August 2024
Holly’s Story
By Holly Jones
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Holly Jones
Nursing Associate FdSc (Higher Apprenticeship)
Dental nursing to paediatrics
Former dental nurse Holly dreamed of becoming a registered children’s nurse. University College Birmingham, with its unique nursing associate course with mixed specialisms, offered a way for her to reach her goal.
“I was in dentistry for 10+ years, but felt that chairside assistance wasn’t enough for me,” she said. “I wanted to be more patient-centred and deliver care as a different type of nurse. I knew I had the ability to do it, but academics from school let me down and I’d never have been able to attend full-time uni with my grades.”
Holly’s placements spanned neonatal wards, adult wards, special schools, mental health facilities, alongside paediatric training in high dependency units, as well as children’s day surgery.
The support Holly received was paramount. Diagnosed with autism and ADHD at 32, Holly had extra support in class, access to 1:1 support if she needed it and assistance from the Disability and Neurodiversity Support team.
She also made “excellent friends” throughout the course. “Studying in Birmingham has also given me the ability to expand my knowledge of the area as I live in Tamworth. I’ve never really visited the city before I went to university. I have wonderful memories of training here."
Holly now plans to complete her foundation degree and gain more experience before applying to do the nursing apprenticeship top-up in children’s nursing.