Kimberly's nursing journey

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 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.