International Nurses Day: Samantha Campbell

International Nurses Day (12 May) is upon us and here at the GCU Student Newsroom, we wanted to shine a light on the fact that there is no right or wrong path into a career caring for others.

We spoke to second year Adult Nursing student Samantha Campbell, who told us about her personal journey and how she ended up back at GCU after originally completing a degree in 2018.

So, without further ado, 3-2-1 ACTION! (It’ll make sense once you’ve read on…):

Leaving school

“I left school and tried out an array of different jobs. I then went to college at one point to do animal care because I thought I wanted to be a veterinary nurse but decided I didn’t really like it and didn’t have the qualifications to become an actual vet. I then went into the travel industry and worked at Thomsons, but again, it wasn’t really for me.”

Still Game and GCU

“I was always a massive fan of the TV show, Still Game and, well over ten years ago now, I contacted the director Michael Hines on Facebook. I basically just asked him how someone would get involved in working on a show like that, because I didn’t have any sort of idea. He basically said that I would need to go through the BBC Runners Talent Pool but I applied and didn’t get anywhere. I then saw James Watt College were offering media production as a course; basically involving TV, radio and advertisement – I decided to go for it. Once I’d complete that, I went to Cardonald College to study an HND in Media and Communications.

"I had three years of experience, which set me up well for applying to GCU in 2016 as a direct entry student.

"Once I graduated, I finally got onto the BBC Runners Talent Pool and I contacted Michael Hines again. It was obviously meant to be because I then got the opportunity to work on the final series of Still Game. It was almost like I planned it all from the beginning!”

Career change

“I loved working in television but it’s all freelance and it’s really difficult to know when your next wage is coming – it was too unstable for me.

"My mum was a qualified nurse her whole life but I didn’t see myself following that path. It’s funny looking back because I’d wince every time she put on the TV show Casualty. That type of career didn’t appeal to me; however, everything changed in 2018.

"My gran was diagnosed with terminal cancer and my mum and I looked after her before she went into a hospice. The circumstances were obviously really sad but I felt like I was really helping and that I had some sort of purpose in life.

"I then decided to apply for a job in a care home because of the experience I’d had. I worked there for about 18 months and had a complete switch of mentality on it – I started to think it might be the sort of career for me.

"I wasn’t getting any younger, so I decided to apply for the BSc Nursing Studies (Adult) programme; it just felt like the next natural step for me.”

Return to GCU

“It’s been really good because I enjoy learning new things, and I’ve certainly had that opportunity on this programme. I’m one of these people that doesn’t wait to get asked to do something, I just go and seek things out to do – which is obviously really helpful in this industry.

"There’s obviously a real staffing issue across the NHS, which trickles back down to students as well. We’re probably not getting as much time and attention as we maybe should be but there’s not much that can be done about it.”

Making a difference

“I enjoy nursing because I feel like I’m really helping people, which is what the profession is all about. I get patients to sign my notepad for feedback and it’s always nice when you look back to see comments about the difference you’ve made to someone. I had a patient recently say that I was without doubt one of the better nurses they’d had. That might seem like a small thing to a lot of people but it really meant a lot to me.”

Career plans

“I’ve only completed three placements so far, so I don’t really feel like I’ve found my niche just yet. I would like to try a placement in Accident and Emergency, just to see what it’s like in that fast-paced environment with something different happening every day.

"I’m also really interested in forensic nursing and clinical research, so I’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.”

By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter