Rising through care: Temitope's story

As we mark International Nurses Day, Temitope Babajide Aluko’s story highlights the impact ARU nursing graduates continue to make across healthcare — and the vital role nurses play in shaping a fairer, more compassionate future.

Within just five years of graduating, Temitope has established herself as a standout early career General Practice Nurse, known for her clinical expertise, emerging leadership, and unwavering commitment to patient-centred care. Her journey reflects both her personal values and the strong professional foundation developed during her time at ARU.

Building trust and continuity of care

Temitope’s career began at ARU, where she studied Adult Nursing. The courses's emphasis on applied learning, clinical reasoning, and holistic care shaped her early development as a nurse. It encouraged her to look beyond symptoms and diagnoses, considering patients within the wider context of their lives and communities. Building on this foundation, she went on to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in General Practice Nursing with us, further strengthening her ability to deliver safe, inclusive, and high quality care across diverse populations.

Now working across College Health Practice Tilbury and Bag Lane Surgery in Atherton, within the TABA Primary Care Network, Temitope provides care across chronic disease management, immunisations, health promotion, and preventative services. At the heart of her practice is the belief that trust and continuity are essential. By developing strong therapeutic relationships, she has supported patients to feel heard, informed, and empowered to take an active role in managing their health. Her impact was recognised in January 2025, when she received the Employee of the Month 'Superstar' Award.

Improving experiences for patients and staff

Leadership quickly emerged as a defining strength of Temitope’s practice. As an RCN accredited Learning Representative, she mentors and supports students and colleagues across four GP practices, helping to foster a confident and inclusive learning culture. Her collaborative approach within multidisciplinary teams has strengthened communication, continuity of care, and service efficiency, improving experiences for both staff and patients.

Temitope’s ability to identify gaps in care and deliver practical, forward thinking solutions was recognised nationally in October 2025 with the Rising Star Award from the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association UK. Alongside clinical practice, she plays an active role in professional leadership as Vice Chair and Acting Chair of the Royal College of Nursing North-West Board, where she champions diversity, equity, and inclusion within nursing leadership.

Advocating for the nursing community

Advocacy has been a constant thread throughout Temitope’s journey. During her time at ARU, she served as Course Representative, Students’ Union Representative, and Student Ambassador, using her voice to represent and support fellow students.

Since qualifying, she has continued this advocacy at a national level, lobbying Members of Parliament at Westminster on student nurse bursary reform and engaging with her local MP to raise awareness of issues affecting the profession, including unpaid GP nurse salaries.

Achieving recognition

Temitope's dedication to leadership and representation has been recognised through the RCNi Nurse of the Year Award, the Chief Nursing Officer Award, and recognition from the CEO of Basildon Hospital after taking part in a CEO for a Day initiative.

In 2026, Temitope was also a finalist in the Alumni Rising Star category at our annual Alumni Awards.