Petra Myrie

BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing

“I am 36 years old and a mother of two, and I have been studying to become a mental health nurse at Anglia Ruskin University. I had not worked for a few years raising my children and did not have a career and started feeling that I wanted to do something with my live, make a contribution to something I believed in. My eldest child had a disability and this experience for me made me realise what it meant to really care for someone also having a close friend suffer with mental health problems made me decided that I wanted to go in to nursing.

Not having done any academic work since leaving college, I was very nervous about going to university. I found out from a friend about doing an access course in health and social care. This course is designed for people returning to study, and to prepare you for degree study at university. It covers a range of subjects including academic writing, research and interpersonal skills, biology and psychology. I found this course to be incredibly useful not only with my academic work but also for my confidence. The course also helped confirm that this was the career path I wanted, and it gave me the motivation and determination to apply at Anglia Ruskin University to do a degree in nursing.

The course emphasises the integrated nature of nursing knowledge and practice. Study is split - 50% at university, and 50% practical (in placements). Both placements during my first year were mental health based, and I knew that I had to do an insight placement in adult nursing - I was not looking forward to it. I knew I had to do it, so I just hoped that my four weeks there would go fast and not be too bad. On my last shift of doing my insight placement I was actually quite sad to go. I had the opportunity to work with some great nurses and meet lots of patients and felt it was a privilege to care for them. This also gave me a better understanding that mental health and adult nursing are interlinked. It is important to have knowledge about the physical and mental health aspects of a person to be able to give them the best care.

Looking back on the first year, managing academic, practical and home life has been far from easy and quite stressful at times, but there is a lot of help if needed from the staff at Anglia Ruskin - and of course it is also important to work as a team with fellow student nurses, and to support each other.

I am still very motivated and determined to do well and have a career as a mental health nurse. If I have any advice about applying for university it would be to remember that your personal statement is the most important part of your application. This is your chance to draw attention to your achievements, experiences and also your goals. Show you understand what the course entails and show your enthusiasm as to why you want to do the course.

When you have your interview try and be as prepared as possible. Think about some of the questions they may ask, and have knowledge about up to date information on your subject. Finally, show how motivated you are about doing the course and having a career in health and social care.

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