Emily Hawthorn MNurs Nursing (Adult and Child) 2022

At Southampton, we are always encouraged to be the best nurses we can be, and this is reflected in the standard of our lectures and academic support. The student community within Health Sciences provides a strong support network for everyone.

Why did you choose to come and study at Southampton?

I chose Southampton because they offer the dual-field nursing courses, which are integrated master’s courses. The ethos of creating forward-thinking nurses who practice using best evidence really resonated with me. I was also drawn to the pioneering research done within the faculty.

Can you tell us what led you to pursue nursing?

After completing some voluntary work with disabled adults and the elderly, and also with disabled children, I found that I really enjoyed the care aspect of working with people. I felt so much satisfaction from making a difference to someone’s day, and wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to practice this while applying my passion for human biology and medicine.

What is it like studying here?

How did you find the facilities on your course – is there anything that stands out to you?

The simulation rooms at the University are outstanding, and we have used them regularly throughout our degree to learn and practice all sorts of clinical skills. These give us the opportunity to truly learn in a safe and comfortable environment rather than practising things for the first time on placement on real people.

Can you tell us about your experiences on placement so far?

I have had a range of placement experiences so far in both my fields of practice, both in hospitals and in the community. It’s been great to learn how community services relate to inpatient services.

Were there any modules you particularly enjoyed?

My favourite modules so far have been Clinical Assessment and Planning Care for Children and Adults at the start of the second year of the degree. These modules had a big focus on improving our knowledge of performing assessments on patients which ultimately improved our confidence on placement. It also helped us feel like we were an important and knowledgeable member of the team.

What are you most proud of from your time at Southampton so far?

This year I have been the Nursing President, and my biggest achievement was setting up a scheme called ‘Student Insights to Placement’ for the first-year students who had their first placement delayed, due to the pandemic. With staff support, I arranged for six third year students to talk about their placement experiences to the first-year students in a video diary, covering all fields in both inpatient and community. These video diaries were followed up by a live Q&A session led by each third year student, and proved to be a great resource for the first year students.

Have you undertaken any extracurricular activities? How have they enhanced your experience?

I am currently volunteering for a local animal rescue centre, walking their dogs once a week. It has been great to get out of the house and spend some time with animals, as they are a huge stress-reliever for me. I am also part of the Nightingales Netball Team run by NurSoc. We train once a week and usually play a match at the weekend. It has been great to spend time with other nurses who I wouldn’t have normally spent much time with at university.

What are your plans for the future?

The dual field course has opened so many doors for me, and although I haven’t decided where I want to work, I know I want to stay in Southampton, because of the support and pioneering care given by the Trust. I am very interested in palliative care and have been able to explore this area on my placements within the Trust.