About me
I’m Tracey, and I’m a Learning Disabilities Nursing student at Coventry University. I didn’t arrive at learning disabilities nursing by accident. I arrived here through reflection, resilience and a decision to turn my lived experience into something that could help other people.
For a long time, I carried that familiar mix of fear and self—doubt — the kind that tells you you’re not “smart enough” or “strong enough” to take on something as demanding as nursing. But something else was always stronger: the feeling that I could make a difference, because I’d already been doing that in my own life for years.
The moment it became more than a dream
I’d always wanted to be a nurse. I even started on that path once before — but life and responsibilities meant I had to step away. For a while, nursing became a distant goal, something I kept in the back of my mind while I focused on providing for my family.
The turning point came through parenting. My children are neurodivergent, and advocating for them meant learning quickly: how to push for the right support, how to navigate services, and how to keep going when you feel like no one is listening.
At times, I felt judged and misunderstood as if the challenges my children faced were somehow a reflection on me. But I knew the reality. I was watching my children experience the world differently, and I was learning (every day) the power of patience, the importance of communication, and how the right support can change everything.
That’s when the “why” became crystal clear. That fight didn’t just drain me, it fuelled me to want to make a difference to other people — other mums, other families. If I could just change one person’s life from my experience, it would literally be a life well—lived.
Choosing learning disabilities nursing
Learning disabilities nursing felt like the place where everything I’d lived and learned could become something purposeful. It’s not just about clinical skills — it’s about relationships, advocacy, and seeing the person behind the label.
I also love the community side of nursing: working with families, understanding the full picture and linking people into the services that can support them.
“I really love working in the community. I love the whole family aspect. I feel like you can get a full relationship of all the services that they might need.”
Returning to education (and proving myself wrong)
I left school at 16, so coming back to education later in life was a journey in itself. I went back, got my GCSEs, completed an access course and eventually found my way back to nursing — this time with a lot more life experience behind me.
And I’ll be honest, it’s been hard. Balancing university, placements, assignments and home life takes planning and commitment — especially when you’re doing it largely on your own. But it’s also made me grow in ways I didn’t expect.
There are moments when you surprise yourself — you get a placement signed off, an assignment result comes back better than you thought, and something shifts internally. You start believing you belong here.
Why I chose Coventry University
I’m from Tamworth, so I had a few options. But what made the difference for me was visiting the campus and speaking to the staff.
When I went to an Open Day and spoke to the course director and the module leaders... I got a feeling... and that’s how I picked my place — off a feeling.
The environment mattered too. I wanted to study somewhere friendly and supportive — not just within my course but across the whole university.
“The staff and students at Coventry are very supportive, everyone is so friendly, it’s just a really nice vibe.”
I commute (it’s around an hour and a half in the morning), so it takes organisation — but once I decided, I was committed. I knew there would be bumps, but I could see the bigger picture.
The people who helped me keep going
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to do this alone — and the right support can change everything.
There’s a member of staff at Coventry who made a huge difference to me. She is so lovely. I do feel like I can speak to her about anything — she made me look with a whole different perspective.
Placements can be tough too — they’re intense, and sometimes you’re finding your feet quickly in unfamiliar environments. Having a supportive mentor can make all the difference. In the community, I had that.
The nurse who mentored me was so supportive, she helped with my plans and interacted and engaged with me, she made my experience so much better. Those experiences reminded me that nursing is a team effort and that great nurses don’t just care for patients, they also bring the next generation through with kindness and confidence.
The transferable skills I didn’t expect (from beauty to nursing)
Before returning to university, I retrained as a beautician and honestly, it taught me more transferable skills than people might assume.
In that role, people opened up. Clients would talk about grief, stress, life and I learned how to listen properly, how to sit with someone’s emotions, and how to communicate with warmth and care. It was very much a therapeutic thing, you’d become like a counsellor.
That ability to connect, to adapt how you communicate, to read what someone needs, is exactly what learning disability nursing is built on.
If you’re thinking of starting later in life
If I could say one thing to anyone considering a career change or coming to university later, it would be this: don’t count yourself out.
Life is for the living. There isn’t a time frame on age. As long as you’ve got that passion and that ability, what is stopping you?
Nursing isn’t easy — but if you care deeply about people, and you want to do something meaningful, it can be one of the most rewarding paths you’ll ever take.
Ready to start your own journey?
If learning disabilities nursing has been on your mind — even quietly — my advice is explore it. Visit a campus. Talk to the team. See how it feels. Sometimes that “feeling” is the start of everything.
Find out more about learning disabilities nursing at Coventry University.
