Our student lives

My favourite memory is when I was a junior psychiatrist in the early 2000s and was about to leave the Wandsworth and Merton Older People’s teams. On my last day, I found a surprise party awaiting me in the ward. They had cooked dishes from around the world - I was very touched that they made such an effort. Meanwhile, the Jubilee Day Hospital kept calling for me to come down to see them too. Filled with all the wonderful food and after saying goodbyes to my colleagues and patients there, I went down to the Jubilee and found ... another surprise party with beautifully prepared food from around the world! They made me feel so special. Billy Boland

I moved from Ireland to train in general nursing at St George’s Hospital. I was always interested in mental health, so worked here at Springfield as a healthcare assistant on the bank. As a student I was always broke, so I took extra evening work in a pub in Tooting. The patients would come to the pub and shout, “Any chance of free pints, Nurse?!”

Sharon Spain

Springfield is so dear to my heart. My best friend and I were student nurses living in the residences together, we both met security guards – who were also best friends, both from Dublin, and both named Paul! My Paul became my husband and we are still together 30 years later.

Amanda Cummins

I came to Cottage Day Hospital as a student in my final year before getting my nursing qualification. Working there was an amazing experience - I found that Mental Health Nursing allows you to have such an impact on someone’s wellbeing and I knew this was the job I wanted to do.

Richard Dalton