Health and Social Care

Personal Statements
(including Nursing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Paramedic Science and Social Work)

The personal statements in this pack are designed to show you real examples of statements that students have written in the past. Do not plagiarise these statements; the college, UCAS and your universities are able to detect attempts at plagiarism.

Midwifery My ambition is to become a midwife as it would be a privilege to provide advice, support and guidance throughout pregnancy, labour and post-natal care. Pregnancy is a time of joy and excitement but it can also be a time of apprehension and anxiety, so it is important for a midwife to have good communication skills, skills that I believe I have. Being a mother, I have discussed dietary needs, supplements, analgesia, screening for abnormalities and labour options with friends and family. I come from a very large family with four new additions to be born this year; I hope to be present at a birth in May. Unfortunately I have also experienced miscarriage, disability and death within my family and I believe that supporting and advising on these issues has attracted me to Midwifery, although I am aware that the medical/biological aspect of care is as important as the psychosocial role. Biology has been one of the subjects that I have really enjoyed on the Access to HE. I find the whole molecular system of the body amazing; the complexities of a single cell are quite unbelievable. Since starting the course I have delivered group presentations in Healthcare on the various forms of pain relief during labour such as gas and air, Tens, epidural and aromatherapy. I am proud of my performance so far, achieving merits and distinctions in the majority of my assignments. I have recently completed two days work experience at the Royal Berkshire Hospital where, on my first day, I witnessed an initially normal birth where the mother began to show signs of fatigue as she had been in labour for a long time, then the baby had shoulder dystocia so the doctors decided to perform a forceps delivery and I became aware of the increasing risk to both the mothers life and the babys the longer the operation took. I later read up on shoulder dystocia and discovered that it occurs in about every 200 pregnancies and some of the contributing factors include long labours and large babies, in this case the baby was a healthy 9lb 13oz and it was a long labour. The second day I spent on the post-natal ward and observed the daily running of the ward such as taking observations, organising discharges, removing catheters and generally making sure mothers and patients were well and comfortable. The lady that I observed that delivered her baby the previous day had lost 1.5 litres of blood due to an episiotomy so when the care assistant tried to take blood, her vein kept running away and this indicated to her that the patient had low blood levels, she did not require a transfusion but was given a salt solution. These two days of experience was very moving and very informative. I have learnt how quickly a situation can change from normal to life threatening, so a midwife must be able to adapt and react to a situation in an instant. It also made me realise that there is a great deal of paperwork and notes that must be kept regularly and meticulously as relaying accurate information is essential, for example when there is a change of shift during labour, notes are vital records that show blood pressure, pulse, babys heart rate, time between contractions and vaginal discharge, all indicators of how the labour is progressing and the health of mother and baby. I am a caring person that has helped and cared for many friends and family when they have been pregnant, ill or immobilised. Being a mother has given me much satisfaction and pride but as my children are growing up I am ready for a new challenge. A midwife must also be well organised, observant and able to record data accurately, I have worked as an optical receptionist and clerk so I am able to keep records, I am a managing to work part-time, be a mother and do a full-time course so I am able to organise well. I am certain that studying Midwifery at university will only strengthen my real-life experience, making me an ideal candidate for this course. It will open doors for me and allow me to pursue my chosen career.

Physiotherapy I became interested in studying physiotherapy somewhat later in my life than many others. As a teenager my main passion was sport. I excelled in badminton and other racquet sports and was tailoring my life towards a sporting career. I had represented my club at both regional and county level competitions, meeting Olympic silver medallist Gail Emms along the way. Sport was my dream, love and future. Unfortunately in 2005 I was involved in a serious car accident in which I dislocated my right shoulder. Although I recovered sufficiently to carry out all of my normal activities, I was no longer able to compete in high level sports. It was through this injury that I developed my first contact with physiotherapy. As an individual from a non-healthcare background I had no real understanding of the role of physiotherapists up until this point. Following my injury I decided to pursue sporting activities for recreational purposes only and set about focussing on my career. I have always enjoyed working with people and as part of a team and therefore took the step of working as a health care assistant. I really enjoyed this work and I studied for an NVQ II in health and social care. Although this was successful and I was tempted to apply for a health and social care course I remained attracted by a career in physiotherapy. After discussion with a number of physiotherapists at my local hospital I decided to apply for a post as a physiotherapists assistant. This would allow me to continue in employment whilst also providing me with the insight into physiotherapy as a profession. I was successful in being appointed to this post. This job involved working in a busy district general hospital as part of the physiotherapy team. I was responsible for helping the physiotherapists to rehabilitate patients and I was placed in a wide variety of clinical areas including respiratory, neurology and medical specialties. Through this post I gained valuable insight into the important role played by physiotherapists, reinforcing my initial impression of the experience I had with them as a patient, several years earlier. I quickly became a valued member of the team and in addition to my weekday activities was also rostered into the on call rota to help provide care out of hours and at weekends. Although I was very happy working as a physiotherapy assistant I was equally frustrated by the limitations imposed by this role, and I increasing sought out the challenges and autonomy that come with being a formally registered physiotherapist. Whilst I am committed to all aspects of physiotherapy training I am most attracted to the role of stroke rehabilitation at the present time as I have seen the dramatic different that physiotherapists have been able to make to patients lives in my own unit, in some cases avoiding the need for care home admission. Outside work I am an extremely active and sociable individual. I relax by playing racquet sports and also enjoy running and cycling. Over the past few years I have also been involved in helping in poker evenings as part of a company that specialises in corporate entertainment. Overall I am a passionate and committed individual. Although I am a mature student I would endeavour to make the best of a course in physiotherapy and believe that I have much to offer not just the course, but also the profession. At the present time I am undertaking an access course, to help prepare me for the demands of a physiotherapy degree. I am enjoying studying the clinical sciences which underpin the practice of physiotherapy. The course has helped me improve my time management and organisational skills around work, and college life.

Physiotherapy Physiotherapy saves lives. The treatments give people their quality of life back after they have suffered an injury or ailment. My first insight into this career was watching my friend undergo extensive physiotherapy treatment after suffering from Perthes disease. I was filled with admiration when the physiotherapists not only provided her with various treatments to maximise her mobility but also provided emotional support and encouragement for a scared young girl facing the possibility that she might not walk again. The hydrotherapy treatments built up her muscles gradually until she could have further vigorous treatment to allow her to walk with ease. During work experience at Basingstoke Hospital I had the opportunity to speak to many physiotherapists about their daily routine. I could see that they were involved in the treatment of a variety of cases, from neurological illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis to long term conditions including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Osteoarthritis. Exploring the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists website confirmed my desire to pursue a career in Physiotherapy. I realised that, as one of the largest allied health professional groups its field is rapidly expanding, and the prospect of working in such a stimulating environment excites me. Investigations into the care of the elderly and stroke rehabilitation fascinate me as well as the current research into hip arthroplasty and spinal injuries. Further experience at a physiotherapy clinic provided an insight into the diverse use of this field, from sports injuries to schools aiding those with special needs. The physiotherapists were constantly evaluating illnesses, diagnosing problems and assisting recuperation. I also had the opportunity to observe massage treatments and acupuncture, which brought significant relief to the patients pain. To have a successful career in physiotherapy, it is essential to have excellent interpersonal skills, and my sensitive and caring nature enables me to interact easily with people of various ages. Volunteering at a care home for the elderly for the past two years has allowed me to witness and be a part of the fundamental and basic care a vulnerable adult needs. Communication is a vital part of patient care, and so I spend a large amount of my time at the home talking and listening to residents. Being able to communicate with people with a range of impairments is imperative so I recently began to attend British Sign Language classes. I am a very committed individual and contributing in these ways towards the community has not only been an incredibly rewarding experience but also improved my time management skills. Balancing my academic studies with extra-curricular pursuits has allowed me to gain further skills useful within a healthcare environment. I share my knowledge and passion for Latin by running a club at a primary school, which requires dedication and organised planning. I am also currently completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, a qualification in which teamwork is essential. This is a vital skill in a medical field in order to provide the best possible patient care. As a keen flautist working towards my Grade Six, I have also been part of an orchestra for the past three years, enhancing my confidence and demonstrating my commitment. Taking an active role at school has always been important to me and as a prefect I have been in charge of year eleven students and been active in helping the Latin department. As a member of the School Management team my organisation skills have been strengthened through the running of school events. Physiotherapy is a crucial therapeutic component of the medical field. It is a challenging yet stimulating profession and I am convinced that I have the dedication and the ability to interact with a range of people from different backgrounds. I know that I could thrive in an environment where patient care is the number one priority.

Social Work Since 2009 I have been working with young autistic age between twelve to twenty four with challenging behaviour at the 'Priory', and currently doing NVQ in Health on Social Care provided by the company. I understand that social workers help many people with a wide range of issues like psychological, health, relationship and abuse problems. Moreover social workers are there and try their best to improve the lives of individuals and improve society as whole. This is such a rewarding profession and perfect to have for someone such as me who always want to help people and improve society. I chose to study Social Work so that I am able to work with families and young people; in order for me to do so I will need to graduate from university. I chose to study BTEC in Public Service at Reading College because it is a very rewarding subject to study, and I enjoy being able to contribute to society. During my time here, I studied many modules such as Team building, Leadership, Understanding Behaviour and Understanding Discipline; combined with the work I was doing, it became clear to me that the job for me was to become a social worker. What really interested me was the topic "Behaviourism", whereby Pavlov conducted an experiment to find that behaviour can be conditioned and unconditioned. This will enabled me to have a better understanding of youth behaviour and see what I can do to help them to achieve something in their life and would be something that I would love to learn more about at university. I would also like to be able to deal with marriage and family problems, contribute to society in helping to bring balance to many families. I became an active member of 'Reading Refocus', an organisation sponsored by the Reading Borough Council, Lloyds TSB Foundations and many others to get young people off the streets and to find alternatives of how to live their lives. I am a role model to some of the youth that came to the youth club where my role was to voice-train those looking to improve their voice when singing. In 2008 Reading Refocus launched a program named 'Identity', to approach the young people on the street; I proudly took part by performing an act with my singing group. When young people reach their teenage years, I believe it is imperative that they find their identity; this identity can be manifested in something that they enjoy doing or have the talent for. When this is not complete; boredom begins to take control making them very easy to conform to any kind of behaviour, good or bad. A perfect example of this was the recent looting that happened in London. As I watched documentaries about the event and by listening to the youth being interviewed it became clear to me that most of them had no valid reason to justify what they did. In fact, this is a perfect example of what young people resort to due to boredom and followed by many others by conforming to that type of behaviour. One of my other main interests is in languages because I believe it will help me further reach communities. I was raised in Ghana for eight years and Italy for six years where I learnt four Ghanaian dialects (Twi, Hanta, Fanti and Nzima). I have been traveling round the world going to places such as Canada, USA, France, Germany and many other places where I would put my language skills to good use. In my spare time I enjoy playing basketball and singing. I believe that I will be an excellent Social Worker because helping society is something that I really enjoy doing. Moreover with my personal experiences and with the help of the university, making it possible to achieve my goal in better understand today's Youth. My wish is to use the knowledge I have acquired combined with my personal experience to try and change the youth of today. Having lived in different countries and, with the ability to speak different languages, I believe I have a greater chance to understand the different backgrounds of today's young people.

Paramedic Science I am inspired to train and qualify as a Paramedic, when I had the opportunity to interact and observe them on a professional level. When I worked at a doctor's surgery as a secretary, I had the chance to see the actions of response teams in accordance to emergency procedures. They carried out care and used the treatment of oxygen where abnormal levels were assessed. After seeing an ECG heart test being taken to check the function of the heart I saw how these professionals assessed the situation and transferred the patient to hospital as necessary. I greatly respect the professionalism of paramedics and my experiences confirmed to me that I want to become one for my career. To achieve this I have decided to re-qualify and apply to university. I have achieved similar professional and personal outcomes when dealing with people. I understand and respect diverse situations and it is my passion to pursue this profession accordingly, to the work that involves compassion and justice which describes my own character. I am committed and enjoy helping other people because I feel confident and positive to life challenges. My progress with studying Science and the opportunity to gain further knowledge and understanding through academic skills will demonstrate my skill and development. I am self-motivated; I have studied other topics such as human nutrition, where I am particularly interested in seeing how the body functions to its optimal condition from healthy eating and the issues of nutrient deficiencies. These topics link with the science of human genetics and sport science which I have studied outside of college, having an interest in the causes and treatment of diabetes. It is my objective to transfer the relevant knowledge to my career in Paramedics. I have previous communication skills and personal skills to transfer to my future learning which was gained by past work experience in the Police force; I am very used to working long hours and working closely with my team helps me to make assessments of emergency situations. I have gained previous academic skills in law and business training and successfully transferred these skills and responsibilities in my role as a receptionist in a doctor's surgery. During my employment there I confidently dealt with patients' confidential records and followed workplace procedures to prioritise patients' needs in sometimes pressured situations. To further my medical knowledge I decided to return to college to study the Access to HE Science programme where I am currently studying human science and each topic demonstrates a different approach in science. I work well in human biology as I have passion about the way the body is structured. I enjoy exploring the pyscho-biological aspects and cognitive influences of psychology; it gives an in-depth explanation that link in with the other topics. In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit and am very aware of the importance of a healthy body. I had a taste for forensic science from my police work and the combination of scientific techniques, biology and criminal law heightened my interest. I have also taken First Aid classes where learning about safety and resuscitation was fascinating to me. The concept of university and life experiences will improve my maturity and confident manner. I have the charisma to work with others, as it is my desire to help others by compassionately demonstrating the above skills and applying confidentiality to colleagues and patient details. I love the challenge of working with colleagues and the public and I am aware of the equality and diversity of the community which will help me to empathise with patients as a paramedic. The Access Course has offered me the opportunity to strengthen and prepare myself for the future. I am a confident individual with the necessary qualities to be successful as a paramedic and I look forward to studying the role at university.