Mariea is awarded first Teesside Hospice prize

When Mariea Bridge receives her BSc (Hons) degree in Promoting Practice Effectiveness (Palliative Care) today, she will also be the first University of Teesside graduate to receive the Teesside Hospice Prize. And the prize is a special one for Mariea, as she works as a Sister in the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit.

Mariea, 48, is originally from Waterford in Ireland, and now lives in Guisborough. She has worked as a nurse for nearly 30 years. Mariea said: “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. It may be because my mum Maureen was in the profession.”

After qualifying in London, Mariea worked as a nurse in Lancashire, moving with her family to the Tees Valley in 1997. She joined the Hospice staff in the same year. Mariea said: “Although working here can be emotional, it’s not all doom and gloom. Sixty per cent of our patients come here for symptom relief and symptom management, we help to make the patients lives more comfortable so they can have quality of life at home.”

Mariea enrolled on the part-time degree for professional development. The course can be studied from a period of two to five years part-time, and Mariea chose the three-year route. She said: “At the start of the course I wasn’t very computer literate and nearly left. However, I wasn’t alone in feeling like this and decided I wasn’t going to let computers stop me.

“I’d recommend the degree, I got quite a lot from it. My research skills have really developed, and I’m better at reviewing research papers. My main research project was very pertinent to my own area of practice, terminal sedation. It was hard work but very interesting and enjoyable.”

Receiving the first Teesside Hospice Prize was an unexpected award for Mariea. She said: “I didn’t know anything about this prize being given for the first time. It was a real surprise.”

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