcare visitor in the community while I was still at the bank and that was enough to convince me I was making the right decision to enter a career in nursing.

“I started at Glan Clwyd full-time in June and I love it. Being there to support patients’ needs and making a difference to their lives means I go home every day with a huge amount of job satisfaction.”

Former Flint High School student Katy enjoyed studying at Wrexham Glyndwr University so much that she’s already planning to return to complete a Masters degree at the institution.

Katy said: “Wrexham Glyndwr University was an excellent place to study for my nursing degree. Everyone is really friendly and the staff are extremely supportive.

“From day one, you’re assigned a personal tutor who is there to offer help and guidance whenever you need it and you’re always connected to the industry through regular work placements. I got to work within a range of specialist areas before deciding I wanted to focus on gynaecology.”

The Sylvia Crowe Memorial Prize was established by Wrexham Glyndwr University in 2009 in recognition of the commitment of Sylvia Crowe, who sadly died 19 months into a pre-registration nursing programme at the institution in November 2007.