Graduate profile
Hayley Ward, PGCert Education for Health Professionals

Hayley Ward

"I’ve moved from being a clinician and novice teacher to an educator rooted in contemporary clinical practice, and I'm now working as a Teaching Fellow at Surrey."

Course

Education for Health Professionals PGCert

Graduation year

2020

Why I chose Surrey

I’ve always been passionate about supporting and encouraging the development of those around me. Working in healthcare has enabled me to provide emergency care to patients as a paramedic. This is often when individuals are at points of crisis and most vulnerable, which is a huge privilege. Supporting the education of other healthcare professions allows me to drive excellence and ensure an even larger number of patients receive a high standard of care.

This led me to the PGCert Education for Health Professionals course at Surrey.

My course

I enjoyed the interactive nature of my course. Every student brought their own experience, knowledge and understanding to the classroom, allowing us to share excellent practices and support one other. The teaching staff were incredibly supportive, championing our successes, and were all-round fantastic mentors. They were a listening ear, especially when the journey had road bumps, like when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The healthcare facilities at the Kate Granger Building are exceptional, and it was a pleasure to learn in such an environment. While my lessons were at the School of Health Sciences, the facilities elsewhere were just as brilliant. The Library sent me books in the post and made a huge effort to make as many resources available online as possible.

My most memorable moment was completing one of my assessments in the Art of Learning and Teaching module. I was incredibly nervous to be in a room of experienced and aspiring educators who were going to assess my performance, at a time when I felt very much like an imposter. But the support, guidance and celebration of my ability by the academic staff and my peers was a real turning point in how I saw myself as an educator and gave me the confidence to continue my journey.

"The teaching staff were incredibly supportive, championing our successes, and were all-round fantastic mentors."

My career and development

I’ve been in practice for many years prior to moving into education and the course helped facilitate a personal journey – I’ve moved from being a clinician and novice teacher to an educator rooted in contemporary clinical practice. But most importantly, it gave me assurance in my abilities.

I’ve also gained an amazing group of peers who’ve continued to support, advocate and champion me in my role as a Teaching Fellow.

My advice

If you’re looking for a course that will allow you to develop your skills as an educator in healthcare and to support those around you, there’s no better place than Surrey – you’ll be in safe hands!

Find out more about our Education for Health Professionals course