Leanne Logan-Smith

BA(Hons) Health and Social Care, MA Education Studies, current PhD student

I currently work as a senior lecturer in health apprenticeships within the school of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health as course lead for the Nursing Associate programme at University of Suffolk.  I have been at UoS since 2018 after working in the NHS for nearly 9 years as a Registered Nurse.

I first started my studies at Suffolk College undertaking the Diploma in Higher Education, which was a challenge as it was different than secondary school and sixth form, however through the support of the course team and my family I did achieve a pass. I was then lucky enough to be able to complete my BA Hons post registration through CPD funding at University Campus Suffolk, gaining a 2:1. Once I joined UoS as an Associate Lecturer I was then able to complete the PGCAP, which was my first level 7 studies.  I was shocked to see I had done well, and it gave me confidence to continue my studies into the Masters in Education Studies where I accomplished a distinction.  

During my Masters I received support from my personal tutor; we explored my feelings of poor confidence and the impact my previous educational experience had influenced this. She gave me the encouragement to apply for my PhD studies and is now my lead supervisor for this.  My journey has been a learning curve personally, academically and professionally.  By having the support and feedback from the course teams, as well as the Library and Learning Services, I am growing in confidence, enjoying studying and feel I am gaining new knowledge and experience which I can pass onto the students I am now lecturing. 

My main challenges during my time at University were my lack of confidence and struggles with a specific learning need, as well as working while studying. Accessing support from my personal tutor and the Library and Learning Services was the biggest help with developing my confidence, however I also sort guidance from my family, peers and colleagues. I make sure I inform them if I am struggling, as having that sounding board allows me to work through the issues or challenges. For my specific learning needs I allocated additional time to meet deadlines, accessed support from the Library and Learning Services and asked questions when I didn’t understand, instead of getting stressed that I might look ‘stupid’ for asking a silly question. I also had my family read my work and sort feedback from my tutors on how to improve my academic writing style.  Time management was key for working while studying. I struggled to do little and often with studying, I found it easier to have a whole day as it takes me a while to get into sections since writing doesn’t come naturally to me.  I therefore set my ‘study day’ as a Saturday or Sunday depending on family activities, I will also usually leave the house, this way no one can interrupt me. 

I would suggest to anyone considering studying at PhD level to organise your time and access support early if you find something challenging.  Ensure you work with your supervisor to create an achievable timeline and stick to it if possible, but if life gets in the way speak with your supervising team to re-evaluate it. Engaging with different teams and support networks is one of the best ways to make your studies slightly easier. Set yourself a study plan, i.e. one to two hours on an evening or set aside one day at the weekend, and ask your family to sign up to this as well.  If you are self-funding, ensure you speak with the finance team to discuss your options as they can be very informative about what financial support you may be able to access. My approach to studying aligns with the analogy that no one is born to write academically, it is something you have to learn through feedback, which some people find easier than others and you need to find what works for you.