Staff profile

Suzanne Dickson


Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing

Subject

Nursing

College

College of Health, Psychology and Social Care

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Campus

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus

Email

S.Dickson@derby.ac.uk

About

My main role at the University of Derby is as an academic, teaching undergraduate nursing students. My specialist area of nursing is Perinatal Psychiatry, where I have gained numerous of years of experience working on a Mother & Baby Unit, with women experiencing significant mental health problems in late pregnancy, or following childbirth. Prior to nursing, I also completed a BA in Sociology, so enjoy exploring the sociological perspective of nursing; particularly how race, and gender have an impact on mental health illness/access to treatment. I have had various teaching experiences over the past 10 years, and it has always been a passion of mine to support social mobility.

Teaching responsibilities

I currently teach on the BSc nursing course. This is an exciting year for students, as this is where they really get to develop their critical thinking skills. I have an interest in resilience skills and work as an advocate for more resilience-based learning throughout professional practice and education. I am keen to work interprofessionally with Midwives and Social Care students/staff to increase awareness around Perinatal Psychiatry.

Research interests

My specialist experience and interest has been in Perinatal Psychiatry. I am particularly interested in the impact of infertility on male and female mental health; during fertility treatment, in pregnancy, post-partum, or post fertility treatment. I am also interested in the use of resilience-based learning in nursing education, and the potential positive outcomes on staff retention. As mentioned, I previously studied Sociology, so am interested in the Sociological perspective of nursing.

Membership of professional bodies

Qualifications

Experience in industry

While completing my BA in Sociology, I was involved in supporting the Special Educational Needs (SEN) department in secondary education, which sparked my interest in teaching. While completing my PG Dip in Nursing, I lead a project to include nursing students into secondary education encouraging discussions around cardiovascular health and positive body image. Once working as a nurse, I began doing voluntary guest lectures at the University of Nottingham in order to raise awareness and knowledge of Perinatal Psychiatric services. I then worked on a part-time secondment as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Nottingham; before beginning a permanent lecturing position at the University of Derby.