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Part of what was known as the ‘Covid cohort’, Children’s Nursing student Abbi Bott, from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) is one of many students who started their nursing degree just as Covid hit in 2020.  Last month the 23-year-old finished her final placement as a student nurse and is about to embark on a career as a children’s nurse in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

We caught up with Abbi, as she explains what has motivated her into a career that has an important impact on families’ lives:

A baby born, not much bigger than the size of a hand.

A family’s entire world turned upside down.

A nurse with an overwhelming feeling of the journey ahead but a sense of honour that this family are looking at her to take on their world and make it better.

This is just one of many situations student nurse Abbi Bott experiences while working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

What a first job. Responsible for new life.

It’s a life fact, unfortunately, that not all births go to plan. Babies are born early, things happen people couldn’t even begin to prepare for, or even understand.

And this is where nurses like Abbi step in, to try and help these small humans through the first minutes, hours and days of their lives; and support the family around them.

Speaking of the families, she said: “You can often see the helplessness, in their eyes. It’s hard, they are hanging on to my every word, looking for that glimpse of reassurance that everything will be okay.

“This is where our caring powers have to come in.

“I am after all working with a team responsible for the most important thing in their lives; their world, their new born baby.”

Abbi first stepped into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on a placement in her final year at university. She said from the moment she arrived she knew it was the place for her.

“The moment I walked into that unit; it changed my life forever. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

“I spent 11 weeks there, I experienced the delivery of many babies, born not quite as they should be and its my job to look after them and their families.

“I work very closely with families, explaining situations, some very difficult ones. I work with them day-in-day-out and really get to know them.”

She added: “Some babies are born as early as 24 weeks so they are in hospital for a long time and you get a real insight into the family.

“it’s a really personal journey you go on with the families, but that journey can often be very scary, and to see the babies make it home is the most rewarding experience I could ever imagine.

“That’s why I applied for my first fulltime job in that exact unit as a qualified nurse and I got it.

“Seeing a family go through such a difficult time and knowing you have helped them, as you watch them walk out the hospital doors with their baby is magical.”

Abbi always knew she wanted to work in a caring profession; she once thought about becoming a doctor. Her journey hasn’t been straightforward, but her determination to get into children’s nursing has seen her get to exactly where she wants to be.

She said: “When I first started doing my A-levels, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, I picked all the right subjects, biology, chemistry and maths.

“It didn’t quite go to plan. I dropped maths after one day,” she laughed.

“But then chemistry wasn’t going my way either, I wasn’t succeeding and it was making me miserable. I had to make the tough decision to change my subjects, but without chemistry I couldn’t become a doctor.

“It was in that moment that changed my life forever though, the realisation I wanted to help people but I wanted to take on more of the caring side, be there for people, help them, through the good and bad times.”

She added: “So while doing my A-levels I applied to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ to do children’s nursing, and got accepted. But guess what, that didn’t go to plan either, I didn’t get the grades I needed.”

Abbi knew this wasn’t going to stop her, children’s nursing already had her heart and she was getting there no matter what.

“I had many decisions to make,” she said. “I realised I still had several options to get into children’s nursing which made it harder trying to decide what to do for the best.

“In the end I got a job as a Care Assistant working in A&E, which I did while taking an online access into nursing course, this made me more determined, the hospital environment is where my strengths lie.”

Passing the access into nursing course with a distinction and reapplying to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, Abbi was accepted on the Children’s Nursing course and started in January 2020, just as Covid hit.

She said: “It was a hard journey into nursing and then a hard start with Covid, but everything that happened to get me where I am today, all happened for a reason.

“From the extra experience I got working in the hospital while gaining the qualifications to start university, it helped me when times get hard during Covid, I was already used to a hospital environment.

“It was then I realised, I wasn’t scared, I was thriving.”

Due to start her job as fulltime job as neonatal nurse in spring this year and graduate from ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ in the summer, Abbi had some final words of wisdom for nursing students:

“Push through the hard days, especially in second year, you are so far in you can’t go back but you are not close enough to the finish line.

“Second year blues is a thing and at that point you have to push through, I promise it gets better.

“Then as third year hits you really do start to feel like a nurse and it’s amazing.”