Hi, my name is Heena Fathima and I am an Adult Nursing student at the University of Roehampton. I am currently on my 2nd placement at St. Georges hospital, but when not on placement, I am usually on campus, not only for my classes but to enjoy the university environment.
When I am on campus, I usually start my day with a quick breakfast before heading to the station. I commute to university from Greenwich, taking the Southeastern railway, changing at London Bridge and Waterloo, then straight to Barnes. I usually walk to campus from Barnes as it only takes 15 minutes, but sometimes I take the free university bus. I usually have a simulation practice session later in the day, all the staff, tutors, AGTs and lecturers are great and make everything easy to understand, I love them!
After lectures are done, my friends and I normally head to either the library café, Digby Diner, or the Reef. Digby diner has microwaves which are handy for commuting students, plus a lovely seating area with a piano. I always play it whenever I go to Digby diner, even if I don’t really know how to! In the afternoon, I tend to head over to the prayer room at Froebel which gives me a lot of peace, once I finish my prayer, I go to where the apple trees are, sometimes the pondside, and have my lunch whilst I speak to my parents who are back in my home country, India. It has been just 6 months since I came to the UK, I do miss them, but it is worth it being at university and the Nest team always provide support when I need it. I personally love the library and the university environment.
As I am currently on placement, my commute is a little different as I am travelling to Tooting Broadway. I love the hospital and all the nurses, HCAs, doctors, and all the staff members. I am happy with my placement, they really encourage us to learn and practice many things, it’s also great seeing other student nurses at the hospital, it makes me feel proud to be a Roehampton student working at a hospital. Once the shift is finished, I head home and have my dinner and call my mum for a chat. Later, I have some me time before heading to bed.
There is a lot more to share as an international student at the University of Roehampton. It is good that our university is all on one campus, allowing us to meet different people on different courses.
In the 2023 NSS results, Roehampton’s Nursing degrees received outstanding results, ranking 1st in London, and 1st and 3rd respectively in the sector for Teaching. Find out more here: School of Life and Health Sciences | University of Roehampton, London