Posted Friday 19 August 2022
Mental health nursing student Anthony Barnes is grateful to Clearing for giving him a chance to follow his passion of becoming a nurse and helping people deal with mental health issues.
The 24 year old from Preston, Lancashire, originally completed a degree in psychology before going travelling around the world. On his return he worked in a mental health hospital and quickly realised he wanted to pursue a career in that field. He was particularly motivated to become a mental health nurse after seeing shortages of staff and the significant demand the service faces.
With the usual university application deadline having passed, Anthony explained how Clearing led him to studying at Kingston University. “At first I didn’t know much about Clearing and how the whole process worked, so I did some research,” he said. “I knew I wanted to move to London and Kingston University had one of the best courses in the city. I called the hotline and, luckily, they still had places on the course.”
Anthony found Clearing a smooth process. “Once I knew more about Clearing, the whole thing was very straight forward. I had an interview for the course and was delighted with how quickly everything was sorted out,” he said.
Having now completed his first year, Anthony said he had been really enjoying his studies.. “The course is a 50/50 split between written and practical work, and getting the hands-on experience of being a nurse has been the highlight. I’m so glad I chose Kingston University as I’ve met some great people. The lecturers have been very supportive through the whole year too.”
Going forward, Anthony’s plans are to become a mental health nurse full time. He hopes to emigrate to Australia to continue his career after falling in love with Sydney when he travelled there before his degree studies.
Anthony’s advice for any students who go through Clearing this year is not to be daunted by the process. “If applicants are persistent in calling up universities, then they have a really good chance of getting a place,” he said.
Senior lecturer in nursing Anne Ambridge said Anthony’s time at Kingston University showed how coming through Clearing should not be a barrier to success. “Anthony has performed extremely well in his first year and I would encourage anyone looking for a career in nursing to consider coming through Clearing if they didn’t meet the UCAS deadline in time,” she said.
11 April 2024