She had a great sense of humour and loved to laugh. She was also extremely hard-working and relished being a nurse.
Joanne entered the industry later than most, joining
Edinburgh Napier as a mature student. Nursing had always appealed to her, but it wasn’t until a family member became ill and Joanne saw first-hand the excellence and compassion shown by the nurse who treated them, that Joanne took up her calling.
She enjoyed her time at ENU and took her studies very seriously. She loved her training and even had the opportunity to take up a placement in New Zealand!
After graduating with distinction in 2010, Joanne was immensely proud to take up a role in intensive care. Unfortunately, Joanne became ill and was heartbroken that she couldn’t continue helping people.
The Joanne Sharp Memorial Prize
Sadly Joanne passed away, and Joanne’s parents, Alice and Duncan, established the Joanne Sharp Memorial Prize in 2012 in her memory. Alice and Duncan wanted to pay tribute to their daughter and to show their appreciation to the nurses who graduate from Edinburgh Napier.
The prize is awarded to the top-performing final-year Adult Nursing student who is aged 30 years or over at the time they graduate.
Alice and Duncan have a lot of admiration for nurses and the dedication and character they exhibit. The prize comes with a monetary gift which Alice and Duncan hope would go towards further study or a night out to celebrate the individual’s achievements!
Meet this year’s winner!
The 2021 recipient of the Joanne Sharp Memorial Prize is Claire Yilmaz!
Claire’s career journey
“My journey to nursing has been a long one. When I was around 11 years old, I was unwell and spent time in hospital. I was inspired by the nurses who treated me and I decided that I wanted to work in healthcare. I became really interested in nursing when I got a bit older and understood more of what my parents had gone through by having a child in hospital. The nursing staff had given them so much support.
"However, my health impacted me more than any of us had anticipated. I was able to finish school through remote learning and I still had the dream in the back of my head of becoming a nurse, but things were very difficult. Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, something would happen.
"When I was in my 20s, I looked again at going to university, but I hadn’t quite realised that my mental health had been affected by my health situation. So, life carried on. I became a parent; I got my first job as a stable hand. This was great because people knew my health history and were really supportive. It boosted my confidence and I was able to get back to a more normal life.
"I spent a few years working as a housekeeper at a hotel, but nursing was always in the back of my mind. By chance, the Open University had a stand at my mum’s work. She went up and asked what you had to do to become a nurse. They recommended an introductory course to health and social care.
"This format was great because it meant I could study from home and fit it around work and childcare. I then applied for a job in the NHS as a Band 2. I was lucky and got a job at the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Western General in Edinburgh. I absolutely loved the job. I had a brilliant manager who supported me as I started studying for an HNC. I could have got into university with my qualifications, but this way worked better financially as I could still work.
"After completing my HNC I then got direct entry into second year at Edinburgh Napier.”
My experience at ENU
“To go to university was fantastic but I felt there was one thing after another trying to stop me from qualifying.
"First of all, Covid happened.
"I felt bad that I’d left my colleagues in the Infectious Diseases Unit to study in the first place; but I was able to return to the Unit to undertake my Covid placement.
"Aside from that, when I was working as a Band 2 and doing my HNC, my daughter’s mental health had taken a huge decline. She wasn’t attending much school prior to Covid so I was trying to home school her as much as possible. Covid magnified this and a lot of the support she had received stopped.
"We managed to battle through it with the support of my partner. But in June of my final year my partner suffered a massive stroke. I was on placement and had just finished nightshift. I got a phone call, and I couldn’t quite comprehend what they were telling me. He had collapsed and was on his way to Resus at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I don’t even remember how I managed to get there but somehow I managed it. It was a worrying time.
"The University was great and very supportive. The staff at my placement were also fantastic. They offered to let me use their office if I was visiting my partner and I needed a bit of space.
"Having done a placement in A&E, it was strange to now be on the other side. One of the nurses who knew me came over and put her hand on my arm. That will stay with me forever because of how wonderful it was to have that comfort at that time. It wasn’t anything grand. It was the small things that helped. That’s what I always try to take to work each day.
"Becoming a nurse has always been my dream, but again and again I felt something was trying to stop me. I’ve been battling to do this for years and years and all I could hope for was to get to the end and qualify, which I did!”
The Joanne Sharp Memorial Prize
“When I heard I’d won this prize it came as such a boost. It’s the only way to describe it. Even though I have qualified, things are still really hectic. I’ve had to take a reduction in my hours to care for my daughter and partner and sometimes I think ‘I don’t know if I can do this and go to work’. Learning that I had won felt wonderful. I’d had a really bad shift that day as well!
"It was humbling too. I felt a bit embarrassed at first that it had been awarded to me as I felt everyone was battling through this year.
"At the graduation ceremony it was said that this year's cohort produced some of the highest marks ever. I think this says something about nurses and the personality trait of battling through even the worst of situations to get a great outcome for people and for yourself.”
What does the future hold?
“It’s a privilege to be part of someone’s journey.
"Towards the end of third year, I spoke with my former manager at the Infectious Diseases Unit. She said she’d love to have me back with the team and that there would soon be job vacancies. This was a fantastic piece of news. I had wonderful placements and I loved the different places, but I wanted to go back to the team that had supported me through the whole journey.
"I don’t know what the future holds. At the moment I’m happy to be back with the Infectious Diseases team. They understand that you’re newly qualified and they are hugely supportive. There’s so much still to learn and I think that’s what’s great about nursing. It involves constant learning and I love that.
"With nursing there’s so much you could do, and you don’t know what opportunities are going to come up. I’ve spoken with a lot of people and what they do now is different to what they had originally planned. At the minute I’m enjoying where I am.”