By Monika Thapa, MSc Health Informatics
Edited by Ben Jamieson, BA Broadcast and Digital Journalism
Finally, I was about to go to the UK for my education. That was one of the happiest days of my life. When I came back home that night, I stayed awake remembering everything that happened in 2020.
I remembered the time I was jobless, when I did not feel like myself. Not doing much more than sitting at home during the pandemic. Always having been a determined person and hardworking student, I’m always striving to learn more. I never wanted to be passive with my life. Then I thought to myself, why don’t I look out for opportunities that I could grab on to, even if it’s all locked down for now?
Slowly, I started developing my new interest in online learning. I had always thought online learning was boring and monotonous. But to my surprise, I liked it. In a month’s time I was doing courses on edX about Neurobiology. I was happy watching videos about Impulse Transmission, and how the brain works. I also found another interest area; Dementia. I had always been fascinated by the word ‘Dementia’, so I decided to take a few online courses on the subject.
Searching for more courses, I read lessons on Digital Health Wearable and Technology by medical trade association MedTech. I was surprised by how health systems have already been renovated in many advanced countries. I took these all as signs that I needed to pursue further education in this field. Finally, I applied for a Msc Health Informatics course at UWL, which diverted my career not only into Nursing, but also to the field of IT. I was also fortunate enough to receive the International Ambassador Scholarship from UWL. I learnt a valuable lesson through all of this, that I had more potential than I thought.
Being a nurse and choosing to study Health Informatics has widened my career pathway. The modules focus on aspects of IT linked with health sectors, such as Data Management, Information Systems, Electronic Health Records, and many more. The assignments include practical and technical analysis, which are useful skills to add to my resume. Furthermore, as an international student I have found the staff and lecturers of UWL very supportive of my studies.
The workshops and guest lecturers, as well as shared stories from graduates, are just some of the factors that have motivated me to do my best on my course. I am looking forward to working more efficiently for my dissertation, and getting the best results I can at the end of my course. A word of advice, try to make best use of the resources and opportunities at UWL during your study period, as your experiences here will affect your future after graduation.
A note to every student out there. There will be challenges in life. You will be in situations that you don’t know how to tackle, but trust in yourself and you will get through them. When you reach the end of that path, you’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come. Loving and valuing yourself is important to finally understanding who you are, and what truly makes you unique.
About the Writer: Monika Thapa is an international student at UWL and nurse by profession who is currently pursuing her MSc Health Informatics degree. She loves learning new things and exploring new places, as well as dancing and listening to music. Cheers to life!