Alfie Thomas

Why did you choose the School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds? 

I really liked Leeds as a city when I visited on open days, and I knew I wanted to move away from home when I went to university. The course structure at Leeds appealed to me compared to other universities as there was a clear separation between theory time and placements in practice.

Why did you choose your course? 

I’ve known that I wanted to pursue something healthcare related since I was 15, I bounced around different courses but always came back to nursing, possibly because my mum has been a nurse for over 30 years. Nursing is one of the most hands-on healthcare professions with the most patient contact time, and that really appealed to me because you get to see the day-to-day changes in your patients as they, hopefully, get better.

What has been the highlight of the course?  

For me, it was definitely placement at the beginning of second year. I was in some very interesting placement areas, I learned a lot of fundamental nursing skills and started to become a lot more autonomous and independent in my nursing practice. The staff in the placement areas were also really supportive of my learning and emotional wellbeing. 

How do you plan to use the skills that you have learned?

I’ve learned so many important skills for my future career in nursing and have developed fundamental knowledge that will only grow in the future. The nursing course has empowered me to find my own solutions to problems, and has taught me how to research to facilitate the most up to date evidence based practice. 

What would you say to someone thinking of coming to study here? 

Have a look around the campus, get to know some of the lecturers, and have an explore of the city to get a real feel for Leeds. At the end of every university course you’re going to have a degree, so it is about finding the place that you feel most at home, and can see yourself staying in for 3+ years. For me, that was Leeds.