Carol Park with one of the students
A senior midwife has been praised for her support for students on placement at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
A graduation ceremony for the medical students at Lancaster University was held recently and Carol Park, Practice Development Midwife, was invited to attend the event due to the support and teaching she provided to students who had been on placement in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
This was the first cohort of students who were on placement from Lancaster to gain degree accreditation, awarded by the General Medical Council, for the Lancaster Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) programme.
Carol said: “It was a very happy and proud moment for me to see the students graduate.
“It was lovely to see my students again, to find out their plans for the future and be involved in celebrating their fantastic achievement. I felt honoured to be able to attend their graduation.
Carol with a recent graduate
“In my role as Practice Development Midwife for Medical Education I timetable the students for all the areas required and endeavour to work with them all. My aim is to provide the best possible experience and exposure to Obstetrics and Gynaecology”.
Carol has worked as a Practice Development Midwife for four years. The post was developed following feedback gained from students who were on placements in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The feedback highlighted lower levels of satisfaction with the students experience during their placement.
Carol added: “The department is quite intense and diverse. Students quite often arrived unannounced. They looked lost so I always offered to work with them to support them when possible.
“The post was a new challenge for me and I have loved the opportunity to awaken the students to gain interest and enthusiasm in Obstetrics. It’s very rewarding to see the students gain skills and interest and see them grow as individuals.”