Kevin King

I decided to study mental health due to personal experiences with the mental health system. It’s important for me to study mental health as I’ve seen the huge impact staff can have on a person’s wellbeing whether it is positive or negative. I aim to practice with the service user at the heart of their care and to put them first this way I believe that they will get the best care they can. 

So far at University, I have enjoyed the wide diversity of the modules but my personal highlight so far is meeting people on my course and other branches of nursing and the friendships that have forged by meeting these people. 

I think that the clinical skills suite exercises will help me in my future career as the suites have up to date modern technology that we get taught to use. We also have had guest speakers from the Leeds and York Partnership foundation trust which have enabled us to learn about new developments in the trust and learn new skills to up to date guidelines. 

I’d say that the University of Leeds provides brilliant personal support and provides a modern up to date approach to teaching. I’d also advise anyone that comes to study nursing that it can be mentally and physically exhausting at times but the university and other students on your course can get you through it! 

I think the city of Leeds provides a uniquely diverse community with a wide range of activities going on throughout the year that can suit anybody. 

My most rewarding placement to date was with the Memory service in Leeds performing memory assessments on the older adults of Leeds and providing post-diagnostic care to people diagnosed with dementia. I found the staff’s passion and dedication to the job and to providing care to their patients amazing. I also found the support they offered to me during placement by my mentor and other colleagues was brilliant. 

In year 1 I was on placement in older people’s services working with people diagnosed or being diagnosed with dementia. I have just started placement in year 2 in a team working with people with long-running mental health problems. Students don’t need to know everything before they come into practice however they need to be willing to learn, willing to accept feedback on their skills so that they can develop. Students need to be able to communicate with a wide variety of people with different communication needs. I’d also say that students need to be willing to build up their skills and be able to speak up if they see something that concerns them.

The program has lead me to discover a wide range of teams I hadn’t been exposed to yet and this gives me a range of experiences which makes me think more about my future career and what area I would like to work in.

I think School of Healthcare graduates who go on to be employed by the trust show dedication and passion as nursing is not the easiest course to be on it can be the most rewarding!