Leadership potential earns Cumbria students place on prestigious scheme
Two students with stand-out leadership skills have both won a place on a prestigious national health programme.
University of Cumbria students Ismat Khan and Matthew Price applied for a place on the Council of Deans of Health UK Student Leadership Programme and were accepted, before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
The programme selects the top 50 rising stars currently enrolled on healthcare programmes and develops their leadership skills on an intensive six-month course. Many graduates of the programme go on to take up leadership roles across health and social care and it is viewed by many in the sector as a stepping stone to success.
Ismat Khan, 19, from Preston is studying BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography. Keen to become a practising radiographer, she enjoys the practical placements on her course most and was desperate to start working in the real world, even if that involved 12-hour night shifts.
In light of the pandemic, Khan has opted to go back into placement to assist the NHS. She said: “I was drawn to the leadership programme because it presented itself as an opportunity to get ahead and broaden my career prospects prior to graduating.
“The programme also appealed to me as it provides coaching in a range of skills required for working in a clinical environment such as self-awareness and emotional intelligence.”
University of Cumbria pro vice chancellor for health Professor Brian Webster-Henderson, chair of the Council of Deans of Health UK, is delighted that two of the university’s students have been selected for the programme. “I am in no doubt at all that they will personally benefit from this and so will the university and its student community in healthcare.
“This programme has gained much acclaim from health leaders across the UK and previous applicants have made a significant impact in their respective fields.”
Matthew Price, 28, is a first year student and until recently was studying Dip HE Paramedic Practice at the university’s Ambleside campus. Now all first year placements have been temporarily paused he has resumed studies online. He said: “We’re lucky to have a superb academic team and they have been great at keeping us all in the loop and have put in place provisions for us to attend lectures, complete our theory and demonstrate our practical skills online.”
Picture: Ismat Khan is studying for a BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography.
Published on page 3 of the June 2020 issue of RAD Magazine.