Double impact for nursing and early years professionals with new books

There’s enhanced support for professionals with two new books from the University’s Faculty of Health, Education and Society experts.

The books cover nurses wanting to return to ‘walk the wards’ and treat patients again, and how early years practitioners can better work with parents.

Since the early 1990’s the University of Northampton (UON) has run a Return to Professional Practice (RtP) course for nurses and health visitors whose professional registration has lapsed.

Since then, upwards of 1,000 nurses have completed the UON course and gone on to provide frontline healthcare once again.

This ‘return journey’ for nurses will be smoother with a new guidebook that collates and centralises advice, and top tips for successfully returning to professional practice after a career break.

‘Returning to Nursing Practice: Confidence and Competence’ is co-authored by Senior Lecturers Mary Kitson and Ros Wray (pictured, holding the book). The book also includes contributions from current and past UON students, giving their journey and leaving a legacy of insights and information for future generations of RtP students, and the wider nursing profession.

Ros Wray sums up her and Mary’s thoughts, saying: “This is a book formed from teamwork and strongly represents the voice of our students, both past and present. It’s richly collaborative and gains so much from featuring the words of wisdom and experiences of returning nurses.

“We are also especially pleased to point out that the book includes chapters on well-being, study skills, reflective practice and gaining employment which may also be of interest to students and practitioners across a broad range of courses.”

The book is available in print and through online platforms such as Amazon.

Also celebrating published work is Senior Lecturer in Education Dr Helen Simmons’ book ‘Partnerships with Parents in Early Childhood Today’.

The book – co-edited with Philippa Thompson – explores the importance of building effective partnerships with parents and carers in early childhood and the role of early childhood practice in understanding the needs of parents and carers today.

Working through the chapters, each of which is written by experts in the sector, professionals are challenged to consider marginalised families and reflect on ways for them and students across multiple sectors to better work together.

Helen adds: “Forming and maintaining respectful working relationships with parents is one of the highest priorities for early childhood practitioners. It also brings many and varied challenges, as each parent can be very different to those they have worked with in the past and the parents they will go on to advocate for.

“It’s vital to equip students for this, so we are delighted the book is out and is already receiving wonderful praise about how it is challenging established thinking and perceptions.”

The book can be found online here.