Starting a Nursing degree during a Global Pandemic

For many students, starting university during a pandemic in September 2020 was a huge challenge – times were very uncertain, and nothing was ‘normal’ about starting the journey towards completing a degree.

Thania Islam, who is in Year 1 of our BSc (Hons) Nursing with Registered Nurse (Adult), tells us all about the challenges she has overcome in the last year.

Thania chose to study with us after visiting an Open Day in 2019; after finding everyone very lovely and helpful she could tell this was a supportive university and wanted to be a part of it. The support offered on the course such as personal tutors and one-to-one tutorials, as well as the abundance of other student support offered, meant that Thania was confident that UCLan was the right choice for her.

Fast forward to September 2020: Thania said that the online sessions for her class were very overwhelming to start with, but with the fantastic support she has received from the university and her tutors it got much easier with time. As a Nursing student, Thania has been able to access the facilities on campus and has been very impressed with the quality – these include the Anatomage Suite and the Clinical Skills Suite among many others.

"It is important to do your research into the course and the topics you will be studying, you need to know that the right course is for you – but follow your heart! Studying at UCLan is a fantastic opportunity and this university has been absolutely amazing to me and others I know."

Thania’s advice for anyone considering applying to UCLan

Thania enjoys getting involved in extra-curricular activities and was the Course Rep for Adult Nursing in 2020/21. Alongside this, in the past Thania has volunteered at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital and has been a Campaign Ambassador for Cancer Research, as well as an Ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing. Being busy all the time means that Thania has to make sure she is organised – her advice is to “stay on top of things and don’t leave anything to the last minute!”.

After graduating, Thania would like to spend some time working in a hospital and maybe travel abroad to Dubai to experience a different lifestyle. In the future she wants to go on to postgraduate study to qualify as a Physician Associate.

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