Programme manager Madhini Sivasubramanian explains why she loves sharing the knowledge and experience she’s built up over many years
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
Madhini Sivasubramanian has spent her whole career immersed in healthcare and education.
As a young woman in India, she decided to become a nurse and worked in theatre with heart surgeons, before making the move to intensive care because “after the few hours of surgery are done, the biggest challenge is getting patients well enough to go home”.
Having moved into paediatrics and getting married, she seized on the opportunity to come to the UK and spent seven years at Great Ormond Street Hospital before going on to work for other NHS trusts in London.
But what really stands out over the course of her career is a simultaneous commitment to education – juggling nursing, study and raising a family – and balancing that with a desire to pass on her knowledge to others.
She qualified as a teacher officially in 2015, having worked as a guest lecturer and began her academic career at the University Of West London before going on to help set up the nursing department at the University Of East London between 2017 and 2020.
Today she’s a senior lecturer at the University Of Sunderland In London on the Isle Of Dogs and programme manager for its MSc Nursing Practice and MSc Public Health courses.
“I still consider myself a student – I’m still learning every single day,” said Madhini.
“I’m incredibly proud when I’m able to pass on the knowledge I have to others.
“What’s the use if only I know about something? It’s about being able to share it with the students.
“The staff we have here on our courses are absolutely top class.
“This is a beautiful set of people and the courses we offer are fantastic.
“These new facilities allow students to reach their full potential.
“I’ve always believed that a department shows the personality of the person leading it and it’s been my job to convince a board of non-clinical, non-medical, non-nursing staff to invest in these courses.
“That’s why we have the facilities that we do.”
courses at the University Of Sunderland In London
The university offers both undergraduate and postgraduate public health and nursing courses, the majority of the latter aimed at qualified nurses already working within the profession who want to reach the next level in their careers.
Facilities at its Isle Of Dogs campus include a simulation ward, specialist technology and an immersive suite, all intended to give students as realistic an experience as possible.
“We have this smart offering so we can film what people are doing when given a task and use the recording to debrief them on their actions and identify any learning points,” said Madhini.
“The vital thing is that we can have a conversation about something if it went wrong and the student will learn not to make the same mistake.
“These simulations are so important because they enable people to experience things with no risk to a patient.
“Our one-year MSc course is designed to prepare students who might want to go into research, teaching or leadership in the future.”
a passion for her subject
While talking about her extensive career and her approach to education, Madhini fizzes with energy – an attitude that has both got her to where she is today and also infuses the courses she oversees.
“Nursing can be a job where you work very long hours for comparatively little money,” she said.
“But you don’t care because you’re so passionate.
“I remember being in the operating theatre for the first time and it was amazing.
“You’re scrubbed up and it’s very tough.
“You’re working with people’s hearts and there’s no concept of working hours. But we made history and that’s why I’m here.
“In India, through a conference I was able to mingle with some of the best heart surgeons in the world from the UK.
“I was mesmerised and that was the first time I thought that I should go out into the world.
“Fortunately, my husband is a bit mad like me and encouraged me to make the move.
“At the time I was the only Indian nurse at Great Ormond Street.
“Originally I was due to return to India but instead I stayed.
“I see it in my children – I’m very proud of both of them.
“My daughter is in dental surgery and has lots of plans – she’s very much like me in this. My son is a computer scientist.
“Balancing the demands of family life and nursing can be a challenge, especially if you want to do postgraduate study as well.
“But that can also be a motivation.
“My daughter has grown up always seeing me working and studying and now she’s flying around running conferences.
“It’s so important that people are able to access opportunities.
“One of the things the university does is offer a BSc course because there is a cohort of nurses in the NHS who were recruited at a time when you didn’t need a degree.
“These are often wonderful people with so many skills but, because they don’t have that qualification, it’s preventing them from getting promotion and that’s so unfair.
“The course is designed as a year-long top-up for those who don’t have a degree and would like to move up.
“Nursing is a very demanding career and it’s important to make space for people to progress.
“One of the other groups of students we have are those from overseas.
“People often want to come to the UK to study because of the culture we have here.
“While some are coming here with the intention of working, lots are not necessarily settling here. People want to say they studied in Britain.
“They come here, gain confidence and experience London before returning home.”
key details: nursing at the University Of Sunderland In London
You can find out more about nursing and public health courses available at the University Of Sunderland In London including entry criteria via UOSiL’s website.
Read more: Discover Cody Dock’s restoration of the Frederick Kitchen lifeboat
Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
