Day in the life of a Mental Health Nursing Student

Starting university may seem a bit daunting, especially if you don’t know what you are signing up for. If you, like me, are interested in becoming a nurse, read along as I would like to share with you what a day in my life as a Mental Health Nursing Student looks like.

6-7.30 AM: My day begins.

Usually, I drink coffee, do a basic self-care routine, and head out. On my train ride to the university, I go through my recommended reading for the day. After a brisk walk, I catch the free Kingston University bus that takes me straight to the Kingston Hill campus. This is the main campus for all nursing and midwifery students where all our lectures take place.

9.30 AM-12.30 PM First lectures.

I might occasionally grab a coffee and a KitKat from Starbucks, located in the atrium of the Business School. When I arrive at my first lecture, I take a seat closer to the front and use my iPad to take notes. During breaks, I catch up with my friends outside the lecture hall or get some fresh air. After class, the lecturers often remain behind, so if anyone has any questions, they can be addressed there and then.

12.30-1.30 PM Luch time.

I enjoy my time alone during lunch. A lot of people use lunchtime to write essays and catch up on their readings. I spend my lunch break eating, reading books about mental health, and sitting with my favourite people. Now I am reading a book called “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” which talks about how to apply therapy tools to common mental health problems such as panic attacks.

1.30-4.30 PM Afternoon

This marks the second part of the day, a time when students typically have a shorter attention span. Sometimes, we have workshops where we engage in group discussions. In the first half of the first year, for example, we focused on Life Science. Now, in the afternoon, we often delve into discussions about how the body functions. After this module, we'll have more lectures on mental health, which I'm looking forward to.

4.30-6:00 PM Journey back home.

After classes, I head home, where I do my homework or read some books, have some dinner, unwind, and get ready for bed.

Placement

As a Mental Health Nursing student, we get to apply our knowledge and skills to practice during a placement. So, if it is the time of the year when I need to head to my placement, I tend to eat breakfast at home and pack some lunch with me in the morning, before heading out. Now my placement is in a mental health community clinic. I have a similar schedule to my university which is 9-5. I find myself working with documents and administrative tasks than usual during my university days. But it is a great learning curve. During placement, I'm actively applying the theories I learned in lectures, especially those concerning formulation writing (a summary paragraph of the whole mental health assessment) and risk assessment.

Workshops

The simulation sessions last a whole day, and the teachers start with a presentation, followed by a practice session in groups. I love these days. They feel like team-building exercises as they are practical and interactive (lots of selfies were taken after our first aid session where we made arm slings- a piece of wrapped-around cloth to stabilize a broken arm).

Thank you for reading till the end and, if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. Hristiana (Student Rep)