Josh's Chester Made Story: There’s nothing quite like putting on your nursing blues for the first time

When I think back to my time at the University of Chester, three things immediately come to mind: community, opportunity and support. Chester wasn’t just somewhere I studied, it was somewhere I was encouraged to grow, question things and find my confidence, while learning the importance of supporting others and speaking up when something can be improved.

The sense of community made a huge difference during my time there. My peers within my cohorts made the journey that little bit easier. I often say that while student nurses may not all be in the same boat, we are all sailing the same sea. At some point we will all hit rough patches, and nobody understands that better than the people going through it alongside you, or those who have already been there.

That sense of community also extended beyond the course through the Students’ Union Societies. One memory that always makes me smile was when a society mixer happened to fall on my birthday. I turned up expecting a normal evening and instead was surprised with a birthday cake and a small celebration. It was a simple moment, but it really showed just how welcoming and caring Chester’s student communities are.

I started my studies in Adult Nursing before going on to attempt a final year in Paediatric Nursing, which gave me a really broad range of placement experiences, from critical care and hyper-acute stroke to community nursing and children’s emergency care at Alder Hey. While I ultimately qualified in Adult Nursing and didn’t complete the paediatric pathway, that experience was still an incredibly valuable part of my learning. Being able to train across both areas gave me a much wider perspective on patient care across the lifespan and has definitely shaped the way I approach nursing today. It was a privilege to care for patients as young as 48 hours old right through to a lady who was over 100.

Chester also opened the door to opportunities that really helped build my confidence in becoming a nurse. I spent two years as a Student Voice Representative, working with staff and students to help improve the learning environment and make sure student voices were heard. Alongside this, I became involved in work around trans-inclusive practice in healthcare, delivering teaching sessions and contributing to discussions on trans-inclusive care. This work led to me being shortlisted for this year’s Student Nursing Times Awards in the Mary Seacole category. The shortlisting was a result of lecturing on trans-inclusive practice, as well as co-authoring a paper in a nursing journal titled Inclusive care for children and young people with gender dysphoria: educating the workforce.

Throughout my time at Chester, the support from lecturers and the university’s wellbeing services made a huge difference. Unfortunately, each year of my degree seemed to bring some kind of rocky mountain to climb, from health issues to family bereavements and emergencies, alongside the challenges that healthcare students inevitably face at some point in their training. The support I received was genuinely fantastic, and I don’t think I would have made it to the other side without the understanding and encouragement of the lecturers and support teams around me.

I graduated in November 2025. The confidence, resilience and values I developed during my time at Chester helped prepare me for the next stage of my journey as a nurse.

For me, being Chester Made means carrying forward the values I found there: supporting others, speaking up when something can be better, and always trying to leave the profession stronger than I found it.

This photo was taken while I was on placement on a children’s ward during Children in Need. Moments like this remind me that nursing is not just about clinical care, but also about bringing comfort, kindness and a bit of joy to patients and families during difficult times.

One of the things I’m most proud of since graduating is being able to continue the work around trans-inclusive practice in healthcare that started during my time at Chester. On top of lecturing, I’ve had the opportunity to lead clinical simulation sessions on trans-inclusive practice, helping healthcare students think about how we create environments where all patients feel respected, safe and understood.

For me, making a difference in healthcare isn’t always about the big moments. Quite often it’s the smaller things that matter most – helping a patient feel listened to, supporting families during difficult times, or helping create learning environments where students feel confident enough to ask questions and challenge things when they need to.

If I could give any advice for current students, it would be to remember that nobody gets through their training alone. Lean on the people around you, ask for support when you need it, and never underestimate how much you can learn from the peers going through the same journey as you. As for student nurses, remember you are never just a "student nurse". You can bring so much change and impact even before you qualify! Your student journey can take you anywhere.

Being a Chester graduate means carrying forward the same sense of community, support and opportunity that shaped my time there, and trying to pass those values on to others as I continue to grow in my career.

The photo at the top of the page was taken during my few shifts working as a newly qualified nurse on a High Dependency Unit (HDU). It’s hard to put into words how much that moment means, there’s nothing quite like putting on your nursing blues for the first time after receiving your registration PIN.