Kimberly's nursing journey

Nursing student Kimberly shares her journey to becoming a nurse, starting with her degree course here at Anglia Ruskin University.

Nursing has always been a predominant profession in my family. I have been brought up surrounded by people who have inspired me to want to become a nurse.

My mum is a palliative care nurse and taught me that nursing is more than just care. Small things like doing a patient's hair, giving them a shave and actually using that time to listen to and understand your patient is fundamental to care. I wanted to become a nurse and embed a holistic approach in my care, looking at the individual as whole. Also to follow in my mum’s footsteps, ensuring excellent care is provided to all patients.

I chose to apply at Anglia Ruskin University because at every Open Day and Taster Day I attended, I felt welcomed by all staff and students. They were very informative and answered every question I had without hesitation. The feedback from every student I spoke to was positive and they all said the support provided to students was amazing. Being a student here has given me the opportunity to excel as a nurse; the continuous support given has helped me to achieve this.

The best thing about being a student nurse is the diversity in the areas of nursing you are able to learn from. We are given a wide variety of placements such as community, theatres, acute care, surgical and medical. This has allowed me to have a broader understanding of what opportunities nursing offers and also prepares me for when I qualify. Looking after patients, supporting their families and carers, and being able to make a positive difference to someone’s care is extremely rewarding.

Nursing is not easy, but then I think it is not meant to be. There are many times I have found parts of this journey to nursing hard and I have felt the pressure, but I remain positive and think that the profession that I have chosen will make a positive difference to people’s lives and provide me many career opportunities in the future.

Nursing has given me a better understanding of people. I have learnt about different cultures, social backgrounds and religions. It has shown me that every person is an individual. I have gained clinical skills and knowledge from many professions in healthcare and everything I have learnt I will apply to practice and share with colleagues.

Working as a nurse requires excellent communication skills. Working in a team effectively is paramount to delivering excellent care. As students, we are faced all the time with situations where communication with both patients and colleagues is essential. I am in my final year and I will be going into practice to do my management placement. I will learn how to manage a bay of seven patients and how to appropriately delegate care throughout the team. Although I am very nervous about my placement, I know I will be supported by the University and the Trust. The management placement will provide me with the last push of confidence before becoming a nurse.

To be a good nurse you need to be a good listener, empathetic, compassionate, a team player, brave and assertive.

To those who want to choose nursing as a career, I would say that it opens a wide spectrum of career opportunities. Due to the high demand for nurses the chances of securing a job after qualifying are promising. I already have been offered a job at my local Trust, which is extremely exciting.

Most importantly, never forget your patient comes first and to always look at every patient holistically.

By Kimberly
BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing student