Jolanta Peters, Research and Library Services Manager, represented Bridgwater & Taunton College and University Centre Somerset as she presented at the Royal College of Nursing Librarianship Conference 2024.
The Lightning talk focused on the University Centre Somerset’s journey of becoming the first college in the country to offer nursing degrees with an FE sector. It also explored the innovative approaches that library staff adopt in supporting student nurses with study skills, including information literacy and effective study techniques, to support their academic and professional success.
The HEADStart (HE Academic Development) programme was covered during Jolanta’s presentation and how this is used to help student nurses to develop their academic skills. To prepare students for degree-level study, this programme covers topics, such as searching UCS and partner university library resources, Harvard referencing, avoiding plagiarism, academic writing and research skills. Additional sessions are offered on critical thinking, advanced literature searches and literature reviews, as well as individual support sessions face-to-face or online via Teams.
Attending this conference was also a great opportunity to take away other insights and ideas into how UCS libraries can remain up-to-date to further support their students. Jolanta highlighted some of the other insightful topics explored during the conference, which included:
“At University Centre Somerset, we pride ourselves in providing Degrees for Real Life, where our students gain industry experience and embark on a learning journey within an inclusive, supportive and dynamic educational environment. The UCS library services also play a key role in supporting students in achieving their educational goals” (Jolanta Peters, Research & Library Services Manager).