Adult nursing: my student experience

Alumna Thea Diaz shares her experiences at CCCU as an Adult Nursing student, and life after graduation.

My name is Thea Diaz. I’m 22 years old, and a graduate of Adult Nursing at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU).

I decided to come to CCCU because of its location – it means I can travel to and from both my parents’ house and London easily. Everything you need as a student is within walking distance, and there’s such a great atmosphere in Canterbury! It has a great balance of history and modern living. I love the scenery in the city – it’s such a beautiful place, and so full of culture.

Everything you need as a student is within walking distance, and there’s such a great atmosphere in Canterbury! It has a great balance of history and modern living. I love the scenery in the city – it’s such a beautiful place, and so full of culture.

I lived in student accommodation in my first year, which felt like a good bridge between life at home and life on my own. It showed me that everyone was in the same boat, so I felt a lot less nervous! I met people who are still my close friends, and I was lucky to live with other students from the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, which helped to reduce my stress and anxiety as they all understood what I was going through.

At first, it was difficult to strike a balance between placement, assignments and relaxation. I made use of all the support available – the people I lived with, my lecturers, and the library! MY favourite thing about CCCU was the library. I spent so much time there – sometimes all night! – and because there was a lot of group work involved in my course, we spent a lot of time there all together. Booking rooms was really useful, and I made a lot of use of the iZone, who were always able to answer any question I had.

My favourite part of Adult Nursing was anatomy and physiology, which made it easier to link theory with practice. I relished that moment when my learning just ‘clicked’ and everything made complete sense in my head, in class or on placement. I would just ‘get’ why a patient had been given a specific course of treatment, or why their physiology was important to their condition.

I relished that moment when my learning just ‘clicked’ and everything made complete sense in my head, in class or on placement.

The best bit about being on placement was working with all the different professionals. Each placement I did had different specialists who were able to share their unique experiences. I witnessed a midwife help a baby into the world, assisted physiotherapists in helping bedbound patients become mobile, and watched surgeons working in the operating theatre. I loved all the learning opportunities, and I’d like to eventually do my Master’s degree.

My highlight of graduation was walking through the cathedral cloisters with my gown billowing behind me. I also really enjoyed throwing my cap in the air! I’d waited so long for that moment; it symbolised letting go, and moving on.

My highlight of graduation was walking through the cathedral cloisters with my gown billowing behind me. I also really enjoyed throwing my cap in the air! I’d waited so long for that moment; it symbolised letting go, and moving on.

I’m currently working in ITU at The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. It is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe. My advice to current and future students would be to enjoy university! It doesn't last forever, but the experiences and knowledge does.