Getting Involved With Extra Curricular Stuff
As busy as the nursing degree can be, don't be afraid to challenge yourself and get involved outside of your placements and lectures. Of course, if you are going to take anything extra on, you have to make sure that you do have the time to fit in it and that it won't compromise your studies. But these experiences can provide some of the most interesting and rewarding times of your degree.
I was lucky enough to get involved with a whole host of stuff during my 3 years, some of which university recommended to me and some I sought out myself. I volunteered for Childline, gained a place on a Student Leadership Programme, wrote blogs for the Student Nursing Times online and even volunteered as a student nurse on a trip to Disneyland Florida.
As scary as it can be to push yourself out of your comfort zone, you can gain so much and learn new skills. When the chance to go to Disneyland came up in my final year, I was so excited. I don't think I would have had the confidence to go in my first year (although only 3rd year students could apply anyway) as it involved meeting lots of new people and having a great deal of responsibility. But I wanted to push myself and demonstrate that the skills I had learnt up to that point could be applied to any situation, even on a safari in Animal Kingdom!
Even if you just take on a little extra at your university, such as joining a society, or work as a healthcare assistant to gain some much needed pennies, anything extra you do will help you stand out when it comes to job application time. To find opportunities you could go to a university fair, ask your tutors or just simply google what's going on in your area. If something interests you, run with it because you never know where it will lead. I enjoyed writing my blogs for the Student Nursing Times that it led me to want to create this website and pass on what I know to other students.
So don't be afraid to do something different, even if your friends aren't doing it too, you have so much to gain and learn from embarking on a new experience!
