Mr Samuel Woodnutt

Sam currently teaches in a number of areas, including:

• Workforce and Organisational Systems
• Suicide prevention & self-harm management
• Quality Improvement
• Psychological Formulation
• Risk Assessment & Management
• Safety of Care
• Systematic Reviews (Undergraduate and MSc/MN Supervision)
• High Fidelity Acute Mental Health Simulation

Sam completed undergraduate studies in English Literature in Bath in 2005 before working with people with autism, challenging behaviour and mental ill health.  In 2008, he trained to be a teacher in mainstream education, gaining a PGCE in Secondary Education (English) from the University of Southampton.  

In schools, Sam went on to teach English, Music, Photography, Film and Media to Secondary and Further Education levels, gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).  He had particular engagement and interest in working with children with additional learning needs, developmental issues, mental ill health and safeguarding.  Sam went on to work with young people in a Forensic Medium-Secure Mental Health Unit before completing studies for a PGDip in Mental Health Nursing in 2012.

Post-Registration, Sam worked in acute settings with adults with mental ill health, covering acute psychiatric admissions and intensive care, Accident and Emergency and Community Crisis Care.  During this time, he joined the University of Southampton School of Medicine, teaching Psychiatry on the undergraduate and post-graduate medicine programmes, and clinical skills modules to junior doctors.  He gained a distinction at Master's Level in 2017, publishing a systematic review of quality improvement (Lean methodology) in the NHS.

In 2019, Sam joined the School of Health Sciences as a Senior Teaching Fellow before being appointed as Principal Teaching Fellow and the manager for Mental Health Education in 2021.  In March 2023, he became the Director of Programmes for Nursing and Midwifery.

He is a peer-reviewer for the Journal of Advanced Nursing, Human Resources for Health, BMC Nursing, Sage Open Nursing, and Human-Computer Interaction Journals an invited member of national steering groups around mental health nursing and has contributed towards guidance documents and education standards for Mental Health Nursing across the UK.

Prizes