Mental health nursing student wins national honour
Cynthia Okoli was originally going to study business administration but switched to mental health nursing
- Published
A nursing student has won a national honour for her engagement during a research placement.
Oxford Brookes student Cynthia Okoli observed research into the use of ketamine as a treatment for severe depression as part of her placement.
The Mental Health Student Hybrid (MESH) placement forms part of her MSc in mental health nursing.
She said she was "so excited" about being recognised as the Most Engaged MESH student, and will attend a ceremony in London later this month.
Ms Okoli moved to the UK from Nigeria, originally expecting to study business administration.
But she was inspired to switch to nursing after working as a part-time support worker on mental health wards and comparing the mental health provision in the UK to that in Nigeria.
"In Nigeria there is little provision for mental health and still a stigma around it," Ms Okoli said.
She was also inspired by the time she spent with a patient who had alopecia, who was "really excited" to see how Ms Okoli wore wigs to "experiment with different looks and styles".
"She helped me see how we can help people," said Ms Okoli.
Ms Okoli's placement was at the NIHR Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility at the Warneford Hospital
The MESH programme is a pilot scheme run by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which aims to provide nursing students with research experience while they carry out their clinical placements.
As part of her placement, Ms Okoli spent two days at a clinical research facility.
"I learnt about screening potential participants for the research and other aspects of the research processes," she said.
She added she was "so excited" to be recognised as most engaged student.
"It shows I made the right decision and I'm passionate about research into mental health and about becoming a mental health nurse," she said.
The Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony takes place in London on 26 April.
19 April: This article was updated to reflect clarifications from Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
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