Daniela Sierra Delgado
It fills my heart to know that with what I have learned, I will be able to make people feel better.
My name is Daniela. I am originally from Colombia and I grew up in a small city in the south. I arrived in Sydney in 2017 after I finished high school. Before I started my Bachelor of Nursing, I studied English and Foundation Studies at UTS College, which was a great opportunity to get to know the Australian culture and the UTS campuses and facilities.
I am passionate about helping others, and as a future nurse, I will have the privilege to care for people when they are not their best selves. It fills my heart to know that with what I have learned, I will be able to make people feel better while they are in hospital. For me, nursing is more than clinical skills, it is also about connecting with people and making them feel that they are not alone, and that we are in the hospital to help and support them.
"I know that as nurses, we are confronted with many challenging situations, but every time I am in the hospital spending time with patients, helping them, making them laugh, or just holding their hands, I feel fulfilled and happy."
I chose UTS because I really enjoyed my time studying at UTS College and I liked the learning spaces that UTS has. For example, I liked that the clinical laboratories mimic real and different hospital settings such as general wards, children wards, emergency wards, perioperative theatres, and community nursing spaces. I also liked that UTS has a great variety of services for students, such as HELPS, where students can get assistance with their assessments.
One of the experiences that has stood out during my studies was when I was able to choose a specialty nursing subject in third year. I chose Critical Care Nursing, where I had the opportunity to further develop my theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology directly applied to critically ill patients. As part of this, I was able to complete my clinical placement on a Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – this was a really good experience that helped me to put into practice most of the nursing skills I had learned during my studies!
I think that studying nursing has changed me in various ways. It has made me realise the importance of listening and being empathetic with everyone. During my clinical placements, I've had the opportunity to interact with patients from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, which helped me understand their needs and preferences and let me offer them more personalised care.
Nursing provides a huge variety of roles and career options. I have not yet fully decided where I would like to work in future, but I am interested in critical care nursing, paediatrics and mental health. Studying these subjects at uni and completing the clinical placements has made me realise that I enjoy all of these types of nursing. Now that I am in my final year, I will be applying for a ‘transition to practice’ program that will help me to develop my professional skills and gain exposure to different areas of nursing.
To future students, I would describe the Bachelor of Nursing at UTS as a hand-on degree, in which you learn nursing clinical skills – such as taking vital signs and administering medications – but also, how to communicate, engage and care holistically for patients and their families. My best advice is that when you are in a clinical setting, you should take advantage of every learning opportunity that comes your way, as the more you practice the more confidence you gain. Also, do not be afraid to ask questions! As nursing students we are placed in hospitals to improve our knowledge and skills, and who better to answer our questions than the nurses who work in the hospital every day?
