Staff Profile

Headshot of Nursing Lecturer Laura Smith.

Laura Smith

BSc (Hons) RNC, PgDip SPQ -CCN, AFHEA

  • Lecturer

College of Health and Society

Laura Smith

BSc (Hons) RNC, PgDip SPQ -CCN, AFHEA

  • Lecturer

College of Health and Society
Biography
  • Before joining Buckinghamshire New University in 2025, I worked as a Lecturer in Children’s Nursing at another local University. Prior to moving into higher education, my clinical background was largely community-based, beginning my career as a Community Children’s Nurse. In 2021, I completed a Specialist Practitioner in Community Children’s Nursing Postgraduate Diploma. 

    Alongside my community experience, I have also worked clinically on a general paediatric ward and as part of a safeguarding children nursing team. I am a Buckinghamshire New University graduate, having completed both my BSc (Hons) in Children’s Nursing and my Specialist Practitioner PgDip at BNU, and I am an Associate Fellow of Advance HE, reflecting my commitment to high-quality teaching and learning in higher education.

Course(s)
Teaching Team
Qualifications
    • BSc (Hons) - Children’s Nursing. 
    • PgDip Specialist Practitioner Qualification - Community Childrens Nursing. 
Research Interests/Academic Interests
  • I have a strong interest in simulation-based learning within nursing education and its role in supporting student confidence, clinical decision-making, and patient safety. I am also particularly interested in safeguarding education for undergraduate nursing students, supporting them to enter clinical practice with the knowledge, confidence, and professional awareness required to protect children and young people.

External Positions/Memberships
  • I am a registered member of the Nursing and midwifery Council (NMC) and an Associate Fellow of the higher Education Academy.

Projects
  • I have introduced a new immersive learning experience for the children’s nursing cohort, working in collaboration with a graphic design team to develop an immersive simulation. This provides students with additional opportunities to practise clinical and communication skills in a safe, supportive simulated environment, helping to build confidence and prepare them for real-world practice.

    I am currently part of the International Nursing Students Project led by Helen Ayo-Ajayi.