Elizabeth Blowers

I have particular interests and experience in the development of curricular for high quality pre-registration healthcare preparation.  My specific teaching expertise lies in working with people experiencing mental illness at times of crisis.  I have particular interests in the prevention and management of violence and aggression, the safe and effective management of risk in mental health care settings and working with the person with a personality disorder.

I began my career as a Registered General Nurse (RGN) at Addenbrookes in Cambridge in 1985.  After moving to Nottingham to complete my mental health nurse education I remained in the midlands for fourteen years; during this period I worked in acute mental health services where I developed a wide range of skills and gained rich experience in mental health practice and team management; during this time I also completed a BSc (Hons) in Health Studies, studying part time at Nottingham Trent University.  

In 2001 I returned to Norfolk, where I had spent my childhood, to take up post at the University of East Anglia.  Whilst working at UEA I have fulfilled a number of exciting roles and completed an MA (Higher Education) achieving recordable teacher status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).  My previous roles have included School Director of Engagement, School Director of Pre-registration Programmes and Course Director Pre-registration Mental Health/Professional Lead Mental Health.  I am currently the Professional Lead for Pre-registration Nursing. In 2017 I was awarded a Doctorate in Education which I studied for at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning (EDU UEA).  My research focused on the investigation of professional integrity in pre-registration nursing students. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2001 - A focus group study examining the meanings of ‘Zero Tolerance’ of aggression and violence for staff within a large Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Trust-informed work by the Trust Board – for BSc Studies (BSc Hons Health Studies First Class)

2003-4 - Establishing a Framework for the Planning Implementation and Evaluation of Education and Training in the Recognition, Prevention and Management of Aggression and Violence (project work for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Workforce Development Confederation)

2006 - A Case Study Investigation into the effectiveness of an EBL Learning Package in facilitating the achievement of learning outcomes within the pre-registration curriculum – for MA studies

2012 - 2016 A modified grounded theory study with the aim of  describing, exploring and explaining the meanings attached to local experiences of developing professional integrity in pre-registration student nurses with recommendations for future practice based on findings

Publications

Blowers E. J. & Munton R. A. (1998) CPNA Members Handbook, Risk assessment and Community Psychiatric Nursing: An introduction, Chippenham: CPNA Publications.

Doy, R., Blowers E.J. & Sutton, E, (2006) The ABC of Community Emergency Care:  Mental Health - drug misuse, psychosis and the prevention and management of violence and aggression in emergency settings in Emergency Medicine Journal 23(4): 304–312.

Conference Presentations

2018 Networking for Education in Healthcare Advance HE (NET18) Cambridge, U.K : research paper presentation ‘An investigation of professional integrity in preregistration nurse education’

2005 RCN Partnerships in Practice Conference Manchester U.K : workshop presenter ‘The opportunities and challenges of educating student nurses in the effective recognition, prevention and management of aggression and violence’4

2000 - 6 th International Network for Psychiatric Nursing Research Conference, Oxford, U.K: workshop presenter ‘Achieving effective practice: a formative evaluation of a programme to develop a resource pack to integrate this into teams via a link worker system’.

1999 - NHS Trent Executive workshop presenter at Education in Mental Health Conference exploring a local practice development project in liaison with the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.