Nursing students Patricia Callow and Sherrie Lee are the first students at CQUniversity to be awarded a community engagement honour at the Vice-Chancellor's Staff Awards recently...

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman congratulates Sherrie Lee and the Nursing and Midwifery team for their project in Nepal. Traditionally open to CQUniversity staff, the Opal Awards were this year extended to the student cohort with a new category - Student Service Learning - representing the growing number of community-minded students across the University.

Patricia Callow was nominated by her supervisor and mentor Kathryn Dougan, Nurse Unit Manager at the Mackay Base Hospital, recognising her project ‘Clinical Handover at the Bedside - Rehab Unit'.

During her work as a Medication Endorsed Enrolled Nurse in the Rehabilitation Unit, Patricia researched the clinical handover at the bedside process as an academic assignment and identified the gaps in current clinical practices. She went on to seek support, carried out group discussions and consultations and was able to put together a resource guide to improve the process for other nurses.

Sherrie Lee was nominated for her role in the project ‘CQUniversity's Nepal Nursing and Midwifery Experience 2011'. She was one of 18 students and three lecturers who travelled to Nepal last year.

Sherrie outlined the advantages of providing health care and assistance in a third world country and the learning experiences of students as a result of that mission.  

 Pro Vice-Chancellor (Community & Engagement) Professor Pierre Viljoen said CQUniversity aimed to encourage and acknowledge students for their hard work in supporting community development through projects related to their studies.

"It has been encouraging to see students from a range of different campuses at CQUniversity contribute strongly towards making their communities a better place," Professor Viljoen said.