Lauren Andrews

After completing my BSc (Hons) Adult nursing degree at the University of Worcester, my clinical career was focused around acute medicine, intensive care and acute oncology. My previous roles and responsibilities have included caring for a variety of level 2 and level 3 patients within medical high dependency settings. I had a passion for mentoring and supporting student nurses and newly qualified nurses in practice and was eager to become a nursing educator. In 2021, I became a Professional Development Nurse responsible for the training and education needs within the acute trust. I led and delivered training programmes in preceptorship, intravenous therapy, venepuncture and cannulation and nutrition. This role was extremely valuable and enabled me to support the workforce and improve the quality of care delivered. One of the responsibilities associated with this role was training and supporting international nurses, ensuring they felt prepared to undertake their NMC OSCE and to transition to acute settings within the NHS.

I then relocated to Merseyside and became a Practice Education Facilitator at a local NHS Trust, this role enabled me to support student nurses during their practice placements. I would provide teaching sessions to enable students to achieve their proficiencies such as nasogastric tube insertion and catheterisation. During this role, I completed the Professional Nurse Advocate training. I was passionate about providing pastoral support to both students and staff, and this training made me feel equipped to deliver restorative clinical supervision to the workforce with the aim of improving health and well-being.

At the end of 2022, I joined Liverpool John Moores University as a lecturer in nursing where I was able to build upon the experience I had gained as an educator within the NHS. I teach and lead on a variety of modules within the pre-registration nursing programme. More recently, I have assisted with the implementation of the first Professional Nurse Advocate programme at LJMU. I have been able to share my knowledge and expertise with aspiring PNAs who continue to support the wider nursing workforce. My research interests include: moral distress and injury, the impact of the professional nurse advocate role, health inequalities, nurse education and cancer and end of life care.

Degrees

University of Worcester, United Kingdom, Bsc (Hons) Adult Nursing

Certifications

2024, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, Post Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Academic Practice
2022, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, Professional Nurse Advocate

Academic appointments

Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, School of Nursing, Liverpool John Moores University, 2023 - present
Lecturer (Adult Nursing), School of Nursing, Liverpool John Moores University, 2022 - 2023

Postgraduate training

Masters in Academic Practice (Education), United Kingdom, Liverpool John Moores University, 2024 - present