Courtney Paige Mellon – Health and Social Care

Name: Courtney Paige Mellon - Health and Social Care

Course Name: Level 3 Health and Social Care

Course Type: College Courses

Image Caption: NWSLC student Courtney Paige Mellon level 3 Health and Social Care
Former health and social care student Courtney Paige is living out her dream of becoming a nurse to young children through a university work placement at the ground-breaking Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Currently following a degree in paediatric nursing at Edgehill University, Courtney Paige has been working on a surgical ward at the state-of-the-art Alder Hey in Liverpool which was named BBC Building of the Decade in 2018 for its ground-breaking construction.

Courtney Paige said, “I absolutely love working at Alder Hey. It’s a brilliant hospital that was designed specifically with children in mind. It is very light, colourful and spacious. There are balloons everywhere, the Disney channel is on every TV screen, and even the reception area has been designed to look like an airport check-in.”

Courtney Paige said she found it challenging at first seeing children being brought into theatre for a range of procedures from biopsies and keyhole surgery, to cleft palate correction and dental treatment. However, she gained a great deal of frontline experience before the coronavirus outbreak forced her to study from home.

She said, “I had enjoyed looking after children with special educational needs and disabilities during my college placement and this is an area that I would like to specialise in after I have completed my qualifications. My aim is to become a nurse specialist, but I am currently debating whether to complete my master’s first.”

Courtney Paige, from Nuneaton, is currently in the first year of a paediatric nursing degree at Edgehill University. She said that the Level 3 Health and Social Care course at NWSLC provided the best route into university for her and she would recommend it as an alternative to A Levels.

Courtney said, “I did start A Levels but knew within weeks that it wasn’t the right route for me and that’s when I enrolled at the college’s Nuneaton Campus. I have always wanted to be a nurse from a young age, but I didn’t even know it was possible to be a children’s nurse. I’ve had plenty of practice looking after younger children as I am one of nine. I also spent a lot of time with a friend who needed hospital treatment and that experience helped me decide that I wanted to work in a healthcare setting. When I found about the paediatric nursing career path, I knew I was on the right track.

“I really enjoyed the Health and Social Care course and my tutor Gillian Spenceley was fantastic. She was so supportive throughout my studies and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.”

During her college course, Courtney Paige worked one day a week at Oak Wood, a special school in Nuneaton, helping to support children with wide range of special educational needs including profound, severe and moderate learning disabilities and autistic spectrum condition.

Courtney Paige said, “Although I had a career goal in mind, it was my first steps at college that really set me up well for the future. The college course gave a great springboard into higher education and now I am on track for a career with the NHS. I would love to get a job at Alder Hey in the future because it is such a fantastic hospital and an inspirational place to work.”

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