I grew up in Cornwall and after studying for my A Levels was all set for a career in the armed forces. My whole family is in the military, so it seemed like the natural thing for me to do. But then life played me a curveball and whilst I was waiting to start my training, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 18. Suddenly, my career path was thrown off course and I didn’t know what to do.
I ended up heading back to college and completed an Access course so that I could go to University. I love working with children, so thought I’d become a Primary School Teacher, I headed off to Liverpool to study, but by my second year I realised I hated it. The lecturers and teachers wanted me to be very serious with the children, I’m an extrovert, so wanted to make the lessons fun, but that was off the curriculum, so I decided to leave and go travelling through Australia and the US to find myself.
Covid hit and I was in the States, working with children in the great outdoors. But due to the pandemic I needed to return home, which ended up being a great move for me. I moved in with my mum and sister, who live in Cambridge, and decided to think about my future. My aunty is a mental health nurse, and she has always said I’d make a good nurse, I love working with kids, so decided to specialise as a child nurse.
I chose to study child nursing at ARU in Cambridge and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made! Cambridge is a great city, I’m close to my family and I really like the lecturers at ARU. I’m now in my second year and have experienced a mix of learning in classroom, online and in placement. I definitely learn more on my placements; year one was very theory and biology based, whereas year two, we’ve spent a lot of time in the labs, which is great for me, I learn so much better in a practical setting.
It’s great having placements at a local hospital in Cambridge, the hospital is the top of everything medical! The hospital also offers so many opportunities for students and for career progression, I definitely want to stay. In my heart my home will always be in Cornwall, but I’m not planning on returning until my retirement.
My personal tutors at ARU have also been amazing, ‘gold dust’, they are so supportive, have so much experience and really help you through.
I’m just starting up my own podcast to shine a light on male nursing. I’m the only male on the child nurse course and there’s a real stigma about men in child nursing that I’m keen to challenge this with my podcast.
