SWANSEA: Final-year nursing student shortlisted for national award for her dedication to patients with learning disabilities

A Swansea nursing student has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award that recognises the very best in student nursing — and she hopes her nomination can help put the spotlight on a specialism that she says changes lives every day.

Ellesse Mathias, who is in her final year at Swansea University, has been named as a finalist in the Learning Disabilities category at this year’s Student Nursing Times Awards. The awards recognise outstanding students, educators and organisations across nursing and midwifery in the UK, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on April 24.

Ellesse, who is from Swansea, said she was “shocked and humbled” to have been shortlisted. “It means a great deal to know that others have recognised my passion for supporting people with learning disabilities and advocating for them across education and practice,” she said.

She described choosing learning disability nursing as both a personal and a professional decision, drawn to a specialism that she says sits at the heart of what healthcare should be about. “I am passionate about ensuring that every individual, regardless of ability or complexity of need, is able to live a meaningful and valued life,” she said.

Learning disability nursing is one of the four branches of nursing in the UK but is frequently less understood by the public than other areas of the profession. Nurses working in the specialism support individuals across a huge range of settings — from community care to hospitals — often over long periods of time, building deep knowledge of the people they work with.

Ellesse says it is that depth of relationship that makes the role so rewarding. “I enjoy the uniqueness of the role — being able to build genuine relationships, problem-solve creatively, and really get to know the people I support,” she said. “Often, you develop such a strong understanding that you can anticipate needs before they are even expressed, which is incredibly rewarding.”

Having nearly completed her degree, Ellesse is now preparing to start her first nursing post at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant. She has set her sights firmly on using her career to drive change beyond the ward.

“My ambition is to influence practice at both a clinical and wider system level, ensuring there is greater understanding, advocacy, and inclusion for individuals with learning disabilities,” she said.

She added that she hoped her shortlisting would help raise the profile of the specialism itself. “I hope this opportunity allows me to further highlight the unique and essential role of learning disability nurses — not only within the workforce, but in the lives of the individuals and families we support.”

It is a role that touches a significant number of people. According to NHS estimates, around 1.5 million people in England have a learning disability, with many more across Wales, and people with learning disabilities face significant health inequalities compared to the wider population. Learning disability nurses are central to addressing those inequalities — supporting people to access healthcare, manage complex needs, and live as independently as possible.

Ellesse’s ambitions stretch beyond clinical practice. She said she hoped to continue shaping services, supporting future students, and “strengthening the role of learning disability nursing across all areas of healthcare” as her career progresses.

The Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony takes place in London on Friday, April 24.

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"watch one, do one, teach one" is a nursing mantra about how we learn stuff in healthcare and it's amazing and it works

This mantra can extrapolate to everything

"AI" tools outsources the learning process

These chatboxes make one feel like they did something or help one "learn" but this is just a feeling and not a fact

There is good evidence that it's detrimental to our brain-power to use these things

Wanna learn to write?

Don't use these tools, read a book on prose and spend time reading books and articles

Wanna learn to code?

Don't use these things, there are many resources to acquire knowledge

Wanna brainstorm?

Use your brain!!! And then search the Internet. And then bounce it off other people's brains.

I'm tired of this and tired of being a squeaky-wheel on this

It should be obvious that these tools lessen are own cognitive abilities

#ai #learning #education #nursing

Il Fatto Quotidiano: Il Canada cerca infermieri italiani: stipendi fino a 5mila euro, biglietti aerei pagati e corsi di francese gratis

L’offerta è comparsa sul sito dell’Institut français Italia e si rivolge a infermieri con almeno un anno di esperienza e una conoscenza, almeno intermedia, del francese. Ad acquisire le capacità degli infermieri italiani saranno alcune strutture sanitarie di Montréal, tra cui l’Ospedale Santa Cabrini e il Centro di accoglienza per cure a lungo termine Dante.
Secondo quanto riporta Il Messaggero, i richiedenti devono essere in possesso di un diploma in scienze infermieristiche o laurea in Infermieristica, conseguiti in Italia, e di una conoscenza intermedia, al momento dell’assunzione, della lingua francese e della lingua italiana, con il livello B2 come requisito minimo.
Lo stipendio proposto è ben al di sopra delle aspettative retributive di un infermiere in Italia: la retribuzione mensile lorda è compresa tra 4.380 e 8.140 dollari (ossia 2.750-5.120 euro), in base alla posizione e al livello di esperienza. I candidati assunti saranno accompagnati durante tutta la procedura di immigrazione, di apprendimento della lingua francese e di trasferimento in Québec. I corsi per perfezionare la conoscenza della lingua francese sono gratuiti e, a disposizione dei candidati assunti, saranno offerti biglietti aerei per il Canada.
La scadenza per inviare le domande è il 15 maggio 2026: le candidature dovranno essere inviate in lingua francese, dopo essersi iscritti con un nuovo profilo all’attività “Emplois en santé au Québec – Italie 2026”, indicando le date di disponibilità per sostenere i colloqui.
L'articolo Il Canada cerca infermieri italiani: stipendi fino a 5mila euro, biglietti aerei pagati e corsi di francese gratis proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Canada is looking for Italian nurses: salaries up to €5,000, free flights, and free French courses.

The offer appeared on the Institut français Italia website and is aimed at nurses with at least one year of experience and an intermediate knowledge of French. Some healthcare facilities in Montreal, including Santa Cabrini Hospital and the Dante Long-Term Care Welcome Centre, will be recruiting to acquire the skills of Italian nurses.

According to Il Messaggero, applicants must hold a diploma in nursing science or a degree in Nursing, obtained in Italy, and possess an intermediate knowledge of French and Italian at the time of hiring, with a B2 level as a minimum requirement.

The proposed salary is well above the remuneration expectations for an Italian nurse: the gross monthly salary ranges from $4,380 to $8,140 (i.e., €2,750-€5,120), depending on the position and level of experience. Candidates hired will be accompanied throughout the immigration procedure, language learning in French, and relocation to Quebec. French language proficiency courses to improve knowledge are free, and air tickets to Canada will be offered to the hired candidates.

The deadline for submitting applications is May 15, 2026: applications must be submitted in French after registering with a new profile on the “Emplois en santé au Québec – Italie 2026” activity, indicating availability dates for interviews.

The article "Canada Seeks Italian Nurses: Salaries Up to €5,000, Flights Paid, and Free French Courses" comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.

#Canada #Italian #French #theInstitutfrançais #Italia #Montreal #IlMessaggero #Nursing #Italy #Quebec #Québec–Italie2026 #FlightsPaid #FreeFrenchCourses #IlFattoQuotidiano

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/03/24/infermieri-italiani-canada-stipendi-montreal-news/8334438/

43-year-long Study Found Coffee Was Associated with 18% Lower Risk of Dementia

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/43-year-long-study-found-coffee-was-associated-with-18-lower-risk-of-dementia/

We need a general strike. Long live Iran.' Maria Bueno, a teaching assistant and GMB union member from Marylebone, said: 'We must get US bases out ...

The march was organised by a number of groups including Stop the War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa.#britain #civilservants #education #gmb #iran #iraq #israel #labourparty #nursing #palestine #pcs #police #protest #southafrica #strike #tuc #unions #usa #wrp #youngsocialists
HANDS OFF IRAN! – 10,000 workers demand on London march - Workers Revolutionary Party