A student's path to become a practitioner

Hi, my name is Hannah and I’m studying for a postgraduate diploma in Children’s Nursing. My first degree was in in English & Philosophy, and I have a Masters in Medical Ethics – not because I anticipated coming into nursing, I just really enjoyed the philosophy of health care. It’s pretty handy nowadays as it turns out! Before nursing I worked in disability advocacy and volunteer management, and for the last 9 years in a national charity where I ran a team that organises holidays and weekend breaks for deafblind people. I loved my work but I didn’t want to become a professional manager, I wanted to be a practitioner so I decided to study nursing. A postgraduate course really appealed to me as I didn’t want to be out of the employment market for too long. I wanted to study at the best faculty for nursing, and my mum also did her training here at King’s so it was never really going to be anywhere else for me! When I was offered a place here I was thrilled. It was a huge step to give up everything and come into nursing, but it was absolutely the right decision to take me into a career which will give me so many options in the future.

Top 5 things I enjoy about studying at King’s and the Faculty:

1.       Being taught by leading nursing academics and practitioners. It’s one thing to read about best practice in a book or the latest research in a journal – it’s even better to be taught by the person who wrote it.

2.       I love getting my clinical education at an excellent London teaching hospital. I feel proud to be part of such a big Trust offering exceptional care to a diverse population. I get to see a lot of different things, sometimes it feels like all of London comes through the door and I love that!

3.       The libraries are fantastic. I have access to every resource I can think of, and the librarians are really helpful and knowledgeable. Support is available around the clock.

4.       My clinical teachers have been brilliant and really helped bridge the gap between theory and practice, as they are all practising nurses.

5.       The campuses are so convenient for central London. It’s always easy to get around and if I have to rush about to catch up with friends or I’m volunteering, I know I will be able to get there in no time.