My First Week of Final Nursing Placement - Year One

So here marks the end of my first week back on placement and what a week it has been. Journaling is a new thing for me so please do bear with me. I start to record my positive areas and also areas for development mid-week and intend on carrying this on throughout my training as I'm finding it very helpful, not only in my development in my training but also as evidence for my progression criteria for my nursing assessment file.

Day 1 - Early shift

Today was my first day back to this placement since September. I spent most of the day readjusting to the ward environment again. It started out quite relaxed, teamed up with my co-mentor (brilliant lady!) who let me tag around with her pretty much all day, assisting patients, completing and organising patient notes, calculating IV doses, giving medications out, checking vital obs, etc. I keep forgetting but I'm going to get myself a tongue depressor to write common IV calculations on as a pocket guide. A lot of nurses/students say they did this and it was helpful.

Day 2 - Early shift

Today I was very much floating around all over the ward - no easy task when there are 27 patients and several nurses asking you to help them out. For most of the day I took vital obs and ensured patients were comfortable, documenting all the time. I went in to check on one patient who was on a monitored bed and had been doing quite well. His respiratory rate was up in the 30s (normal is between 12-20!), pulse over 120 bpm, oxygen SATs 85%, temp over 38oC and BP barely readable. He wasn't very responsive and was pale and clammy so I immediately got the nurse who had another nurse in the room in less than a minute and a doctor to review as well. I remember just standing there thinking, 'Oh God! What will I do when I'm the nurse?! Will I know what to do?". Nursing is scary.

I also accompanied a patient to a CT scan as she was very nervous. The nurse in charge of that side of the ward didn't seem overly impressed really but I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd let her go by herself, shaking and terrified.

Day 3 - Early shift

Today was my first day with my mentor since returning to the ward. I helped to serve the breakfasts for patients and then assisted patients to wash and get dressed. Following this my mentor explained that she wanted me to look after the patients in the 4 bedded bay section of the ward, where 3 of the beds were being used. This was quite a task since I'd never done it before and I was quite nervous. My mentor explained the importance of problem solving and managing time - 2 big things I need to work on. I had to ensure all tasks were completed for each patient - vital obs, any planned scans/xrays, record care rounding, document nursing notes from the morning and any new plans from seeing the consultant, ensure patients were pain-free and comfortable, assist to the toilet, support with nutritional intake, contact family to bring in more clothes, contact a care home to discuss patient history and ongoing needs, diffuse a situation with an agitated patient, monitor the condition of a patient who appeared more weary than the previous day, completed an ECG, talk to family members and friends of patients and refer to qualified staff where I couldn't help with a query. I found all of this very challenging to say the least alongside caring for one of the patients who had become increasingly agitated and wanted to continuously move around despite feeling sick and being very unsteady on her feet.

Whilst the ward had a meeting, I was also asked to ensure the safety and comfort of 2 other patients just outside of the bay, and although it was difficult to juggle, I managed and learnt the importance of prioritising tasks. I now see (from a more restricted view of course) why nurses are always so busy! I still have so much to learn.

Positives:

+ Managing numerous tasks

+ Staying positive all day despite how challenging it was.

+ Completed a full SBAR handover sheet for a patient leaving the ward which I'd never done before on my own.

+ Liased with other professionals including Nurses, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Care Home Manager, Consultant and Dr (F2). 

Areas for Development:

- Time management

- Prioritisation skills

- Delegation skills

- Try not to get side-tracked

Day 4 - Late shift

Today I was asked to look after the 4 bedded bay again. In early PM there were only 3 patients but a new lady was brought up, meaning all beds were full. 3 of the ladies had dementia/delerium.

I admitted the new patient to the ward, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible and completing all documentation. This process was quite difficult as the lady had quite an advanced level of dementia and was very anxious about being in an unfamiliar place with very unfamiliar people around. One of her daughters helped to answer some questions given that she was unable to give sound answers due to her illness. All the while the patient was trying to go home.

I think I managed my time more effectively today, allowing equal time for each of my 4 patients and completing all vital obs and documentation. I went with my mentor to administer medications and gave some subcutaneous injections which I still feel a bit weird about. One person was difficult to inject due to having a very tight and swollen abdomen. The next 2 that I did felt much easier but I still cringe thinking I'm going to hurt them, which I know is ridiculous since it's a needle and is never a comfortable thing to have. I'm hoping this improves with more practice. I haven't given any intramuscular injections yet - I hate to think how nervous I'd be doing that!

I spoke to several family members regarding their loved one's condition and answered any questions I could. If I couldn't help, I directed them to a qualified member of staff.

With the help of my mentor I was able to diffuse a situation with the new lady from my bay who was very distressed. Her daughters were trying their best to keep her calm and seated but because they were stressed I think it wound their mother up too. She stood up and tried to exit the ward, saying she was going home and wouldn't be told to stay. Seeing my mentor's expertise was quite inspiring. She knew exactly what to say and how to say it. I just followed her lead and we worked together to calm the lady down quite quickly actually. When I got home I researched different techniques to calm escalating situations, particularly for those patients with dementia. There is quite a lot of good advice out there about maintaining a calm environment but when you're in a hospital setting, how calm can it actually be? It must be so awful for patients like this.

Throughout the day I also found myself delegating tasks so that I could complete the work I'd been asked to do rather than being sidetracked by 1,000,000 other things, which believe me is so easy to do! My mentor and I discussed the importance of completing tasks and not getting sidetracked. I asked for assistance from HCAs who were more than happy to help rather than me  struggling and missing things out.

Finally, I completed part of a handover sheet for the nightshift staff about the new patients on the ward who I had been caring for. My mentor also asked me to update the sheets for some other patients too but I got sidetracked and only got half done. Boo! It's so, so, so hard to get everything done, even with the best will in the world and being run off your feet and asking for help. The information was passed on in the end by the way, but verbally rather than being printed on the sheet ;)

Positives:

+ Managed time better

+ Completed all paper work (except some info on the handover briefing sheet!)

+ Completed most of a handover briefing sheet

+ Delegated tasks

+ Spent equal time on all patients in my bay

+ Diffused a situation effectively

Areas for Development:

- Still getting sidetracked - stay on task!

- More practice/confidence with injections

- Understand fully why a patient is in hospital and their journey to getting better and home

- Research: INR and Warfarin, PPI and Lansoprazole, injection technique and techniques to calm patients in   distressing situations, especially those with dementia.

Day 5 - Late shift

Today was my last shift of the week and I was shattered to say the least. My mentor and I were on a different part of the ward to the previous couple of days so I wasn't looking after the 4 bedded bay.

I carried out what felt like 100 sets of vital obs which, although they get a bit samey are...well, vital, as the title suggests. They  let you know how the patient is doing and if/how they are responding to treatment. My ward cares for a lot of people with COPD so it's really important to keep a check on their oxygen saturation levels too.

I also admitted 2 new patients to the ward, completing all necessary paperwork (reams and reams!).

Providing care for one particular patient was pretty difficult for me. He had been admitted with end stage MS and was extremely poorly. He was being fed through a tube in his stomach (called a PEG), had a colostomy and a catheter bag, could only respond to voice and had extremely limited speech and movement. For those who haven't read one of my earliest posts where I explain this, my Mam has MS so seeing this was a bit close to home for me. I know that MS affects people in different ways and that my Mam's MS is a fair distance from this patient's at the moment, but it caught me nonetheless. This could happen to my Mam one day. I have absolutely no idea how I will deal with this when it comes to it or if it will happen like this. It's just such an awful disease. Distancing myself personally from this was quite a difficult thing to do but I need to do it!

My mentor showed myself and a newly qualified nurse how to set up a PEG feed drip. I've fed a lady through a PEG before but it had always just been manual for her - flushing it with water through a syringe (with no push), then pouring in the feed and then finally flushing it again with water. It was always very interesting when the lady coughed. I'm sure you can imagine what happened! A nice shower of Jevity (that's the name of the feed) for me, haha! Anyway, I digress. My mentor also showed me how to completely change a colostomy bag. I've emptied an ileostomy bag before and it was just a matter of disposing of the contents and then closing it back up again, but this one had to be completely removed and replaced. It was very strange seeing how it all works and has lead me to several hours on YouTube trying to make sense of it. My partner definitely didn't appreciate me talking about it over dinner, that's for sure, hehe!

I found my time working alongside the newly qualified staff on the ward extremely helpful today. They were always asking if I was OK or if I needed help or advice which gives me so much hope for when I qualify in 2 short years. I can't wait to be able to offer the same support when I'm a Staff Nurse.

I also found that after this week I feel much more settled as part of the team on the ward. I've been on this ward for a total of 9 weeks now (spread out over the year) and due to nerves and finding my feet I've held my personality back a little bit since I've been mostly trying to keep my head above water. But today I was able to work alongside people, feeling like I was helping and not hindering, join in conversations and not hesitating for a second if I needed some help/advice. Team work is so important in such a stressful environment.

I had my initial interview (placement documentation) with my mentor today to discuss what my targets are for this placement and to go over my progression criteria that I need to meet by the end of the 6 weeks. I've got 6 more to get signed off which I'm well on the way to getting but find completing the evidence so tedious. My mentor said that she's happy with the amount of progress I've made and highlighted the importance of approaching her if I was struggling with anything. She's an absolute gem :) I really think that although I have to travel to get to my placement, I have hit lucky with this one. I get such a variety of experiences, a great team and a fab mentor. I doubt I'll be this lucky throughout my training so I am definitely making the most of it for now. 

So here are my targets for final placement of first year:

1) Identify a group of patients at the beginning of each shift to be responsible for, including all care, documentation, treatment and discharge planning.

2) Widen knowledge of drugs commonly used on the ward

3) Identify and be aware of the signs of the deteriorating patient and be involved in implementing the escalation of care

4) Attend Rapid Access Cardiac Clinic with Nurse Specialist

A lovely way to round off my last shift of my first week back was when a patient's family came to find me to thank me for all I had done and for helping their Mam so much during her time on the ward. Such a lovely feeling :)

Positives:

+ More confidence with admissions process

+ Learnt how to set up a PEG feed and change a colostomy bag

+ Great to hear I'm making good progress

+ Improving delegation skills

+ Feel part of the team

Areas for Development:

- Distance from personal/professional situations 

Trying to have a life outside of Nursing

This is a tad random but a rant I feel might maintain the little sanity I have left. 

This course is incredibly intense. It takes over your life, changes your outlook on life itself and those around you both close and far. It uses all of your time, preventing you from bringing in money thus cancelling out most of your social life. Doing this later in life when others have their careers already and are beginning to settle down means your schedules become very difficult to match up especially when life's little complications rear their ugly heads.

People always said before I started this course that no one other than fellow/previous healthcare students would understand what it feels like and I always laughed and thought...really?! The truth is, well, that. It is difficult for other people to understand that you don't have spare time or money to go for dinner, drinks or lovely social activity like you used to. That and the fact that I was stupid enough to enter into yet more studying when I STILL have debt to pay off, which in itself is a balancing act. It's a pretty stressful ride. There are also the people who snort when you say you're a student, thinking that you get more days off than you do on...wrong. I work full time hours (37.5hrs a week) on a heavy ward, do everything I can to do well and please my mentor, stay alert for every learning opportunity, travel miiiiiiles every day, go home and do uni work or research for placement, do all of my house work, try to have a life and also find time for sleep. It's blumin difficult, and I don't have kids like many of my fellow students. I seriously don't understand how they do it. People - nursing students work very hard!

Spending time with friends and family is very important to me and although it is  something I'd never be willing to give up, trying to find a balance seems impossible! If anyone has any tips I'd be grateful...

Make-up for Nursing Placements

So this is a slightly random one but a blog post that I would have been interested in reading when I first started in March. If you feel comfortable without make-up then good on you but I really couldn't go without just a little bit to make me look more human at 6am!

Anyway, I love a bit of make-up and thought it might be useful for those students who have just started their courses, prospective student nurses or even those who are yet to start. Actually it might be helpful for anyone who works on a sweaty ward! Anyone who has worked a 13 hours shift knows that they don't look great by the end of it - your foundation has rubbed off, mascara is down your face...you just generally look crap. However, I made a discovery that is student budget friendly that does not budge from my face even after a 15 hour day (including travel) and still looks natural. The main reason I am posting this is because my work colleagues have mentioned on several occasions how good my make-up looks at the end of the day and asked what I use and how I apply it so I thought it might be useful to share.

Firstly let me tell you about my skin and skin care. I have quite an oily T-zone, some redness, quite dark under eye circles (from said long hours) and the odd spot/pimple from time to time. I'm not the best with full-on skin care and generally use face wipes to take off my make-up at night with a full face wash in the morning. I use Huggies Pure baby wipes to take off my make-up as they are gentle and have no chemicals that dry out or irritate my skin, plus they are very affordable compared to the big branded face wipes that generally give me spots or dry skin. I then use a light moisturiser, either E45 or Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturiser for more spotty days. I don't tend to use spot treatments as they are a little too harsh for my skin so instead I use the Clean and Clear Moisturiser (as previously mentioned). I just pop a dot on a spotty bit and it clears it up in a couple of days.



In terms of make-up, this is what I use:

• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £3.69 and better than a lot of high end concealers by a mile. I use this on any blemishes or areas of redness. 

http://www.superdrug.com/collection-2000/collection-2000-concealer-lasting-perfection-light/invt/592005&bklist=

• Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer - £6.99 and conceals my dark circles as well as brightening my under eye area. I extend my concealer just above the corners of my eyes to draw attention upwards and add as much light as possible.

http://www.superdrug.com/maybelline/maybelline-ny-dream-touch-concealer-ivory-01/invt/249970

• Revlon Colourstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin - £12.49 from Superdrug, so a little bit  pricey but I discovered a brilliant website that sells it for £6.99 from Fragrance Direct - bargain! I have used Estee Lauder and Mac foundation in the past and neither is as good as this, especially for the price. It doesn't last the stated "24 hours", but how many products actually last for the stated time? And who would actually wear make-up for that long....except in very rare circumstances...or if you fall asleep with your make-up on...? ;) I digress! All in all this foundation is excellent - it has great coverage, great staying power even over long and sweaty shifts and feels nice on the skin without being too heavy and cakey. I apply it with a Real Techniques Stippling Brush, which I find works very well and extends its staying power, however using your finger tips works well also. I'm desperate to try the Expert Face Brush but haven't quite got the pennies yet.

http://www.superdrug.com/revlon/revlon-colourstay-foundation-softflex-buff/invt/326690&bklist=
http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/revlon/revlon-colorstay-24h-foundation-combinationoily-skin-30ml/invt/0043123&bklist=icat,4,shop,cosmetics,cosmeticsface
http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/real-techniques/real-techniques-stippling-brush/invt/0048652
http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/invt/0048654&cm_vc=productpage


Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - £3.99 and again better than a lot of high end powders. I do like Mac transparent setting powders but cannot afford them. I apply this to my T-zone and it mattifies my skin, preventing my skin getting oily/shiny throughout the day, plus it doesn't hurt the bank balance too much :) 

http://www.superdrug.com/rimmel/rimmel-powder-stay-matte-pressed-powder-transparent/invt/592471&bklist=

• Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer - £6.99. This is very lightweight and just the right shade (it comes in light and dark but the light is far too light I think). I use it more for contouring my cheek bones and jaw a little and then just to give my skin a bit more colour. One of the greatest things about this is how long it lasts. I've had the same one for around 8 months now and have barely dented the surface, even though I use it nearly every day. This is definitely good value for money.

http://www.superdrug.com/bourjois/bourjois-blusher-delice-de-poudre-peau-mates-halee/invt/321079&bklist=

• MUA Blusher - £1.00! I love this make-up company for blushers, eyeshadows and brushes. They really are brilliant value. This blusher is such a lovely shade and at £1.00 can you really grumble?! It has lasted around 6 months and is still going. It lasts very well and looks nice and natural. (I use shade 4).

http://www.muastore.co.uk/index.php/blusher

• Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil - £2.99. This pencil is fantastic - long-lasting, a nice shade, easy to use, not too waxy and good value. I've never sen the point in spending a lot on an eyebrow pencil since this one does the job so well and I only use it to extend my brows a tiny bit any way. http://www.superdrug.com/rimmel/rimmel-eyebrow-pencil-hazel/invt/516526&bklist=

• 
  
• Loreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara - £10.99, Loreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara - £10.99 or Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Mascara - £10.00 - All 3 of these mascaras are equally brilliant. I'm pretty fussy with them as I have pretty crap eyelashes that don't do much really and all of these help a lot. They all last well although the Volume Million is too wet when you first open it so I let it dry out a little before I use it properly. I never buy the waterproof versions of mascara as I never seem to need them. I don't know whether it's just the type of eyes I have. Perhaps others would need waterproof formulas. It's all down to personal preference really and trying things out.

http://www.superdrug.com/loreal/loreal-false-lash-telescopic-mascara/invt/382251&bklist=

http://www.superdrug.com/loreal/volume-million-lashes-extra-black/invt/223440&bklist=

http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory-Thick-Fast-Super-Volume-Mascara-Superjet-Black_1238274/

• Revlon Lip Butters - £7.99. I never usually wear any lip products (except lip balm) on placement but when I do I stick to these. The colours are subtle if you apply them sheerly, the application is lovely and they moisturise the lips. They are slightly pricey I think but well worth it. I once wore one for uni and it lasted 5 hours! Now that is good going for a lip product with such a balmy finish. 

http://www.superdrug.com/revlon/revlon-colorburst-lip-butter-peach-parfait/invt/409558&bklist=

I hope this post has been of some help. If anyone would like to know more please contact me via the form below or leave a comment.

Thanks for reading :)

A Day at University!

Monday 11th December - a day at university to find out more about the course and meet my fellow nursey folk...EXCITING! Apologies in advance that this is a little all over the place. The day was a blur and went so quickly...besides the fact that I'm recounting from well over a week ago and my memory never serves me well.

The day began with a little meet-up with a few other student nurses...it turned out to be around 10 of us. We had already spoken via a social networking site but it was brilliant to be able to put names to faces. We then travelled to uni, skidding all the way due to the wintery conditions, where we gathered and chatted nervously about what we might find out/do.

First we listened to a presentation on practice placements - where they might be, length of time, health trust areas and how we choose, mentors, etc.

We then got to meet the course leader who is AMAZING! She literally lit up the room when she spoke :) I love it when lecturers are passionate about what they do and how they teach, it makes soooo much difference. She spoke to us about the time we'll be spending in university. We found out that the entire course had changed in the September and that we were the second cohort to experience the new curriculum and structure. It includes a different placement structure, a longer period at uni for the first part of the course, as well as different assessments, including OSCEs and an Anatomy and Physiology exam - eek! It all sounds very exciting though! We were told that this university is the first and only to be awarded accreditation from the NMC - WOW! Proud to be a student nurse here :)

Then we heard from some current students ranging from year 1-3, from all different nursing fields. They (obviously!) have a wealth of knowledge. I just wanted to sit and chat with them all day. The information they gave us was absolutely invaluable. I can't believe that I could be doing that this time next year!

Finally we had to do all of the organisational things - CRB and information on bursary applications. We completed our CRB checks and I literally received mine in the post 5 days later - super quick! I've been trying to do the bursary application for ages and it's giving me such a headache! I can't understand why the form is like 40 pages long. Who designed it?! Crazy people :0p

Oh well, I'm off to battle with the dreaded form again. Hope you're all well!! :)

Books I'm reading before I start

Well, as I have previously said (I think...), I'm a mature student and so I haven't studied or looked at science for a wee while...8 years to be exact, eek! So before I start the course (and make a bit of a fool of myself) I am aiming to learn as much anatomy and physiology as possible and to do that I have recently purchased the Ross and Wilson books. I've heard/read a lot about these books and was very intrigued by them. I must say, what people say is true - they are fab! So detailed, great pictures/diagrams plus the added bonus of giving you access to some online content via a code in the front cover of the text book. I also purchased the colouring and work book which is very good. There are so many different interesting tasks to complete which help to shape your learning and prevent it from becoming as monotonous as it could. So far I haven't done anything too strenuous - a little bit of how the body is made up and some processes. I surprised myself a little with what I have retained from school...then I went a little further into the book and discovered that was the extent of my knowledge, ha! Oh, well, I suppose I can only get better.

A friend of mine, who is now a qualified midwife, gave me a thing called "The Visible Man". It's a model of the human body that you have to put together, including bones, muscles and organs. It looks pretty complicated so I think I'll do a bit more reading and revising before I tackle that!

Aside from A&P (Anatomy & Physiology), I've been flicking through some other books that I'll list below:

The Student Nurse Handbook (2nd Edition) by Bethann Siviter. So many students have raved about this book and I definitely support their raves. This book is so helpful. Before purchasing it I had so many questions and this book more or less answers them all...except for University and course specific ones obviously. Other than the fact that it's helpful, this book is also making me more excited to start the course. Only 4 months to go! Anyway, I would definitely recommend student nurses purchasing this one :)

The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Procedures (Student Edition - 8th Edition) by Lisa Dougherty and Sara Lister. This book has also been highly complimented by the nursing and nursing student world. It is sooooo heavy and literally has everything in it. Just like the A&P books I mentioned earlier, there are also online resources to go with this book, which admittedly I haven't used yet. When I do, I'll update :) As for the detail in the book, it's very good. Everything is written so that it's easier to understand, with diagrams, step by step guides and quite simplistic language. There's also a handy list of abbreviations and their meanings at the front of the book - excellent given that I have absolutely no idea what all of these daft letters mean!

That's all of the books I have at the moment, and honestly I don't think I'll be purchasing many more. I'll probably be getting a book about calculations and drugs later on when I can actually understand some of what they are referring to. Let's not push ourselves too hard before we start sorta thing ;) My University has an excellent library and given that I've studied before, I have learnt not to make the fatal error of paying £££s for books that you may never use or use very sparingly. I think the best idea is to see which books you use the most and find the most helpful over the course of the 1st year and purchase them as you go. At least that's what I'm telling myself now.

Well, until next time, TTFN!

Preparation is Everything!

Since I've got such a long wait before I start the course in March, I figured I'd use the time wisely. I've been doing a few things to help me understand the things that I'm going to face over the next 3 years:

Vlogs/blogs: I LOVE reading blogs or watching vlogs about other nursing students' experiences, which is partially why I made this blog really. It's so interesting knowing how other people prepared, learning what I may come up against, what I might see on placement, things I have to learn, how people come through struggles and hearing success stories. I hope that somebody else out there will get some enjoyment out of reading my silly banter also :) I usually get quite distracted though, especially by makeup tutorials. My latest find is a girl who is also a student nurse who happens to record makeup tutorials - doubly brilliant! I can see it being an issue when I have actual work to do though.

Books: Anatomy and physiology books, advice books, clinical texts, etc. I'm going to write another post about the specific books I've been reading which may help.

Talking to current students/health professionals: I think this is the one that I'm finding the most helpful, after all they've already experienced all of the things I'm researching first hand.

Work: I'm working in care homes at the moment, specifically EMI residential homes. EMI stands for Elderly Mentally Infirm - I hate that name but don't know what else to call it :0/. Every time I go to work I have a million more questions to ask the in-house nurse, who must be very fed up of me by now! I feel very lucky that I'm going into this course with quite a lot of experience in health care under my belt. So many people have to start from scratch and honestly the first time you carry out personal care or feed a very ill person can be quite upsetting and feel strange. I'm glad I was able to do these things in my own time without the worry of being assessed.

Life preparation: I'm thinking a lot about how my life is going to be once I get in to the course. The PGCE completely took over my life and I was so unhappy, so this time I want to make sure that I make time for myself and my family/friends. I have to figure out how I'm going to afford to live. Luckily my boyfriend is amazing and he has said that he'll support me financially. He's a bit of a gem :) I'd like to keep up my agency work but it's very rare that they offer shorter shifts, they're usually 12 hours which I think would be impossible to fit in. I've heard that a lot of students take on some bank work after a round 6 months into their 1st year so that might be an option.

Lists: I am one of those sad creatures who enjoys writing lists - it's literally how I live. Everything goes on my list or in my diary...to then be added to my list, ha! So I've been writing lists of things that I need to research or purchase. Very exciting! I'm not really sure if I need the really nursey things like a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer (copy and pasted as it's a ridiculous word!). I want them, but do I need them? Perhaps to practice manual BPs - look at me sounding like I know what I'm talking about - I don't by the way ;)

And finally, looking at course content, modules and timetables: All very important things so that I know what the hell I'm going to be doing for the next year. The timetable was an eye opener mind. It's going to be very interesting starting the term in March too.

That's about it for now. Until next time, TTFN!

The Nursing Application Process

I'm not even going to try to sugar coat this. I HATED the application process! Oh my GOD it was stressful, but so worth it when you see that status change on UCAS (that's the University and College Admissions Service to all that don't know). It was the best day of 2012 so far!

So the first thing you have to do, aside from actually deciding that you want to do the course and which branch/field (adult/child/mental health/learning disability), is think about where you want to study. My choice was always set in stone. I have several commitments at home, as many people do, so moving was never an option. Besides that, I have one of the most prestigious universities on my doorstep. So that was decided. Then you have to start to compose your personal statement. This is so important as it's the university's first impression of you. You can only use a limited number of characters so everything you say has to be concise and important - if it's not going to really convince them that you want it and that they should take you, then you don't need to say it. There are so many sites for advice on completing your PS (honestly Google it! 3, 470,000 results) that I'm not going to go into detail but I will say this....Show how passionate you are about nursing and definitely mention your chosen field. Nursing courses are so competitive now that you have to show that you know what you want and are committed to a certain field. If you want to study child nursing then make sure you say it and be absolutely positive that this is what you want to study for the next 3 years, as well as work in for the next 40. I would also advise to start your PS with something that will catch their attention. Admissions read sooo many applications that I'm sure they get sick of reading, "I want to study adult nursing because..." - be original! Remember, this is their first impression of you and you need to make it count. Also, in many uni selection processes, each section is pointed, including the PS so it needs to be good to get you further.

Next, reference - Make sure you ask your chosen referee as early on as possible to ensure they have time to complete a quality reference for you. I'm sure no one wants to be a few days from the deadline, flapping because their referee hasn't submitted a reference yet. And you definitely don't want them rushing it - it has to be as amazing as you, right?

Interview - ARGH! Even the word sounds scary. Usually, universities send out some information about the structure and content of the day. Mine sent an email, generally outlining tasks and such. All universities do things differently - some have group interviews, some have individual ones, others have both. Some have literacy and numeracy tests, some have 1 or the other, others have both. Most universities have a little information session though, to break you into the day and help you relax - and obviously to give you more information about the course! At my interview we started by registering. We had to take photographic ID and certificates to prove our qualifications. Following this we gathered into a room where we watched a powerpoint and listened to a talk about the course. The tutors are very friendly and put you at ease straight away. I think the biggest misconception people have with interviews is that they're trying to catch you out. They're definitely not - they want to bring out the best in you. So, anyway, after this we watched a short video (2 minutes) about a lady's negative experience in hospital. We had a 10 minute written activity about the video and had to write about any issues and how we would improve her experience. This was quite simple and was mainly to test your ability to write. This aspect is pointed in the same way as the PS. After this we were put into groups of 5 and had a short break before our group interview. We had the chance to get to know each other a little better and feel a bit more comfortable before being plunged back into the testing conditions again.

Group interview - This was basically a group discussion that lasted for around 40 minutes. Firstly, we talked about the video we had watched in the previous session. The interviewers (2 of them by the way) threw in questions to keep the conversations flowing. It's important to remember that this group interview is not just about what you say, which is obviously important, but the interviewers are looking at how well you can communicate. Communication is HUGE in nursing (or so I've been told :0p). They want to see that you don't sit silently and let other people control the entire discussion, or that you don't completely dominate the discussion and drown others out. You have to find the middle ground with this one. Another thing - make sure to make eye contact and talk to everyone in the discussion, not just the interviewers. I made sure to build on other peoples' points, agreeing, disagreeing, adding my opinion or experience to things mentioned. The best thing to do is to not over think it. Try to be as natural as possible. It's just a conversation - no pressure :0/ ha! To prepare I made sure that I had read up on relatively recent changes or important things within the NHS and in the media. I went in with a general knowledge of several things, but in depth knowledge of around 3 different issues. You don't have to know the ins and outs of everything or know everything that is going on in the world of health. They aren't looking for ready-made health professionals - just show that you've taken the time to read up on a couple of things.

The final part - the individual interview. We were told that this would be very short but I wasn't expecting it to be as short as it was - 5 minutes if that! They asked me one question - ONE! I had answers prepared for at least 40, including what was the last book you read and which bloody super hero would you most like to be! I'm glad I had prepared anyway, just in case. So the one question: which qualities/skills do you feel you could bring to nursing? A question you would expect and should definitely prepare for. I said communication, caring and compassionate nature (cliché but very important), experience in a caring role and adaptability, all very important in nursing. Following this, they asked if I had any questions and then if I'd applied elsewhere - I hadn't. I left, fumbling with my scarf that I almost tripped on, dropping my bottle of water and wishing the door wasn't so far away from my shaking hands. I never get that nervous in any situation, and honestly I didn't think it had gone overly well.

So I was left with the inevitable wait. I received an email from the university a few days later telling me that I had been successful at interview and that I was going to be short listed - fantastic!! I had to send them a second reference and then they were going to take my application and total score to a selection event, where a group of admissions tutors look at applications and decide whether they are strong enough to be accepted. I emailed admissions every few days, phoning them just to be sure they received my email, praying that I'd hear soon. I was told that it would take them until around Xmas time to make decisions and inform everyone, so you can imagine my surprise when I received an email from UCAS telling me that my status had been updated only 2 weeks after the interview. I logged in apprehensively to see the word "Conditional" beside the university name. To say that I cried with joy would be an understatement! 

The application process was difficult, the wait was even worse but finding out I was in was absolutely amazing. 

If anyone has any questions about the application process or needs some clarification on any aspect, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email.

Until next time, TTFN.

We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us...

Many people come to nursing later in life so I thought it might be helpful to explain where I came from and why I made my decision to pursue adult nursing.

I started out, at a very young age helping to care for my family. I'm the youngest of 5 siblings; 4 girls and 1 boy (bless him!). My Mam is an absolute inspiration and has devoted her life to bringing up her (very complicated!) children and caring full time for one of my sisters. She was born perfectly normal but at the age of 1 she had the Measles vaccine, which caused severe brain damage - the technical name is vaccine encephalopathy. This meant that a very normal little girl, who spent the small amount of time she had on her feet being mischievous, was no longer able to function in the way that she had. Her behaviours changed and she lost the abilities that she had developed in her first year. She never developed the ability to walk, talk and feed herself and became entirely dependent on our family to complete daily tasks. I was born several years later and as soon as I was old enough, I threw myself in to caring for my sister - aiding her with all of the things she needed. Of course she never lost her mischievous side and took every opportunity to knock my dinner from my lap, trip me up, laugh at me when I fell/bumped into things/generally injured myself, and all other sorts of naughty behaviour - evil little sense of humour she has! :) Now she is 32 years old, still being cared for by my Mam and my family and still causing mischief. Of course caring for your family is very different to caring in the public/private sector. But nonetheless, this is where the first urge to work in care came to me. Later on something big was to change my direction in life...

When I was 11 my eldest sister suffered a major stroke, aged 22. This experience shook me to my core. I looked on, too young to do anything substantial, as another blow struck my family. As I explained earlier, my Mam literally is a hero and refuses to let anything get her down. She powered through. I did my best to follow in her footsteps, although honestly at such a young age I hardly knew what was going on. My sister lost her motor skills and had to relearn everything, which, with the help of health professionals, rehabilitation teams and family she did (and is now a high calibre graduate to boot!). It was at this point that I discovered a path that I would pursue in the future - teaching. I helped my sister regain her abilities to read, write and talk and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Following this I took on every teaching or mentoring role I could throughout school. My friends would pile their work onto my desk so that I could proof read it for them and give them pointers to improve it. I loved being helpful in this way. I had also trained in Aikido for many years, achieved black belt and began teaching classes. Everyone told me how good I was and encouraged me to pursue a career in teaching.

To cut a long story short I was accepted onto a teaching degree but did not achieve the A Level results to continue with it. It was around this time that another challenge was sent towards my family. My Mam was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). Admittedly, I lost my way a little, confused as to how all of the other people at school and sixth form 'seemed' to glide through life with a normal family experience. Why was my road always so bumpy? I couldn't focus on anything and went through a stage of going out a lot, drinking, as some form of escapism. When I finally let reality back in, I took a good look at what I had. I'm pretty sure you've gathered by now that I think rather highly of my Mam (as most people do, obviously!), but she has more fight in her than anyone I have ever known. She was what I had, my siblings were what I had. I had to do something, if not for me, for them, after all, my Mam had sacrificed so much for me, I had to give her something back. I made the decision to complete a degree in English Literature and Education with the idea of completing a Primary PGCE afterwards, and so, I plugged away and worked hard to achieve a 2:1. I don't think I'll ever forget how proud my Mam was at my graduation. Shortly after, I applied for the Primary PGCE but did not gain a place. I was devastated but took it as an opportunity to gain some work experience. After trying to gain a position in a school environment and failing, I noticed a job in a care setting, specifically supporting the needs of disabled adults - an area where I was very comfortable given my experience. After about a month I became very good at this job. I loved the ladies I worked with and had developed such a great bond with them, however after around a year the council started to make massive staff and budget cuts. It was at this point that I realised I had to look for something more stable.

I decided to reapply for the PGCE and after a short wait, discovered that I had a place. With great sadness, I handed in my notice and said goodbye to the people I had grown so close to, preparing myself for a very challenging year ahead. As soon as I began the course I felt a bit lost but I kept on going, gripping onto the passion that I'd had for years. My first school placement rolled around - it wasn't great, but I loved working with children. My second placement was better, working with older children with SEN, an area of comfort. I loved helping them 1-1 and interacting with them. Third placement: this was the moment when I realised how much of an error I had made. As I said, I love working with children but I certainly did not enjoy shouting at, or telling them off, planning until 4am, getting back up 6am and generally teaching children in such a strict and constrained environment. I have never been a particularly authoritative person and really struggled with these aspects. I sat down and asked myself if I wanted to continue to put myself through it, and each time I told myself no. Could I see myself teaching in 40+ years? I couldn't even see myself teaching for the following 40 days! People always came back to me and told me to continue with it, my Mam included - "There's not long left!", "You can do it!", "Just keep going!", were the resounding cheers that everybody directed towards me. I pushed myself, wanting to make my Mam proud, defying my gut feeling, extended my study, tried my hardest to fit back into a school setting, refusing to give in, to complete the final 8 weeks of my PGCE...but my heart was not in it. My heart no longer belonged there. I don't think it ever did. It wasn't fair to keep doing this, for myself, for the profession and for the kids. My Mam agreed that it was wrong to do something that I didn't want to do, and supported me in the decision that I had to make. I decided there and then that I'd had enough of lying to myself so I quit. This was the biggest and best decision of my life. You can truly only see the light when you have taken steps down a path. If you simply look at a path without taking a step, you get a restricted view and cannot feel the ground beneath your feet. It is when you take steps on the road that you discover the truth. As cliché as it sounds, that's the way it was and is.

I had been working for a care agency for the last 2 years, prior to and during the PGCE. It was partially this experience that cemented the fact that I no longer wanted to be a teacher and admitted to myself what I really wanted to do - nurse. The memories that stick in my mind are coming home from teaching placements and being an emotional wreck vs. coming home from a care setting feeling fulfilled and happy. I spoke with several professional tutors, current nurses, my family, friends, my partner, researched courses and the realities of the profession, had a holiday to think about things and came out the other end with a plan firmly in my head and in my heart. I had to apply to undertake nursing training! It came to me that, after everything, the happiest I have ever been has been in a care setting, whether it be personal or professional. So I applied for an adult nursing degree at a prestigious University, something I should have done a long time ago. After around 2 weeks I heard back from the Uni - they wanted to interview me! I attended the interview, which went very well and heard back after 10 days that I had a place, and here I am!

I hope I haven't bored you with my long winded tale, but I just wanted to let people out there know that sometimes people come around to things after a long time, after pursuing several other things. That doesn't mean that you want it any less than the next person, nor does it mean that you won't get it. I've had a rather complicated personal/professional/educational life so far and finally feel that I am on the right path for me. I can always take forward the skills I learnt from teaching and will definitely use them for mentoring, teaching small groups or in martial arts teaching again, but I most certainly won't be going back into a traditional classroom again.

I urge anyone who is unhappy with their current path in life to take account of what you have and what you want. Don't lie to yourself. If you think you want to pursue something else, look into it, ask questions, research until you are blue in the face, make sure you are sure! You never know...it might be the best thing you ever do. I know it was for me.

A Novice Writes Her First Post - Hello and Welcome!

I am Carlene and am soon to be venturing into something that will occupy the rest of my life...adult nursing. I am hoping that this blog will not only help people on the outside, but also help me to reflect on what is sure to be a journey full of challenges. I am very excited to take my first steps...

If anyone else is in a similar position, already a health professional or just simply interested, please leave a comment. I'd be very happy to hear from you :)