Career Profile - Steve Walton, Newcastle upon Tyne

Why did you become a nurse?

I became a mental health (MH) nurse as I had experienced issues of my own when I was younger and felt that it was important to try to use my experiences to help others. I had always been interested in MH and had been a support worker on MH wards for 13 years prior to beginning nurse training. Since going to university I have been able to link lots of theories to the practical things I used to do as a support worker, I am more able to understand why things are done as they are and how things such as care plans are formulated, why there are so many meetings and how the patient is dealt with in a holistic manner 'behind the scenes'.