Being a nurse wasn’t Aston’s number one career choice. He had successful jobs in retail management then medical recruitment but, aged 28, decided he wanted more. He wanted a profession. Having not studied for a decade, he decided to do a foundation healthcare course in the evenings.

Working full-time and studying was intense but Aston passed the foundation course, stepped away from working full time, and started the adult nursing degree at USW.

During his time at university, Aston became a USW ambassador and was elected Chair of the Staff Student Course Liaison Group (SSCLG) – roles which gave him the opportunity to work closely with both staff and students.

Having this close working relationship with his lecturers, Aston asked to have a discussion about something close to his heart - LGBTQIA+ representation in healthcare training.

Aston was encouraged to create a project around the topic and he designed a presentation on LGBTQIA+ issues within healthcare practice with the aim to prompt lecturers to make teaching more inclusive. Following positive feedback and a request from the Head of School, Aston subsequently turned the presentation into a video to be used as a teaching tool.

the purpose of the video is to give healthcare students a basic understanding of LGBTQIA+ topics and terminology. It is hoped the video will encourage students to talk (and begin to understand) about how this patient demographic can be supported.

Aston now works as a Sexual Health Nurse, a role which he loves.

“Studying nursing is the most challenging thing I have ever done, though also the most rewarding.”