Two nursing academics at the University of Hull have been honoured with the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse by The Queen’s Nursing Institute at a ceremony last week. Here, recipient Dr Jennifer Loke shares her thoughts on this prestigious title.
Dr Jennifer Loke, a nursing lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull and a visiting professor at Yangzhou University, said: “I am very honoured and at the same time, extremely humbled to be awarded the prestigious Queen’s Nurse title.”
“The University of Hull has provided me with an excellent opportunity to translate theory to practice, without which, I would not have been able to demonstrate such a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice.
“Whether in education, clinical practice or research and scholarship, it is always a privilege to be able to contribute to community nursing. I am most grateful for the position I have at the University, that has allowed me to deploy the principles of the Royal College of Nursing’s four pillars of advanced nursing practice, and enabled me to make a significant difference in nursing practice and patient care so effectively.
“In this landmark moment in my career, I endeavour to continue to uphold the high standards of nursing practice, and through my leadership role as a nurse educator and nurse researcher, I am committed to continuing my responsibility in influencing nurse education as well as nursing practice.
“There is an increasing focus in Primary Care taking the lead in health promotion and disease prevention in treating individuals as a ‘whole person’. As a Queen’s Nurse, I am even more committed, to continue my endeavour to increase public awareness of self-caring behaviours and public recognition of their important partnership with nursing for patient health and well-being. I am putting as much effort as I have in nursing practice to education, so that every nurse graduate would be able to contribute to excellent health care.”
Dr Loke, who attended the official Queen’s Nurse awards ceremony in London on 28 November 2022, joined the University in 2003, where she received one of the four prestigious HEA Professor Sir Ron Cooke International Scholarships in 2012. She is currently leading an international undergraduate programme with Yangzhou University (YZU) in China, and in a voluntary capacity, she assists in supervising post-graduate research on patient care, nurse education, nursing management and leadership.
Dr Loke spends half of her time at a local GP surgery as a nurse consultant, where she bridges gaps between theory and practice. In her clinical role as a nurse and nurse leader, she has made significant improvement to clinical care and service users’ experiences, that her success was well recognised by the Local Integrated Care Board.
William Uglow, Assistant Director Planned and Primary Care at East Riding Health and Care Partnership, said: “We are thrilled that Jennifer has been bestowed this prestigious title.
“It is a testament to Jennifer’s dedication and enthusiasm for putting in place new and innovative ways of working which help improve the health and wellbeing of her patients. Jennifer works closely with staff at the practice to improve their skills and bring the level of nursing in GP practices to a higher standard. We are extremely pleased with Jennifer’s success.”
Read more about Jennifer’s achievement here.
Read about Queen’s Nurse Heather Pepper here.