Sample Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement
I have always been driven by a compassionate instinct that motivates me to work in a role that helps people. Through working as a nurse I have gained a more in-depth understanding of the different specialisms of the nursing professions and the different branches of our healthcare system, and as a result of this I have becoming increasingly aware of the importance of mental health nursing, which in my opinion is a vital branch of nursing that provides assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I am also aware that it is a highly demanding branch of nursing that requires very specific skills and personal qualities, and it is for this reason that I am applying for this one-year conversion course for mental health nursing.
I became a qualified nurse in 2009 after completing the undergraduate degree in Adult Nursing at the University of West London. I chose to study a general nursing degree instead of specializing earlier in mental health nursing because I thought that it was important to gain the widest possible ground in nursing practice and in turn develop an overall appreciation of the demands of nursing as a profession. It was a pleasure to study for my nursing degree, and I believe my completion of it demonstrates my aptitude for undertaking further, specialist nursing studies.
Since qualifying as a nurse I have been enjoying the challenges of working in the healthcare sector. For me it is a privilege to be able to work on the front line of helping to take care of people who are sick and in distress. I have been working at Ealing Hospital since 2009. At present I work in the rehabilitation ward of the hospital, a posting that brings me into contact on a daily basis with people who are recovering from the debilitating physical effects of conditions such as strokes, as well as working with people who have more general mobility problems. Working in this area of nursing has helped me to develop some of the qualities that I believe are essential to mental health nursing. For example, the process of attempting to recover mobility can be very arduous and frustrating for patients, and it is essential that the nurses who help them provide them with the highest possible levels of empathy and patience, at the same time ashelping the patients come to terms with the fact that the recovery process can be a slow one that it is counterproductive to rush.
I have also worked with patients suffering from mental health problems, and the experience has motivated me to specialize in this sector in the future. For the past three years I have carried out additional work with the West London Mental Health NHS Trust as a bank worker and a healthcare assistant, combining these shifts with my work at Ealing Hospital. The experience has made me aware of many of the issues that are unique to mental health nursing, such as the fact that it is essential to develop a bond of trust with patients. I have found that working in the mental health sector suits my personal temperament; I am a highly compassionate person who finds it particularly fulfilling to work with vulnerable people, and I have discovered that working as a mental health nurse is an ideal opportunity to do this.
Before qualifying as a nurse, I was a full-time mother to my children, an experience that I believe helped to encourage my inclination towards caring for people. As any mother will tell you, bringing up children demands patience, firmness and, above all, a compassionate nature. In addition to speaking English, I am a native speaker of Igbo and Yoruba. In my spare time, in addition to enjoying spending time with my husband and children I like to relax by practicing yoga, listening to music and volunteering with a range of charities.
We hope this sample Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement will be a useful guide for relevant content and structure for your own personal statement.