AS The NHS prepares for a busy winter ahead and grapples with the ongoing shortage of nurses in the profession, adult trainee nurse Julie Cracknell is urging others to join her and realise their own dreams of helping others.

The 40-year-old of Royal Wootton Bassett switched from a career as a project manager to take up a BSc Adult Nursing course at Oxford Brookes University in September, this year and says she hasn't looked back.

"I had always wanted to get into nursing," she said.

"After researching more into what would be involved in returning to education again, I decided to give it a go."

Julie says she loves the flexibility on her adult nursing course and is excited about the future her new role will bring.

"Oxford Brookes’ Adult Nursing course is great because it allows me to study close to home in Swindon. I am really enjoying it so far and looking forward to learning and the challenges ahead.”

With Oxford Brookes now recruiting for more applicants onto its nursing courses as it prepares to celebrate 125 years Julie is urging people to consider a career in nursing even if they feel they might be too old to retrain.

The Department of Nursing provides students with the opportunity to study a number of different strands of the profession, including mental health, children’s and adult nursing.

Dr Liz Westcott, head of the Department of Nursing, said: “Nurses are valuable and needed more than ever now in this ever changing health and social care environment. It is an exciting and rewarding career in which you can make a positive contribution to people who are facing some of the most challenging experiences of their lives.

“We are encouraging more people to consider a career in nursing. Whether you are just starting out or fancy a career change it is never too late to start.

"Our Adult Nursing course in Swindon has a high level of student satisfaction and we offer both excellent teaching and facilities to enable students to develop the academic, professional and clinical skills they will they’ll need to become confident, professional healthcare workers.”

For more information, visit the Department of Nursing website at nursing.brookes.ac.uk - those interested in the BSc Adult Nursing course can still apply for January 2016 entry through UCAS.