A Day in the Life of a Mental Health Nursing Student 

My name is Han (Hannah) Telling, and I am a Mental Health Nursing Student at Wrexham University. When studying nursing, no day ever looks the same! However, this blog gives you some insight into my day as a nursing student during lecture time.  

Morning

During the theory parts of my course, I try to get up at 8am. This gives me plenty of time to get myself ready for my day. I don’t like rushing around and so I try to have everything organised the night before.  

I am not a breakfast person either, so I tend to pack a small snack for in-between lectures, usually this is some fruit or a cereal bar.  

I pack my bag with my essentials such as my laptop, some lunch, a notebook and some pens and head off to campus. One thing I never forget to do is make a cup of tea in a travel mug - some days I need my caffeine to get me through the morning! As I live in a student house with 4 other housemates, we often share a lift to campus to save money and time.  

I normally get to my lecture hall around 9am ready to start at half past. This way I can read through notes, check any emails and speak to my course friends before the lecture starts. Currently, I am studying a module called ‘Nursing Evidence-based Practice’ and I’m really enjoying it. Our morning lecture normally lasts for 2.5 to 3 hours; we start at 9.30 am and finish around midday.  

Afternoon

Once my morning lecture has finished, I will spend some of my lunch with course/housemates. This year, I am trying to be more cost-effective, so I have been bringing a packed lunch. I normally eat this either in the Students’ Union (Glyn’s bar) or, if it is nice, I sit and eat outside. My course mates and I normally sit together and have a catch-up, talk about the previous lecture or help each other with work. Sometimes, I go to the B-hive to catch up on notes from my morning lecture.

At around 12.45pm I head back to my lecture hall ready for afternoon lectures starting at 1pm. My second lecture of the day is around 2.5 hours long, so it normally finishes at 3.30pm. Occasionally, we have guest lecturers visit to talk about current issues or specialist health scenarios. This way we can learn from those still working within practice, or even service users themselves.  

Once my lecture finishes, I often go to the library to find some additional resources on the academic work we are currently studying. This allows me to better understand the concept(s) I’m learning about and gain more knowledge ready for my assignment writing.  

Evening

After my lectures, I travel back home, unpack my bag and have time to decompress I think this is really important after a day in lectures. I usually do this by watching the latest popular series on Netflix, scrolling on social media, or reading a book. At around 6-7pm, my housemate and I make our evening meal together - we like attempting new recipes (even if they don’t always go to plan!). We all eat together, tidy the kitchen and talk. Occasionally, we will play board or card games and relax together.  

Once everything has been cleaned up from our evening meal, I call my family at home and tell them about my day. I find that calling my family helps combat home sickness and means I find out how everyone is at home.  

Why study at Wrexham University?

I am incredibly settled at Wrexham University and feeling grateful for the support and guidance the University has to offer. Starting university can be a scary process, but it is amazing to try new things, step out your comfort zone and attempt every opportunity given to you. I am loving my time at WU and can’t wait to see what this year brings!

Ready to start your journey towards a rewarding career in Healthcare? Check out our Nursing and Allied Health courses today!