Practice placements

David went from practice placements to employment

Following school, I completed a marine biology degree then moved to Oxford at the age of 21, I came across a job as a support working on an inpatient mental health ward in 2010 and completed my nurse training in 2014.

I completed my nurse training at Oxford Brookes and had all of my practice placements within Oxford Health services: I observed a good standard of care and motivated staff who possess a variety of skills and experiences.

I get to meet a variety of different people from all walks of life and support them in their recovery. I get to work in the community seeing people in their own homes and don’t have to be at a desk for long periods of time.

To work in this job, it is important to be motivated to strive for providing excellent care, it is important that you can communicate well with a variety of people and professionals.

I get support from my peers, management and professionals from associated services to help me carry out my job to the best of my ability. I am given the opportunity to continue my educational development and acquire new skills and knowledge.

I find the role incredibly rewarding, I am able to do a job I enjoy whilst developing myself both professionally and personally. I get to work in a team of very supportive people.

I found it incredibly useful to have experience working as a support worker prior to completing my nurse training, If you are thinking of training to be a mental health nurse, I would advise you to do the same as it gave me the motivation and direction I currently have in my career.