Pauline Gibbon
Pauline Gibbon started her learning journey after spending 27 years working in healthcare. Having battled depression and agoraphobia during the last seven years, she has overcome her fears to emerge more confident and gain qualifications that reflect her life’s achievements.
Pauline experienced severe bullying as a child and left school with no formal qualifications or even a desire to learn again. With dreams of becoming a nurse, she eventually got a job as a nursing assistant and has been learning her skills on the wards ever since.
“It dawned on me then that I had a great deal of missed opportunities to better myself,” Pauline said. “I didn’t want to end my working life with regrets as I still have at least 10 years of nursing to offer. I started my NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care in April 2008. I’ve been on numerous study days and learnt lots.”
Pauline plans to continue with her NVQ qualifications and then do a Spirometry course, which studies the testing of lung conditions. She has just recently delivered a presentation on her learning, with great confidence, at a staff conference.
“Doing my NVQ has seen me bloom as a person,” she said. “I now have a social life and have set challenges beyond my expectations – something I never thought would be possible.”
