Thomas Palmer – Adult Nurse
Why did you choose to study Adult Nursing at DMU?
I chose De Montfort University because I know Leicester has a very diverse population and I wanted to ensure I was exposed to a range of cultures, services and people to allow me to care for anyone throughout my career. This was definitely the case and alongside my lecturer and fellow nursing student, I got my work published by Nursing Times which discussed how to support vulnerable patient groups!
What was your favourite aspect of the course?
My favourite modules were those that focused on deteriorating patients, clinical skills and co-morbidities although I was exposed to a range of conditions, medications and nursing interventions within other modules that I now see every day! I loved the skills labs they were modern, filled with updated equipment and allowed me to build my confidence in performing skills such as cannulation, medicines management and chest auscultation (to name a few!).
What were the highlight for you whilst studying at DMU?
While studying, I participated in many extracurricular activities such as joining the yoga society and homeless outreach society. As a student nurse, it’s important you fill your free time with things that you enjoy so I’m glad DMU had a lot to offer. I even took a course in rock climbing at the university’s gym (before I found out I have a huge fear of heights!).
As well as this I also got chosen to be part of the Council of Dean’s 150 leaders project which allowed me to develop my leadership, project management and networking skills. This opportunity allowed me to attend multiple conferences learning from influential figures within nursing and the wider healthcare team. This was an incredible part of my student journey which gave me the confidence to apply for my first emergency nursing post!
What is your best advice for students wishing to pursue a similar career?
Studying nursing is like no other course! You must be able to balance your time to meet the academic level and the expectations of your clinical placements. Although this can be challenging De Montfort has a lot of support in place including the Student’s Union, and one to one personal tutor support which I benefitted from during my studying.
As I said nursing can be a very challenging course to study but it can give you the skills, qualities and knowledge that you can apply to whichever area of nursing you see yourself working in the future!
What are you doing now after graduating from the Adult Nursing course?
I now work within a busy Emergency Department caring for a variety of people during one of the most difficult times of their lives. No two days are the same and I must adapt my time management and interprofessional communication skills to provide the best care during time-critical situations.
Although it’s a very challenging job I leave each shift learning something new and knowing I made a real difference to someone’s day. I love the team I work with (some of whom I even trained with here at De Montfort!) and wouldn’t have seen myself here if you asked me where I’d end up at the start of my nursing journey!