Sunny’s journey from dental health to mental health

Soneika “Sunny” Atkinson is a second-year student mental health nurse at the University of Essex.  

Alongside her studies she is working with the east of England’s nursing RePAIR programme which aims to reduce healthcare student attrition and improve retention of the newly qualified workforce.

Sunny writes about her experiences as a dental nurse, moving into mental health and how her leadership role enables her to tackle both topics.

I have worked in the primary care sector for over 15 years, starting as a dental nurse, and have a deep passion for healthcare. I am incredibly interested in the mental health aspect of public health and am currently studying for a BSc in public health and health promotion.

My biggest inspiration is my mum. Growing up it was apparent to me that my mum had mental health issues, and this is why I am so passionate about mental health nursing today.

I started my university education as a mature student with two young children. I knew that it could be arduous, but I was surprised that I could use my time management and organisation skills from my career as a dental nurse to survive university life and being a mum.

As well as my studies I’m a ‘student voice’, responsible for raising issues and concerns affecting students. I help identify how to improve placement experiences, settings and inspire a new cohort of student nurses.

I am currently on a leadership program that has given me a platform to advocate for positive change. My project as part of the programme covers dental wellness in mental health settings. Studies suggest a link between mental health and dental health, and my aim is to make it well known that we should be doing more to promote dental wellbeing in mental health. Poor dental health can lead to other health concerns with our patients, we should be thinking about our patient’s mental state that may be disturbed by dental neglect.

I also am part of a small group of student contributors on the student leadership council of deans, I speak at conferences and have been a guest contributor for the Nursing Times.

I would like to inspire more people of different ethnic backgrounds to join the profession. Religious and cultural differences may create a barrier in treatment, it’s reassuring for patients to be able to communicate with professionals they believe understand their needs.

Going forward I’d like to be a clinical psychologist or a therapist so that I can talk to people that are experiencing health inequalities or disparities so they feel confident in talking to someone that will understand.