Writing your personal statement- Author Connie (Bsc Hons, PGCE)
Writing your personal statement should be a key focus of your sixth form/further education journey. It is your chance to sell yourself and detail why- out of all applications- you are the Creme de la creme .
In 2013, 31,441 people applied for a place in midwifery, for only 2283 places. Although midwifery is a specialism which is severely underfunded and understaffed, the places for this course still remain prestigious. How can you make sure you are within the 7% of applicants that secures a place?
As with any application for a healthcare role, be it: midwifery, nursing, paramedics, radiography etc. you first and foremost need to sell yourself. Why are you the best person for the role? Can you demonstrate an understanding of what the job role encompasses? Are you resilient and able to commit to a world of healthcare with ever-changing needs and pressures? If so, how do you demonstrate this?
The first piece of advice I give to all my students is to begin to gain experience. This does not always have to be in the healthcare industry, but in an industry that allows you to demonstrate key skills required in a healthcare setting: compassion, communication, time management, collaborative working, work ethic, a passion for continued professional development etc.
I had one student who said to me, But Connie, I have only worked in my local cafe- I do not have any relevant skills . After a 15 minute discussion, this student was then able to identify many skills she had honed working in this environment. She was able to organise her day, manage her time, she was able to communicate using open body language and was able to manage conflict that arose when she found herself in a difficult situation in the working environment. This particular student was able to recognise that she was able to demonstrate a passion for her job role through conversing with customers, taking pride in her appearance, working as part of a team, learning stress management, patience and resilience. The student was then able to offer examples of times when she used her interpersonal skills to achieve a positive outcome for her customers and linked this back to the importance of achieving positive outcomes for service users.
Universities do not want you to quote verbatim the skills needed to become a healthcare professional, they want to see everyday real life examples of when you hone these requisite skills and interject them into your daily life. A personal statement is more than your academic achievements, it is about looking at you holistically, and identifying if you are the perfect candidate for the job role. You can articulate and evidence this through the use of your own experience, your personal life, your goals and accomplishments and your own research into your chosen career path. If there is a skill you are trying to demonstrate, ensure you have a real life example of how we are well versed in this skill and competency and discuss this in such a way that it becomes a transferable skill. A Transferable, also known as a portable skill, are all the skills that you have acquired which you can take with you from one job role to another. For example: the ability to communicate ideas within your team, problem solve or manage conflict. These are all examples of transferable skills.
If you are currently a College student or adult learner who intends on applying to university here are my top 7 tips for you, that you can undertake right now (with a weekly timeline) alongside your current course. These will help ensure that you not only fit the job role criteria on paper, but that you are able to execute your skills in practice.
Apply for a job which may offer relevant experience. Even a couple of hours a week makes the difference. Examples of roles if you were to head into the health care sector could be: working in a care home, a health care support worker role or supporting adults with disabilities. . If you are not able to commit to this many hours whilst you are studying, see point 2 below. (Approx. 5-15 hours per week).
Explore voluntary work. Perhaps in a care home, hospital setting or for a charity such as Home Start UK. It should be somewhere that is not only relevant to your future career but that is genuinely enjoyable and rewarding (Approx. 2 hours per week).
Find and complete free online elearning courses which support your future professional career aspirations. The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) offers many free elearning courses in relevant areas: safeguarding, dementia awareness, equality and diversity training etc. You can add these to your CV/UCAS application as evidence of further learning. This shows your willingness to study concepts integral to your future career pathway and demonstrates a willingness for continued professional development (CPD) , something which is paramount for all healthcare professionals. (Approx. 1.5 hours per week).
Research your future career pathway thoroughly. I have spoken to students who have applied for courses in the past and actually did not know a great deal about what they were signing up for. We all want to be in a job role which we enjoy. When we are most passionate about our job, it becomes a vocation and an enjoyable element of our life. We enjoy going to work and helping and supporting people. Vocational careers should not be a chore, they are a calling . This tip not only ensures that you know your job role inside and out, but that you are able to demonstrate that you understand the expectations of your role on your university application. Furthermore, it ensures that you will also enjoy and reap rewards for your future vocation, if you go into it with an abundant and knowledgeable mindset. Work is a huge part of our lives, when we are passionate about it, we do it well. When we do it well, we embody self-esteem and satisfaction. (Approx. 1 hour per week).
Explore and examine past applications online. Lots are readily available for reading and you can see what has been successful and what has not. However, your personal statement is your own and plagiarism is taken with the utmost seriousness. Do not copy someone else`s work, this task is to gauge ideas to help you to develop. (Approx. 1 hour per week).
Research current affairs within your sector. In the sector of obstetrics and midwifery, the recent Kirkup report, led by Dr Bill Kirkup was an independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services. Sadly, it revealed a tremendous amount of failing which was hugely detrimental to families. It will very much inform future policy and practice. Discuss relevant articles in your statements and your interviews to show your knowledge of your job role and how research informs your future profession. (Approx. 1 hour per week).
Establish what in particular you feel passionate about in your chosen sector? Breastfeeding is a huge component of public health and it starts with midwifery-led care. A recent student of mine felt very passionate about breastfeeding and discussed this in her UCAS statement. She discussed recent statistics and offered examples of how she would be an excellent advocate for breastfeeding and would like this to be a key focus within her role as a midwife, where she may end up specialising in an infant feeding clinic. This student went on to be accepted at King`s College London for midwifery.
Your personal statement should be a working document. A working document is where you continue to edit and amend your ideas until you have a final proofread document ready for submission. You can add to your first draft throughout the year adding examples of your skills and experience and then ensure it is up-to-date before you submit this. Your academic tutor should support you with your personal statement, and you should have a specialist within your education setting who can support this.
I am also available to support you with personal statement writing to ensure your application stands out from the crowd. This can be via a one off session or some regular sessions to support narrowing down your future career field. You can find and book this session with me on Tutorhunt.
