Current Employer: NHS
Current Job Title: Auxiliary Nurse
Current Location: Exeter
“Studying at Plymouth has allowed me to go on and get my dream job as a Paediatric Nurse at Bristol Children's Hospital.”Tell us about your career path since graduation.
Since completing my degree at the University of Plymouth, I have been working as an Auxiliary Nurse in Exeter. I am currently saving money to move to Bristol, where I will work as a Paediatric Nurse at the Children's Hospital.
What is the most difficult thing which you have faced in your career?
Sometimes the cases you have to deal with as a nurse can be heart-wrenching. For instance, I once saw a neonatal baby born at 26 weeks deteriorate and I won’t forget the look of fear in the parents’ eyes. These cases, thankfully, are also balanced by the good ones where people recover.
What is the best, most exciting or fun thing that you have done in your career?
Every shift is fun; there is always someone for whom I am caring that will put a smile on my face. The best thing I've done is build friendships with my patients so they can really trust in me.
Imagine you were about to start university again - with the benefit of hindsight - what would you now tell yourself to have done differently?
I would have prioritised better; I left many assignments to the last minute which ended up in tears – but here I am, and I graduated!
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into the same line of work?
You have to be emotionally and physically ready. You will also need lots of self-motivation, without which you will unfortunately not get far. Surround yourself with positive people: it makes the job even better.
How did studying at Plymouth help you?
Studying at Plymouth has allowed me to go on and get my dream job as a paediatric nurse at Bristol Children's Hospital.
Did you undertake a placement during your degree and if so, how did this benefit you?
Placement counts for half of my degree; being more of a practical person, this worked in my favour. The downside was that I had to travel every day to do complete a 12.5-hour shift.
What is your favourite memory of studying at Plymouth?
Opening the 'statement of results' page and thinking I had a 2:2 and then three days later realising I'd read it wrong and that I'd actually achieved a 2:1. Also, staying in the library overnight to complete an assignment with my best friend and taking our anger/excitement out on the bean bags.
For more information about studying our range of courses within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, please visit the school page.
If you would like to find out what other alumni from the Faculty of Health are currently doing, please visit the health and social work interest area.
