We love it when we see our older ambassadors sharing their advice and experiences with other girls. Here Amal, who was a few years ago talks about why she decided to study to become a nurse. Some great advice for anyone considering this as a career. 

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• Hey, ever considered what nurses do? 
• Ever seen nurses at work in hospitals, GP surgeries, or nursing homes?  
• Do you wonder if nursing is for you?

People ask me about what I do in my nursing course - what it entails, why I want to spend long hours learning how to look after unwell people and what I think I’m learning. I am not a qualified nurse but just here to share some of my experiences and thoughts of what it’s like training to become a nurse.

Training to become a nurse

I am a second-year undergrad student studying Adult Nursing at the City University of London which is a 3-year-long degree. 

My degree involves being at university studying half the year and being on placement the other half of the year. For my first year, I'm required to complete five weeks at different wards in the hospital and change every five weeks.  I’ve been in different departments as part of the work placements from surgery, rehabilitation, and the Covid wards.  

My Experiences 

In the surgery department, I’ve been with doctors and nurses trying to treat broken bones, assessing damage from accidents to getting x-rays done.  I’ve worked with women who have had egg removal surgeries and been able to support them in their recovery needs.  It can be emotional and there is a lot of hand-holding because, in the end, we are all human and it’s scary having any sort of surgery.

During my time in the rehabilitation department I have been privileged to work with nurses who provide amazing rehab care to people who come in with damage from brain injuries.  One of the most traumatic experiences that I have had is being part of a team supporting a person shot due to mistaken identity.  The person was left paralysed.  It was an incredible shock for me to know that such circumstances beyond people’s control can result in a young person losing so much.

I love working in the A&E department because it’s so fast-paced and I see results so quickly.   It can be scary especially right now because there are so many patients and using my medical knowledge to provide the best health care during times of pressure.  

I find it interesting to find out what has led people to become injured and end up in the hospital. Whether this is a mental or physical health-related issue they came in for, it’s amazing seeing people’s lifestyle and what kind of health style they live by. I love the role of nurses and what they do in order to support patients to get back out into the world – to become stronger and live a better life. 

I chose the course because there is a side of me that wants to care for people in a world that sometimes seems so harsh.

Inspiration?

During my work placements I met many dedicated and caring nurses but for me one person stands out who became my mentor in a short space of time.  We often access role models who are passionate about caring for people and one of them was a nurse who herself had children with special needs.

Where other people can cut off when they go home and have a break- she slipped back into her other caring role at home. She is dedicated to her work and has brought life-changing situations to people.  My mentor still managed a work life balance and still cared for her children as though she didn’t have such a long shift. She would go home to get her children ready for bed only to be in work early in the morning the next day.

I was always in awe of her - she basically did 13 hours every day and went back to still care for her children. She has been an amazing person to work with and learn from and I hope to become an amazing nurse like her as well as a great individual. 

Nurses are so undervalued, and I wasn’t aware of this until I was placed in nursing circumstances - it was then I realised how important nurses truly were.

No other healthcare staff is able to give that one to care from anyone else apart from nurses

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A great account of nursing, thanks Amal, we think you will make a great nurse. How brilliant that you found another inspirational and strong woman to be your mentor too! We can find mentors at all stages in life and of course as we become more experienced we can become mentors for those around us too.