Child Nursing: Joy's Student Story

Current Child Nursing student Joy shares her experiences of applying for University, life in Medway, moving through her studies and developing her love for her future career path.

My name is Joy Ogunlola – I’m 21 years old, and I’m currently in my third year of BSc Child Nursing at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU).

After I attended an open day in June 2015, Canterbury Christ Church was going to be my first-choice university! I loved the welcoming feel of the university and had the opportunity to ask one of the lecturers in the child nursing team and a student ambassador questions about the course and what student life was like at Canterbury Christ Church. I was absolutely sold.

After I attended an open day in June 2015, Canterbury Christ Church was going to be my first-choice university!

The application process wasn’t at all difficult. I applied through UCAS when I was in sixth form and made my five choices of a university. The hardest part for me, really, was formulating the words for my personal statement and really expressing my desire to be on the course. I was also worried about my limited experience work experience, but I was given great advice from the child nursing team about what I could do to gain more.

I was invited to a selection day as part of my application, and even though all the candidates were nervous, the lecturers and university staff put us all at ease. A few months after my interview I received offers from all the universities I applied to, but I chose CCCU as my firm choice.

In my first year, I moved out of home and into halls. It wasn’t too long before I was making friends with my new flatmates, finding my feet around being a new student and learning to live independently. I really enjoyed my first year and I was mostly anxious about all the new things I was about to start learning on my course – it felt overwhelming! But then, we had introductions to all our modules, which really helped to settle my worries about learning being difficult from the start.

We had introductions to all our modules, which really helped to settle my worries about learning being difficult from the start.

I began working on open days as a Student Ambassador in my first year and that helped me to earn so that I could afford to have fun nights in and nights out in the evenings and weekends with my new friends. Being a Christian, I also found a great church to attend on Sundays, which I am still a part of now. They really look after the students in the congregation.

I am a practical and visual learner and so the clinical simulation that we do at university is my favourite part of the course. Sometimes we have sessions in the simulation suite as part of our modules and it gives us the opportunity to practice our clinical skills, and the lecturers are good at explaining to us the theory behind what we are doing. It’s not all sitting in lectures and writing notes; the diversity is what makes our learning so much more interesting. 

It’s not all sitting in lectures and writing notes; the diversity is what makes our learning so much more interesting.    

At CCCU students are given so many opportunities to do more than just study for a degree. At the end of my degree, my CV will be filled with numerous volunteering and work opportunities that I can show off to future employers. I’ve had work opportunities as a Student Ambassador and Clearing Admissions Assistant. I’m volunteered as a Course Representative and have been recently recruited as an Outreach Ambassador. It’s given me the confidence I need to work and interact with different people and has really strengthened my communication skills. 

When you study in Medway you quickly become part of a small community of health, social care and teaching students. Faces soon become familiar and I found it easier to meet and socialise with students, knowing that we were all in the same boat of studying and being on placement. I made close friendships with students who belonged to different degree programmes through sharing the same facilities and lectures.

When you study in Medway you quickly become part of a small community of health, social care and teaching students. 

I’ve been on lots of different placements throughout my training varying from general paediatric wards, community nursing, clinics, A&E, hospice care and neonatal intensive care. The best thing about being on placement is being a part of a child’s care and seeing their journey through admission to discharge. Families tend to be worried when their child become sick and it’s a wonderful feeling to be the person that helps to remove that worry and become their advocate by acting on their concerns.

I hope to work my way up to Sister (Band 6) and work within a Children’s Hospital, at-home team or Children’s Community Nursing Team in the future and beyond that, I hope to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist. I’m passionate about seeing children with long-term health conditions living happy and healthy lives and seeing families being supported and empowered in caring for their child who has a long-term health condition.

I’m passionate about seeing children with long-term health conditions living happy and healthy lives and seeing families being supported and empowered in caring for their child who has a long-term health condition.

I’m currently on my management placement in my third year of children’s nursing and it’s getting super busy now that I’m juggling my assignments and exam revision with being on placement. I’m also applying for my first Paediatric Staff Nurse job and getting invites for interviews. It’s going to be strange attending my final lectures in December but it’s exciting to feel like I’m almost finished!