RAF star hopes BCU accolade can inspire next generation of military nurse

Air January 3, 2024

As a nurse in the Armed Forces, Air Commodore Fin Bradley believes you not only witness history, but you can also “play your part in shaping it”.

Now, after multiple tours to Iraq and other destinations around the world, she hopes her Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University (BCU) – awarded for outstanding contribution to public and professional life – can inspire the next generation of clinicians to sign up for the Armed Forces.

“Being a clinician is the most tremendous privilege – to serve our fellow man – especially when most in need,” said Air Cdre Bradley. “This is even more so the case when serving those engaged in conflict, when the need can be most desperate and the conditions extremely challenging”.

After starting out as a junior nurse in the NHS, the talented tennis player and skier was turned on to the RAF by the noisy jets that flew over her Yorkshire home.

Almost 30 years later, she has occupied a variety of prestigious posts, including Matron in Chief of the Princess Mary’s RAF Nursing Service, Honorary Nurse to Her Late Majesty the Queen, Chief Nurse to the Armed Forces, and now the Regulator of UK Defence Medical Services.

“Having a career in the Armed Forces is more than just a job, it’s a lifestyle choice,” said Air Cdre Bradley. “I served in Iraq three times, during periods of intense conflict, and nursed some very seriously injured soldiers during that time. I saw some remarkable acts of bravery. I was also on duty when Saddam Hussein was arrested and – as a prisoner – first became a patient”.

“As a clinician in the Armed Forces, there is the opportunity not just to witness history in the making, but to play your part in shaping it, to make a difference today and for the future”.

“There were times when I might not have wished to deploy or be posted away from home, but I think I made the best of those opportunities. In challenging circumstances, I also learned a lot about myself and the world around me”.

Air Cdre Bradley says she is “especially passionate about protecting people from any sense of injustice” and challenges herself to “go the extra mile to help those less able to help themselves”.

She also says she is looking forward to returning to a university she knows well, given the close links BCU has with the Armed Forces as host of the Defence School for Healthcare Education.

“I’ve enjoyed many visits and engagements over the years,” she said. “I know our medical personnel value the credentials they receive at BCU and the amazing network-for-life that BCU creates”.

“Thank you to all BCU colleagues for the part you play in the crucial capability of our Armed Forces. I hope that this tremendous accolade from BCU might help to highlight and inspire the next generation to think of all that is possible for them, too.”

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