Leading by example: ENU lecturer graduates alongside students on new neonatal course

An Edinburgh Napier University lecturer has joined her pioneering cohort of Neonatal Care students - by graduating from her own postgraduate course at the same time.

Ann Moylan led the course, which is the first of its kind to be delivered at postgraduate level in Scotland, while studying for her own Postgraduate Certificate in Research Development Skills.

She and her all-female year group of 22 students crossed the stage during the same graduation ceremony at Edinburgh's Usher Hall.

Ann said: "I promised that we would all graduate together - and it's lovely that we've done it. It kept us going through the year - we'd say 'we can do this!'

"I'm thrilled for them because this is the next generation of neonatal care. They will be advocating for babies and their families for years to come.

"Neonatal care is my absolute life and my passion. I've had a long career in it.

"As they are the first cohort to complete this programme, the students knew people to were watching to see how they'd get on. To get them through it was a whole new stepping stone.

"They were well aware that we're all in the same boat, all studying at same time. I think they appreciated that I knew what they were going through."

The PgCert qualification in Neonatal Care is a requirement for the students to secure specialist posts in the field of neonatal nursing, where they will look after the most vulnerable premature and ill babies and their families.

In another first, applications were open to allied health professionals, with dietician Louise Gibson taking the opportunity to develop her career with this year's cohort.

The celebrations underline Ann's commitment to lifelong learning, having first graduated as a general nurse in 1980 - before completing a Masters as an advanced neonatal nurse practitioner and a PgCert in teaching and learning with ENU.