New nurses wear their Winchester badges with pride

More than 100 newly qualified Nurses and Nursing Associates returned to the University of Winchester recently to receive their nurse training badges.

The coveted badges were presented during two ceremonies held at the University’s Stripe Auditorium in September.

Wearing the specific badge of one's training school or university on a uniform is an historic tradition in nursing.  The presentations mark the end of the students’ formal period of learning and their readiness to enter the profession.

Dr Rachel Locke, Head of School for Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care, said the badge ceremony was a highlight of her year and always a moment of “pride and anticipation”.

 “The badge is a reminder of the privilege and responsibilities that come with being a nurse,” said Rachel.

Family and friends cheered on the new nurses and for those unable to attend in person the presentations were streamed live online for the first time.

Recipients included newly qualified nurses from the Adult, Learning Disability, Child and Mental Health fields, all of whom had completed a BN (Hons) Nursing degree.

Some had studied through the traditional undergraduate route, while others had qualified through the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (RNDA) or Transition to Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (TRNDA) routes. Badges were also presented to Nursing Associates who had completed the University’s two-year Foundation Degree.

Several Nursing Alumni were invited back to speak at the ceremonies, including Rebecca Anderson from the Class of 2025, now working in palliative care for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, who told this newest generation of nurses: “Be proud of the profession you are going into. You are going to make a difference to so many people’s lives.”

Rebecca added that as nurses: “You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be professional and willing to learn and put patients at the centre of all you do.”

Another speaker from the Class of 25 was Sophie Bates, who works for Bordon and Petersfield Mental Health Team and had always wanted to be a community mental health nurse. “Within a day I knew I was where I needed to be,” she declared.

Despite securing her dream job, Sophie said she did suffer from “imposter syndrome” but this had soon been replaced by pride in her achievements and trust in her clinical judgement.

All on stage for the afternoon ceremony at The Stripe

Hannah Andrews, who graduated in 2024, is now a Paediatric Learning Disability and Autism Nurse at Southampton General Hospital, after starting her career in the emergency department.

“Sometimes the path our career takes doesn’t look how we’d imagined it would, but the experiences along the way shape the nurses we were meant to become,” said Hannah.

Louise Bradbury who graduated at the age of 51, spoke about beginning her nursing career later in life and the knowledge and experience she has gained along the way.

Now working as a health visitor facilitator with people with learning disabilities for East Hampshire & Southampton Community Learning Disability Team, she also helps to train student doctors to provide confident, inclusive care for people with learning disabilities.

“You know more than you think you do” Louise assured her audience. “But you must also keep learning and keep asking questions.”

Pictured top: Badge recipients and University staff from the morning presentation ceremony.

Photos by Dominic Parkes Photography

Back to media centre