Speaking as someone who has fibromyalgia, personality disorder and chronic fatigue to name a few disabilities I have, I have always felt that I wouldn’t be able to complete my nursing degree as they would hold me back but BU have so much support, help and advice that I’ve flown through my first year and now I am into year two with so much more confidence that I will pass and finally have my dream of becoming a nurse.

The Additional Learning Support team have given me so many tips to help organise my workload and new ways of thinking about my work and even just emotional support when I have needed it. When I really needed extra support emotionally, I was able to turn to the well-being team who work with the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. They had a huge toolbox of strategies to help me work through my issues that I was facing including one to one counselling session and getting cognitive behavioural therapy. Uni is hard enough and throw in moving away from family and friends and learning how to cook and manage money, it’s understandable how it can get overwhelming.

Information on ALS was so easy to find on the  Bournemouth Uni website and they also give you links to additional services such as the disabled students allowance which I didn’t know about or that I was even eligible for. This allowance helped me get a new laptop and lots of software to help me as well as a new desk and chair to help me with my comfort due to my fibromyalgia. Bournemouth Uni can support students with:

• Specific learning differences
• Physical/sensory impairments
• Medical conditions
• Mental health issues
• Temporary injuries

As I am also dyslexic, the uni have been amazing at helping me with extra time for exams and if I need an extension on assignment work. This has definitely been one of the biggest helps for me in allowing me to complete my work to the standard that I know I can achieve with that extra time.

When I really needed extra support emotionally I was able to turn to the well-being team who work with the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. They have a huge toolbox of strategies to help work through any issues you are facing including one to one counselling session or getting you some cognitive behavioural therapy. Uni is hard enough and throw in moving away from family and friends and learning how to cook and manage money, it’s understandable how it can get overwhelming.

No matter how big or small my battles have been, Bournemouth uni have there behind me to help and guide the way, ensure that I can be as successful as possible in gaining my degree and achieving my dreams of being a nurse. I’m never afraid to ask for help or ask a question in fear of feeling silly and now more then ever I really am confident that I will pass my degree and become a nurse by the end of 2023!