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Coventry University Group celebrates massive growth in nursing students on International Nurses Day
Maria Guedes who is studying nursing at Coventry University
University news / Student news
Monday 12 May 2025
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Coventry University Group is celebrating International Nurses Day (12 May) by revealing a massive increase in the number of people studying on its nursing courses in the UK.
There are 1,960 people currently studying nursing courses with Coventry University Group – a jump of 71 per cent over the past five years.
It follows the introduction of innovative courses allowing more people to access studies to start a career in nursing, and ongoing investment in facilities and teaching in Coventry, Scarborough and London.
Behind these numbers are inspiring personal stories that capture the dedication and passion of its students, such as Maria Schaefer Guedes.
At 37, Maria decided to move from a 15-year career as a chef to nursing, driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact. Growing up with parents in the medical field, her mother being a biochemist and pharmacist, while her father is a vascular surgeon, she always felt a connection to the healthcare industry.
Once I started to study at Coventry University, I realised I was on the right path. The biggest word to describe nursing is rewarding. It’s about dedicating your life to others, it’s nothing about you, only about others.
I decided I wanted a different and more fulfilling career where I could help people. I started studying law but then moved on to nursing which has always been my inspiration since childhood because of my parents.
Maria Schaefer Guedes, nursing student at Coventry University
Maria, who is originally from Brazil, is in her first year of studies at Coventry University and has already stepped up as a course representative, demonstrating her leadership and commitment to supporting her peers.
She is enrolled on Coventry University's blended nursing course, which combines flexible, interactive digital learning and virtual simulated experience with practice-based learning.
Nursing is where science meets humanity and people underestimate the science and knowledge needed behind the role. It is a lot more labour intensive than many people realise. I feel nursing gives me a new level of satisfaction that working in law was unable to provide.
The course makes learning accessible to everyone and more mindful of people’s lives. It gives us all flexibility to manage our other responsibilities, such as working and personal commitments.
Maria Schaefer Guedes
Coventry University Group works closely with NHS trusts up and down the country to tackle the national shortage of healthcare staff. In the Midlands, the university works alongside University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, George Eliot Hospital, the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
Elsewhere the Group has teamed up with Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Wiltshire College and University Centre to teach a Nursing Associate Foundation Degree, while also working alongside Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Kings College Hospital, Barts Health, North East London Foundation Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust in the capital, as well as York and Scarborough, Humber, and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trusts in Scarborough.
Nursing is such an inspiring and fulfilling career, with our students going on to make a real difference to communities all around the world.
We are proud to be teaching the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals, with thousands of learners both here in the UK and abroad being equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for a future in the health industry.
International Nurses Day is held on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth and her kindness and desire to help others, alongside her pioneering work which made her famous, play a central role in and inspires the way we teach here at Coventry University Group.
Professor Ann-Marie Cannaby, Coventry University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Health, whose nursing career spanned 30 years
Find out more about nursing at Coventry University.
