NURSE Lianne Illman is proving that you are never too old to learn something new.

And the 48-year-old from Pontypool is marking International Nurses Day by sharing her inspirational journey, from leaving school with no qualifications to working towards a postgraduate degree.

Ms Illman is studying for her MSc in Community Health Studies at University of South Wales (USW), something that would have felt like a distant dream to her as a teenager.

“I was a bit of a rebel when I was in school, so never really took it seriously and didn’t pass any exams,” she said.

“After leaving school I did numerous jobs, but when I worked as a care assistant in a nursing home, I loved it.

"At that time I was very quiet, hadn’t learned to drive, so I wanted to get a little bit more life experience and I knew I was going to go and do my nursing at some time, but didn’t quite know when - so it was a gradual process for a couple of years from when I was 24.”

After taking a part-time college course to get her English GCSE, Ms Illman took up a two-year preliminary nursing course in Newport, before eventually signing up for a diploma in nursing in Cardiff in 2000.

It was while taking the diploma that she discovered a condition that she had not realised had been influencing her learning throughout her life.

“I was diagnosed with dyslexia, which probably explained why I had come up against challenges with learning,” said Ms Illman.

“But it helped me get everything straight and helped me understand my learning style.

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“I’ve learned to live with it, but do struggle with my English, and do tend to write a couple of copies of assignments. I have to plan ahead and start assignments early, because I need that additional time.”

Having completed her diploma in 2002, Ms Illman initially worked on hospitalwards.

This changed when she became a mum - to daughter Lili 15 years ago - and she took up bank nursing to help fill in around childcare.

When she returned to work full time 11 years ago, she started a new role in the community nursing team in Torfaen, run by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Having become deputy manager of the district nursing team, she decided she wanted to develop her expertise further and study for a Masters degree, eventually starting at USW in 2019.

“In the district team you are more of an autonomous practitioner, you have to think outside the box a lot, do lots of forward planning and forward thinking,” said Ms Illman.

“Because I’ve got experience in community nursing, the Masters has consolidated this. It’s taken me up to the next level, given me a bigger and wider picture, and allowed me to gain the academic knowledge that I can now visually see when I’m in my role.

"It made it all more grounded - put all the pieces together.”

Her study has also positively impacted on her family, particularly Lili.

“As a family we’ve all pulled together to enable me to manage my study while also working,” said Ms Illman.

“I think it’s very good for my daughter too, because it shows her that learning is lifelong. I’m very fortunate in the fact that she loves school, she’s a very good worker herself, and is thrilled that I’m doing my Masters.

“It’s brilliant, inspirational for the children, because they can see they can stretch for that, and see they can do it too, whatever you’ve achieved in the past.

“As I’ve gone through the two years, I’ve progressed as a person. When I just started, I was apprehensive, didn't know if I could do it, but I’ve really enjoyed the past year and am glad I took it up."

This change in attitude has also been recognised by staff and colleagues at USW, so much so that Ms Illman won the Inspirational Post Registration Student of the Year at this year’s Excellence Awards, held by USW’s School of Care Sciences.

Lecturers Angela Hiscocks and Donna Pace, who nominated her for the award, said: “At the start of the course Lianne was very unsure of her ability to take part in any type of study and was not confident in herself at all.

“Throughout the first module Lianne was very engaged and focused, and out of her lack of confidence she found an ability to study at Masters level and become determined to succeed.

“She has been an inspiration to the district nursing teaching team for her determination.”