It’s ironic that just over three years ago, if you asked me what I wanted to do with my life I would have answered “I honestly don’t know”. And while this is an understandable answer coming from a teen, at 36 years old it wasn’t so much. Having married at 18 years old and then going on to raising 3 daughters in the following two decades meant that I got sidetracked. I always loved and valued education; always hoped that eventually I could find time to go back to studying, but it seemed like it was never the right time for me to do so. That was until early Summer 2019, when I heard that the University of Malta was offering the opportunity to follow a B.Sc. (Hons) in Nursing at Part Time. I took a chance and applied. The rest is history! I am now a proud mature nursing student about to start my third year of studies at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta.
Choosing to become a Nursing Student
Throughout my childhood I was always encouraged to seek a career in Education. And while my choice as a teen was to become an English language teacher, I always felt it wasn’t the perfect path for me. So when my life took an unexpected turn of events, it wasn’t hard to let go of the idea. I shifted my focus entirely on raising my daughters whilst self-learning new things and working a couple of jobs. I gave my 100% in all opportunities I encountered, yet as years rolled by, I realised that caring for the vulnerable and making a difference in individuals’ lives was the one thing that consistently gave me joy and satisfaction. That’s when I started dreaming of becoming a midwife. Yet in Malta at the time, the Midwifery course available was a 4 year full time Degree. Due to family commitments I knew I couldn’t fully commit to it. Yet I kept dreaming. So when a couple of years later I heard about the Degree in Nursing being offered at Part Time, I knew right away that that was the course for me.
Addressing Fears
I must admit that although I was very happy and eager to apply for the course, I encountered fears based on my past. See, as a child and teen I didn’t have a very good school experience. I was bullied from Year 4 up to Form 2. I spent 5 years hiding on a daily basis at the school chapel during break so as to avoid being bullied as much as I could. And due to bullying I could barely speak up in class – whenever I had to I ended up in tears, which made things even worse. School was a nightmare. So choosing to go back to University at 36 years old ignited a fear of possible further bullying due to age.
On top of this concern, I was never an A student at school. I was average. So I also worried that maybe I wasn’t good enough for a Degree.
Yet I persisted. I applied and was accepted. The joy I felt when I did is indescribable! It was the start of the rest of my life! I had the chance to put aside my fears of not being good enough and to prove otherwise to myself and to the world. And best of all, I was choosing to study for a career which matched my personality as well as my dream of caring and being there for the vulnerable. And today I can say that even more encouraging is the fact that so far I have managed to get an A in most of the study units completed so far.
Being a Nursing Student amidst a Pandemic
When I embarked on this journey during Fall of 2019, I certainly didn’t expect that as a Nursing Student I would have to deal with an extra concern – the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world with its unexpected and unwanted appearance. And as a vulnerable woman with two vulnerable daughters, the concept was increasingly worrying. Yet as Nursing Students we managed to make it through.
The Faculty was very understanding and supportive of our individual situations. And while some may see the pandemic as an unfortunate addition to our study load, I believe that it has helped us students develop resilience. We had setbacks. We experienced fears. We got COVID-19 scares. And some of us even got COVID-19. Yet this experience helped us learn how to deal with and overcome unexpected situations.
What does it take to become a Nursing Student?
Or even better…what does it mean to be a nurse?
Being a nurse requires commitment; being good at working individually as well as in a multi-disciplinary team. It’s an ongoing learning journey where one needs to keep up with new upcoming studies leading to changes in nursing methods. Nurses nurse their patients back to health when needed, and at the same time teach them how to avoid recurring situations. Nurses spread education on health related topics so that people are aware of possible risks to developing health-related diseases and illnesses so that they can make informed decisions in their own lives and the lives of their loved ones in their care.
But this is not all…
A dedicated nurse will not only follow the above. A dedicated nurse has the patient’s holistic health at heart whilst ensuring his or her dignity is maintained throughout.
As a student nurse working in the clinical area I’ve found myself unable to help patients at times. However, I have learned that just by not being passive and choosing to be there for the patients emotionally is sometimes very precious and healing to the patient in its own way. Holding an old man’s hands who happens to have dementia whilst he undergoes sutures, scared and confused; or holding a young woman’s hands who has special abilities and is unable to understand what is happening to her, only to cry happily and repeat to me over and over ‘I love you’ for being there with her; or singing to a toddler scared of an injury and surrounding blood, keeping her steady and focused on the song so as to undergo sutures without seeing what is being done to her…
Emotional support is just as precious to any person. We all are in need of a little bit of love and care no matter the circumstance.
Are you interested in following a Degree in Nursing at the University of Malta?
The Faculty of Health Sciences offers a Degree in Nursing on both full time (3 year course) and part time (5 year course) basis. If you have commitments which you cannot avoid, then I suggest you take a look at the part time course like I did. And while 5 years may sound like too much, remember that time will pass anyway.
I must say that I have been putting off writing this article for over a year now, because I honestly don’t want to come across as an attention seeker. However, looking back I realise that if I had not been told about this course being offered at Part Time at the time, I would have lost at least another year if not more. So through this article I hope to reach others who like me have kept this dream alive through the years…
This could be the opportunity you have been waiting for! Do not let anything discourage you. Age is just a number… it is never too late to go back to studying! If you have the passion for nursing, give yourself a chance. And if like me you had a negative school experience, don’t let that keep you from going for it. Trust me, being bullied is the least thing on my mind these days…instead I do my best to inspire other students to follow their dreams and becoming the best version of themselves by believing in their own abilities. My main aim right now is doing my utmost and studying hard to reach my goal – that of becoming a Registered Nurse! And after that I hope to continue furthering my studies by following a Master’s Degree in Nursing and through continuous professional development opportunities.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Head of the Department of Nursing, Dr Maria Cassar, as well as all the staff and academics at our Faculty. Thank you for the continuous support you give us nursing students. If it isn’t for your support and guidance it would be much harder for us to make it through…you are all appreciated!
If you have questions about the B.Sc.(Hons) in Nursing offered by the University of Malta and you’d like to connect with Claire, send an email at [email protected] and she will get back to you as soon as possible.
Do you have an experience you’d like to share with us at wham either in your name or anonymously? Contact us or send us an email at [email protected]
Claire Galea is a mum of three currently reading for a Degree in Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, as a mature student. She is keen about holistic patient-centered care as well as public education about health-related subjects, which she frequently writes about on Wham as a Content Writer and Website Editor.
Claire is also passionate about spreading awareness on the negative effects that domestic abuse leaves on its victims’ mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. She is the author of two downloadable ebooks, namely Heal Your Life Forever and 5 Simple Steps To Creating The Life Of Your Dreams.
Click here to check out Claire’s full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles
