Student set to bring nursing knowledge back to Bermuda

A GCU Learning Disability Nursing student has opened up on her decision to swap Bermuda for Scotland.

Ronnelle James came to Glasgow in September 2022 after her manager, who is an Alumni of GCU, convinced her it was the perfect next step in her career.

Having worked as a community support worker for the last eight years, Ronnelle knew she wanted to develop her interest in healthcare further and eventually decided to apply to GCU.

She said: “Initially, I never actually had an interest in nursing. I started working as a community support worker in 2014 after someone basically recommended the job. I knew nothing about what it was, but I decided to apply. When I went, I realised it was actually a support role for individuals with learning disabilities across all different age groups. I only planned to do the three-month probationary period…but I was still there eight years later!

“I fell in love with it during that time and really enjoyed getting the opportunity to understand learning disabilities. I decided to do a Bachelors in Psychology with a focus on child development. I then did a Masters in Mental Health Psychology. Because of the two degrees and my experience, I then got a promotion to a Clinical Assistant role and absolutely loved it.

“My manager then said he thought I could do more and told me I would be a great nurse. I really didn’t like the idea at first because I viewed nursing as taking blood pressure and giving out medication. My manager advertised hard for GCU. I heard all about the benefits and looking online I saw it was top rated for Learning Disability Nursing, so I decided to apply.”

Ronnelle added: “There was a time where I told myself I wasn’t doing any more degrees, but I’ve always had a thirst to know more. I also saw it as an opportunity to do better for the place I was working because we only had general nurses, not Learning Disability Nurses. I felt like if I had more information and insight then I could bring that back to my role in Bermuda.”

Somewhat unsurprisingly, swapping coastal coral reefs for Cowcaddens Road wasn’t an easy decision for Ronnelle, but she quickly found herself settling into life in Glasgow’s city centre.

“It was a big change leaving my family and my dog – that was probably the part that was breaking my heart the most,” explained Ronnelle.

“It was rough initially because I missed everyone, but there’s a four-hour time difference so it hasn’t been too bad. I then got to meet new classmates and staff members, my lecturer Mark Gallagher has been a big source of support to me.

“I’ve really grown to like it here - it’s beautiful and there are so many nice places. I’ve been on quite a few trips away from the city through GCU’s International Welcome Programme. I always take the opportunity because if you try to do it yourself the cost is ridiculous, whereas the International Welcome Programme costs like £12 for a whole day of exploring. I’ve been to a couple of the Lochs and a bunch of the castles. I’ve also visited St Andrews, Pitlochry and Stirling – they’ve all been really great.”

With just over a year left of her degree, Ronnelle is already excited to take her learning back to Bermuda and its population of just 63,000.

Ronnelle said: “I was intrigued to come to Scotland and see what’s on offer. We got different workshops in Bermuda but never really got a true understanding of Learning Disability Nursing.

“Learning disabilities aren’t curable - it’s about finding ways to manage and support. Learning Disability Nurses work with strengths and don’t just focus on limitations. This sets people up to succeed, instead of failing. It’s more than just a patient coming in and giving them medication. Learning disability is about looking at how we can provide support to the patients social wellbeing, behavioural wellbeing and mental wellbeing; it’s the whole package, and that’s why I love it!”

She added: “Being on placement has allowed me to see things I can incorporate back home. I’ll be telling everyone to come to GCU. I’m terrified when I go back that everyone will be asking me lots of questions because I’ve done the degree – Bermuda is a small place so news will get around fast!

“I honestly would like to see more of us come to Scotland because I can obviously advise from my perspective with my experience, but if there were five or 10 of us with that experience then it really could make a massive difference to the people of Bermuda.”

Find out more about the BSc Nursing Studies (Learning Disability) course here

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