Two members from the organising committee for the Healthcare Educators NET Conference 2025 discuss the benefits of attending the conference.
In an era marked by post-pandemic recovery, aging populations and unprecedented pressures on both healthcare and higher education sectors, the Healthcare Educators NET Conference 2025 is a beacon of collaboration and innovation.
In this video, Michelle Ellwood, Associate Professor in Diagnostic Imaging and Programme Lead for BSc Diagnostic Radiography at University of Leeds and Dr Andy Melling, Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Lancashire, discuss the evolution, themes and impact of the conference.
Evolution
Having progressed from delegate to organising committee member, Michelle values the conference for “the sense of belonging … and the excitement and the buzz of networking around student education.” Her perspective as a radiographer in what was once a nursing-dominated space highlights the conference’s evolution into an interprofessional forum.
Andy has witnessed this transformation firsthand over seven years of involvement with the conference. He describes it as unique and emphasises how “that friendliness brings people back year on year.”
Theme
One of this year’s themes of compassionate education and leadership couldn’t be more timely, Michelle says. “We are educating future healthcare professionals, and compassion, person-centered care, should be central to everything that they do. But then it does make us step back and think: do we role model that as well?”
Impact
Andy captures the conference’s impact perfectly by saying that delegates leave feeling “supported” and “inspired,” ready to “utilise some of what they’ve learned in their own practice to make a real difference.”
“It’s just so encouraging that you’ve got all of these people involved in healthcare student education who are just so passionate about what they do,” says Michelle.
Watch the video in full below
