It was a Friday afternoon and I had the privilege of meeting the new cohort of student nurses in a €˜meet and greet ' style session. Right on the front row was a young and very inquisitive student who had clearly devoured every tiny bit of information she had been given by the university and was ready with laptop in hand to pick my brains by asking a question almost every 30 seconds it seemed.  At the end of the session she then informed me that in her second practice learning opportunity (or placement to the rest of us) I was going to be her mentor, information I was not even privy to yet. So, we had a brief discussion about the placement and off to home she went.
About a month later another instructor and I were facilitating and teaching a clinical skills week at the University of Northampton, and again right in the front row laptop in hand was Stacey ready to absorb all the information she could. During the week Stacey was always participating, involved and using the time with us to plan her first placement which was Hawthorn ward.  It 's the best feeling when you have eager learners who interact with you, aren 't scared to ask questions and have a genuine hunger for knowledge
The next few months passed by and I kept hearing my colleague talking about this amazing first year student, who was making a real positive impression on Hawthorn ward. She was liked by all the patients and had and even impressed the ward sister.
So finally, the day came when it was my turn to be Stacey 's mentor.  I had never met such an organized student in my life. Stacey had a split placement and was going to a variety of clinic placements. She had plans to contact all the areas and was planning her learning outcomes for all the areas.  She was so efficient and ready again to gain the most she could from her placements. This thirst for knowledge and strive to improve her practice is exemplary and the standard of care she gives proves this.
We have so many amazing student nurses at all levels of training, but Stacey has stood out since day one. She is always polite, respectful and wants the best for her patients. She is excited to be on placement and loves every minute she is involved in the care and healing of our patients. Writing this, I have found it very hard to find the right words to describe Stacey and the commitment to becoming the best nurse she can which in turn is because she wants to give the best care she can. So, I will finish this up with saying it has been a privilege to have been involved in your journey to becoming a qualified nurse and I would feel blessed if you were ever involved in the care of my friends and loved ones. 
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Stacey is fab-u-lous!
She was as enthusiastic and eager to learn on the last day as she was the first. She soaked everything up we could teach her and still asked more questions. For a first year her confidence and knowledge was impressive. I was reassured that the patients she had been allocated would be well cared for. Can 't gush enough about her!!