A nurse from Cumbria has been awarded a scholarship from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) enabling her to develop her career and become a doctor.
Jodi Hebson was granted the Dr Kate Granger Scholarship and will be able to fulfil her dream after being accepted on the five-year Bachelor Medicine Bachelor Surgery (MBBS) course.
Jodi was offered the chance of a lifetime in September after being offered the Dr Kate Granger Scholarship, which was established to honour the memory of Dr Granger who campaigned for better patient care while suffering from terminal cancer herself.
The scholarship was set up specifically for Cumbrian students and covers all tuition fees for the duration of the five-year MBBS programme.
The former QEGS Penrith student said: “During the third year of my nursing degree my mother fell ill with a brain tumour. I managed to complete my course and then moved home to care for her until she died five months later. I then got a job as a district nurse in Penrith which I did for two years until starting at UCLan.
“After my mum passed and I had time to grieve, I wanted to strive to do better and pushed myself to apply to become a doctor, never actually believing it would be possible.
“During this time, I also undertook some charity work with family friends and raised £36,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity, towards the glioblastoma research section which is the illness my mother suffered from.”
Jodi, 24, now commutes from Penrith to UCLan Preston on the train and said she urges others to take up a career in medicine.
She added: “The scholarship has allowed me to undertake this dream and focus on my studies instead of trying to balance studying with working to be able to afford to live and everything seems to have slotted into place.
“My background in nursing and caring for my mother has instilled into me that I want to become a compassionate and empathetic doctor, something which Dr Granger worked towards.
“My advice to people wanting to apply is to go for it! It doesn’t matter what age you are or what you have done previously, if you put your mind to it you can achieve anything, it is so important in today’s climate to breed not just knowledgeable doctors but all-rounders who have differing backgrounds to reflect the variety of our population.”
Dr Cathy Jackson, Executive Dean and Head of UCLan’s School of Medicine, said: “The Dr Kate Granger Scholarship was created to support local students as they embark upon their journeys towards a degree in medicine.
“It’s an opportunity which not only hugely benefits the recipient but also local communities in Cumbria, as we strive to help improve healthcare for patients in the region through our wider strategy in working with North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust (NCUHT).
“It’s great to see such passion and determination from Jodi and I wish her all the best as she works towards achieving her goal of becoming a doctor.”
For more information on UCLan’s MBBS course and scholarship opportunities, visit the UCLan website.
