Caring for people and supporting people has naturally been part of my

Caring for people and supporting people has naturally been part of my life. I was raised in a society where looking after parents, grandparents and siblings is part of a daily responsibility. One is not deterred by the level of commitment, affection and compassion needed to undertake those duties. With such upbringing, I have always had the courage, the compassion and the commitment to care for people of all ages.In my current place of study, I have improved my communication skills by adopting the 7C’s of communication which I have transferred into my place of work thereby making me communicate effectively with my service users and colleagues. I have been taught about the 6C’s of the nursing profession which will be pivotal in my career as a mental health nurse. I have been taught about the Harvard referencing and relevant skills such as avoiding drug error. These knowledge and skills will be essential in my studies at the university and in my career as a mental health nurse. I have been working as Healthcare Assistant in mental health and learning disabilities during the past ten years mostly in forensic and PICU settings, caring for people with personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, people who self-harm, depression and psychosis in Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust NHS and Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust NHS. And this has broadened my understanding of these conditions, given me a good insight into caring for the needs of service users.I have been involved in Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings discussing patient’s progress and their future needs, involved in sessions such as group (sex offenders), CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and psychology.I have attended trainings related to the healthcare profession such as Manual handling, Averts, MAPA, Information Governance, Health and Safety at work, Infection Control, fire safety, food safety, Basic Life support, Child and Adult Protection.I have gained knowledge in policies, procedures and legislations which govern the healthcare profession (Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act2005, Data Protection Act 1998). I do writing of incident reports, hand over, escorting patients on leave for community reintegration as part of my key worker responsibilities. The skills I have acquired from these jobs will be very helpful in mental health nursing as placements take place at variety of settings such as in hospitals, nursing homes, the community and the voluntary care sectors. In my job role, I have realised the importance of treating service users with respect and dignity, how to de-escalate unsettled behaviours.I find it very rewarding working in the healthcare profession which has reinforced my passion in wanting to train as a mental health nurse. I would like to make a difference in the lives of service-users and feels that I will have more opportunities to do that as a qualified nurse.I have a caring and compassionate nature and can form therapeutic relationships quickly with service-users and can work well in a team and also autonomously.I would be very grateful if opportunity is given to me to study Mental Health Nursing at the university to enable me to acquire more knowledge and skills needed to make positive impact on the lives of service-users.