Serifat Adebisi

I decided to study at the University of Northampton based on the exceptional reviews as being one of the best universities in my local area. I also liked the fact that it has help available for students that might be struggling, which will also assist me to achieve my goal of becoming a Mental Health Nurse.

Since I was young, my career goal has been to become a Registered Mental Health Nurse – looking after people with different challenges, making sure they are living life, and supporting people to achieve simple goals. I have a passion for looking after people, so I decided to improve my skills and knowledge in this area and my ability to provide better care to patients.

Studying this course will enable me to work in a professional way – knowing the ethics of my role and improving my communication skills and ability to solve problems. All the skills and knowledge I’m gaining during my degree will be very useful in my future career.

It’s essential to do placements as part of this course and I’m currently doing one at Health Academy, which provides people with awareness on how to look after their mental wellbeing. They offer sessions such as physical health checks, trim trail walks, relaxation and massage chairs, meditation, and mindfulness, as well as signposting students for any related issues. This placement has helped me improve my communication, time management and teamwork skills, as well as my understanding of the importance of wellbeing and a heathy lifestyle. This will help me when working with different people and prepare me for continued learning.

My tips on getting the most benefit from a placement is to communicate with your mentors, learn from others, ask questions, be professional, follow the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code, and be competent.

The advice I would give to undergraduates interested in this career path would be to make sure you’re focused, set achievable goals for yourself, work as a team, share experience, manage your time, and be happy.