What is it like studying a nursing degree at university?

Nursing is my dream job

I have always wanted to study nursing but it took me a while to get there. I had a teaching degree already and I was working so it was a financially difficult decision. When I found out that I could get a student loan for a second degree (provided it was a health course) I applied. The only decision I had to make was about the field of nursing I was going to specialise in but given my teaching background and being a parent, I decided to specialise in child nursing.

Protecting our NHS

Health is the most precious thing we have and by ensuring children are born healthy and get a healthy start in life we will have more sustainable healthcare in the future. My course discusses the sustainability of our NHS and teaches us to embrace research. It is showing us how to be politically aware and active and make a real difference on a local and global scale.

50% placement and 50% lectures at university

The assessment combines academic elements with practical and it is very hands on although there is a lot of academic writing as well. While we are at university, we don’t have placements, so it is all separate. Right from the first year we are out in hospitals and community practising on real patients under supervision, of course. As we learn more, we have more responsibility and look after our own patients under direct or indirect supervision, and it feels very rewarding when you can make a difference to a patient’s life.

I’d like to support future nursing students

I am going to work as a neonatal nurse on a neonatal intensive care unit. I am very excited about my nursing career and about all the opportunities that lie ahead of me. I also want to become a practice supervisor to help student nurses to achieve their proficiencies and skills while on placement. At Brighton I learnt that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it and you get the right support. The sky has no limits, and neither should your ambition in life, whatever it may be.