Notts health colleague wins award for exceptional mentoring of future nursing workforce
Kirsty Aveyard, Matron at Nottinghamshire Healthcare recently won the Mentor of the Year Award at the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards
Kirsty works as matron within Adult Mental Health services and part of her role involves helping to shape the next generation of nurses
Kirsty's nominator said: "Kirsty is a nurse herself and I aspire to be like her, from her work ethic, to her kindness. Her compassion and dedication to people is amazing, both patients and staff.
"Kirsty has never forgotten her roots, she is humble and always willing to educate staff, this is something I very much respect in her as a professional.
"She is a role model to staff and students; she is approachable and most importantly to me she is honest. She has given me honest advice, be it good or bad, I very much respect her honesty, sometimes this is hard to find in people. This has allowed me to learn from the feedback and aspire to be better, to push myself and try my best overall.
Her nominator highlighted how Kirsty has been a great asset to her and her development at Derby university. Kirsty went above and beyond to support her and keep her focused and grounded, during some challenges in her personal life.
Her nominator continued: "Her support and mentorship allowed me not to give up. I will be forever grateful for her professional help, her guidance and the confidence she has given me to achieve my dream and face my own adversity. This has only made me a stronger person. And I very much have her to thank for that."
Kirsty said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be recognised for this award, often different roles in work positions can make it very difficult to maintain mentorship with students and this is highly rewarding on both a personal and professional level. Passing on valuable knowledge and skills is one of the most essential and fulfilling roles a clinician can undertake."
Jen Guiver, Executive Director of People and Culture said: "I would like to pass on my congratulations to Kirsty on behalf of the Trust's Executive Team. It is clear from her nomination that she is an outstanding mentor, prioritising the development of the nurses of the future, on top of her busy role as matron."