Practice Makes Perfect

Yesterday marked the first day of semester two, which means, dear readers, that I have completed (and hopefully passed!) semester one. As you may have deduced from my rather disgraceful lack of posts, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of end-of-semester activity, involving the writing of my first assignment, sitting of my first exam, and of course experience of my first placement.  

Going out into practice was, in all honesty, quite overwhelming to start with. Having never worked in a clinical setting I was extremely nervous and found the prospect of working on such a busy ward for my first placement extremely daunting. However, the staff with whom I worked alongside were completely understanding of the situation and took me under their wing straight away. Within a few days my nerves had somewhat settled and by the end of the first week I actually began to feel... well... like a nurse! Being able to put into practice the theory and skills that I had learned at university reaffirmed my reasons for wanting to become a nurse in the first place, and whilst the placement only lasted for a few weeks, I learnt a phenomenal amount - thanks to the staff - and left with a new-found confidence and memories that I will never forget.

All in all it was an unforgettable experience, and I’m truly looking forward to getting back out there in the new year. Right now though I’m enjoying being back at uni with my friends, and not having to get up before the birds do!

For anyone thinking of becoming a nurse or indeed starting their course in March or May, here’s an excellent guide to first placements written by the brilliant @sarah_morbey.

Butterflies

It is now only a matter of days until I begin my very first placement on a general medical ward within a fairly large hospital. Scary stuff!

We were told by university that it’s always good practice to contact the placement links two weeks before starting a placement, and if possible make arrangements to go and meet the mentors and have a look round. Following a phone call I made earlier on this week, I actually went to visit the ward and staff I will be working alongside for the next few weeks. I cannot tell you how relieved I was upon meeting my mentor and some of the nursing staff. They are all lovely! Although I'm relieved to discover how nice the team are, the realisation of what it means to become a nurse has done nothing to calm my nerves, and I am now more nervous than ever! I have been informed however that there will be two or three other student nurses on the same ward as me, so that has provided some comfort at least - safety in numbers so to speak.

I think it’s fair to say that most of us are fairly nervous about our first placements, and after tweeting about my own personal misgivings these last few days, I’ve rather unsurprisingly discovered that some of you are too. Here’s what I’ve realised thanks to a number of my online mentors and supporters: anxiety focuses the mind and results in much-needed caution (courtesy of @AmBadwolf & @sarah_morbey); if you can, buy a pocket-sized guide to drugs that you can refer to at any time on your placement, or even better, make friends with the pharmacist and try and wangle a spare copy of the BNF (courtesy of @switchedonduhhh); ‘they won't expect u to know everything & we were all students once’ (courtesy of @AgencyNurse); and perhaps most importantly, as the above shows, there is a lot of support for us to draw on - for those on Twitter, I would highly recommend following everybody mentioned here, as well as forming an amazing support network, they are also great sources of information and inspiration.

I can honestly say that after receiving the above responses, and some others, I am feeling much better about the whole situation. I know I can do this, and so can you!

Into The Groove

So here we are, one month on. I must admit it feels a lot longer than that, but as I said in my last post, time really does fly when you’re having fun. I’ve come to the realisation within the last week or so that there was really no need for me to worry about returning to education. Turns out, I LOVE being a student again! OK, so I’m permanently cash poor and my accommodation leaves a lot to be desired (our sad looking three-legged sofa springs to mind), but my enjoyment of the course more than makes up for all of that ... well most of it anyway.

During the last two weeks we’ve covered a number of the anatomical systems, looked at the art of moving and handling - and yes it really is an art, learnt basic CPR, discussed and analysed both good and bad patient experiences, and delved into the depths of our legal, ethical and moral obligations as nurses.

Even at this very early stage there are people within my cohort who (I think) stand out from the crowd, and who (I think) will go on to become excellent nurses. I'm proud to be learning alongside them and I hope to one day work alongside them after we've qualified. I'm especially in awe of those who are not only undertaking a degree - and a nursing degree at that - but are also raising children.

Another great source of inspiration has come in the form of the wonderful lecturers I have had the fortune of encountering. They are, for me, what it’s all about. I hope to be as accomplished and impressive as them one day. 

As ever, I hope my fellow student nurses out there are enjoying their experiences. Please drop me a line and let me know.

Time Flies ...

Has it really been two weeks since my last post? Naughty, Flo! In my defence, I have been such a busy bee of late. Between lectures, seminars, tutorials, studying, flat sitting, building wardrobes, and hand-washing laundry, things have gotten a bit hectic! But enough of that, let’s get down to business.

Since I last posted, I have been introduced to a whole new world of nursing... well... stuff. Some of which includes: learning how to wash my hands correctly and thoroughly; understanding the basics of infection control; uncovering a plethora of fabulous trailblazers in nursing history; observing and practicing dressing a wound using the aseptic technique; and experiencing a whole new level of tired - all of which I’m aware is only the start of things to come! I must confess, since my very first day on the course I have been petrified at the thought of my first placement, but after participating in some clinical skills practice over the last couple of weeks my outlook has changed, and my niggling nerves have been replaced with ever-increasing excitement. In fact, I have just today discovered that my first placement is in an acute-care hospital setting. I still have a few weeks before the placement actually starts, so there’s plenty of time to read up on the subjects surrounding the type of care provided. But before I go on placement, there’s still plenty to learn and look forward to at university. Which reminds me... I have work to do! I’d love to hear how other new and progressing student nurses are getting on, so please drop me a line.

Week One

So I have come to the end of my first week as a student nurse, and in all honesty, it’s been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. The week kicked off with a registration session, during which yet more forms were signed, guidelines were handed out, PCTs were allocated, and of course new friendships were forged.

I’ll be honest, there was a lot of waiting around at times, but freshers’ week is always a bit slow; the calm before the storm if you like. Over the course of the week we were welcomed by our head of school, introduced to what felt like every member of staff, briefed on issues such as placements, uniforms, confidentiality, expectations, and learning resources, and introduced to a whole new world of acronyms.

We didn’t spend the entire week based at university however, and were all sent out on our relevant trust orientation days. Throughout the day we were introduced to our PEFs (practice education facilitator), PELs (programme education lead); believe me these are just the tip of the acronym-iceberg, advised on what was expected of us and what we should expect whilst we are on placement, met a group of current nursing students, and were forced to participate in awful team-building exercises.

I have to admit, about half an in hour into my trust orientation I had my first real ‘uh oh, what have I let myself in for?’ moment. Up until that point the university had kept things purposely light and it wasn’t until the orientation that things started to seem truly real. I don’t want to scare off any soon-to-be student nurses, so I want to stress that experiencing feelings of trepidation is extremely common - especially at the start - and after talking to other people on my course I know I wasn’t the only one to feel this way at some point during the week.

By the end of the week my brain was pretty much full to capacity, but to the university’s credit, the information we were given was distributed at a well thought out and manageable rate.

If there’s one piece of advice I’d like to impart, it’s to make sure you start off well. Yes it’s only freshers’ week, but try and get into good habits early on. Get to your lectures/seminars/tutorials etc on time, always have a pen and paper with you, spend some time familiarising yourself with your campus/university, pay attention during all your sessions so you don’t have to keep asking people for help – in other words, be organised. Remember, it’s not just the staff who will be judging you based on your actions, but also your fellow cohorts. Lecture over! 

Let week two commence. Watch this space!

It's Nearly Time!

My fob watch arrived today, and I am in love with it! It is quite literally helping me countdown to the start of my nursing career. 13 days to go!

I CAN Do It(?)

So with just under two weeks to go until I become a bona fide student nurse (and breathe!), my brain, rather helpfully, is working overtime to ensure a constant stream of questions and doubts fill my mind at any given time. Of course this is all perfectly normal, and in the name of catharsis I thought I would post a selection of them here. So here we go...

Will I ever get used to vomit/diarrhoea?
Will I ever be able to spell diarrhoea without having to Google it first?
How will I react in an emergency?
Will I be able to adapt to being in education again?
How am I ever going to retain all of the information I am taught/will need?
Will third year and my dissertation actually kill me this time? (a bit dramatic this one I know!)
How am I going to react upon experiencing the death of a patient for the first time? 
I could go on... 

Should anyone have any advice or experience they would like to share in the hopes of calming my poor over-worked mind, please feel free to share!

Flo's Top Tips For Moving To Uni

  
For most people, starting university is both exciting and anxiety-ridden all at the same time, especially for those moving away from home. I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been fortunate enough to already attend university - I’m greedy I know - and like most students, I moved away from home and into halls of residence. So having experienced university life as a live-in student in the not-so-distant past, I thought I’d offer a few tips for those soon to be in the same position.


Manage Your Money
Few things will concern you more than the issue of money during your time as a student - though hopefully one of those things will be your degree! I find it impossible to comprehend now, but I somehow managed to make £700 last me each semester - of course I had a little help in the form of a student overdraft at the start, but that soon runs out. Remember, whatever your disposable income is, it needs to pay for EVERYTHING. That includes food, books, travel costs, nights out (of which there will be plenty), clothes, etc.

Should you run out of money, DO NOT be tempted to apply for multiple overdrafts or credit cards. You will regret it later on.


Learn To Cook
Even if you only learn how to make a few simple meals, it’ll work out far cheaper and healthier in the long run. Takeaways will eat up your cash and help you gain the kind of pounds no one wants! If you have similar tastes to some of your housemates, suggest clubbing in together for food, that way you can share the cost and maybe even the cooking.


Don’t Stay In Your Room
Leaving home affects people in different ways and to varying degrees, so even if you’re finding the transition particularly difficult, resist temptation and don’t hole yourself up in your room. Going away to university should be one of the best experiences of your life, and meeting new people is a large part of that. 

Also, uni life isn’t all fun and frolics; you’ll encounter some tough times along the way and it’ll be the friends you make at uni who will be the ones to help you through those times, and very likely end up being your friends for life.


Get A TV Licence
If you don’t, expect regular occurrences of panicking whilst looking for somewhere to hide your TV when your housemate warns you there’s a TV detector van outside. It’s really not worth the hassle, plus of course it’s illegal!


Be Considerate
Always clean up after yourself. Your room is your own personal domain, but communal spaces such as the kitchen, toilets, and showers are there for everyone to use. If you’ve cooked, wash up afterwards. If you spill something (probably booze), clean it up. If the bin is full, empty it. Don’t assume that someone else will, or should, do these things for you. So if you’re expecting the cleaners to pick up the slack, don’t, because they won’t! They’ll simply clean around the mess that they find. 

Also, be considerate of your noise levels. Everyone will be working to different timetables and schedules, so regardless of what time it is, always try and keep the noise to a minimum, especially at night - don’t be tempted to serenade people’s doors with an out-of-tune rendition of Born This Way at stupid o’clock in the morning after one too many alcopops, it won’t make for an easy life!


Enjoy It!
For most people, this opportunity comes around only once, so make the most of it. Remember though, you need to work hard as well as play hard!

Can I Recommend...

Since making the decision to become a nurse, and starting Florence Nursingtales, I have been introduced to a friendly little place known simply as, the online nursing community. On my travels across the world wide web, I’ve stumbled across a plethora of blogs dedicated to the wonderful world of nursing; some educational, some eye opening, and some truly moving.

And then of course there’s Twitter, which effectively acts as a microblogging facility that enables you to publish concise thoughts and information as well find other like-minded tweeple - sorry I couldn’t resist. You can follow or not follow who you like, and build your very own community based on whatever it is you are interested in.

Both have been influential and educational for me personally, and after reading a wonderful post about the importance of community and social media for nurses over at Another Agency Nurse, I thought I would follow her lead and offer a few recommendations of my own as a way of hopefully expanding the community.

So in no particular order, except for alphabetical, here are my recommendations:

Blogs

Another Agency Nurse - This informative and passionate blog comes courtesy of Teresa Chinn, an RN for 15 years and now an agency nurse, who is especially dedicated to getting more nurses talking via the use of social media.

Little Nursey Blog - A wonderfully informative blog aimed primarily at current and soon-to-be student nurses, featuring an assortment of reflections and experiences from the author.

Militant Medical Nurse - Brutally yet brilliantly honest accounts of what it’s like to work on a general medical ward in an NHS hospital.

Nurchat - Another of Teresa Chinn’s projects, which is run in conjunction with the @NurChat Twitter account, offering a place for UK-based nurses to discuss a variety of issues every fortnight on Twitter.

Nurse Me - Sadly no longer updated, this is the blog of a superbly-sarcastic critical care and trauma nurse based in the U.S.

Pee and Sympathy: True Stories from an RN - Another blog that is sadly no longer updated, featuring the wonderfully written accounts of a New-York-City-based nurse. There’s some truly moving and funny stuff here, definitely one to check out.

Who to follow on Twitter 

Rather than me try and inadequately describe why you should follow the people below, click on the links and see for yourself.

@AgencyNurse
@BeardyStudNurse
@gallowcl
@Hattie_Jacques
@NurChat
@PamNelmesFoH
@sarah_morbey
@Soon2BaBurse
@Tweetest_nurse

Donations Welcome

The issue of organ donation has, understandably, always been a sensitive one, and despite the many campaigns and debates there is still a severe lack of registered donors. During the last few weeks there have been a number of news stories relating to this very issue, with one story in particular looking at the idea of compulsory donation - whereby everybody would be presumed a willing donor unless they opted out at some point during their lifetime. In addition to this, a story on the BBC News website focused on an article written by Sue Rabbitt Rof, a researcher at the University of Dundee, who said that payment for kidney donations should be considered in order to encourage more donations. Whilst another popular story has been the change to the online driving licence application process, which now requires everyone applying for a licence to indicate whether or not they wish to join the organ donation register.

The statistics on the NHS Blood and Organ Donation website makes for sobering reading, with ‘only 29% of us having joined the Organ Donor Register’. Things quite obviously need to change, and although the recent development to the aforementioned online driving licence application is a good start, more needs to be done. I for one welcome the idea of compulsory donation, as I believe that it would not only force more people to make a decision on the matter, but would also mean that all decisions would have to be registered officially. Another advantage to this proposed system, is that it ensures anybody who registers as a donor will (in most cases) not have their wishes overruled by loved ones in the event of their death - a situation which sadly can and does occur.

The concept of payments being awarded in exchange for organs such kidneys is not something I agree with however, and promoting it as a possible way for people to pay off their debts, such as student loans, is both dangerous and irresponsible. Peoples’ judgements are often clouded whenever money becomes a motivating factor, so our current system for living donors which relies on people making the decision to undergo potentially life-threatening and painful surgery as an act of altruism, is surely the safer option.

For now the debates and campaigns continue, and while we wait for much-needed change, supplies are short, and in high demand.

If you want more information on donation, or you would like to register as a donor, please visit the organ donation website here.

Apply Yourself

As some of you will know, applying for university is a stressful process. Applying for a nursing degree however, is ten times worse! Having already gotten a degree under my belt, I had expected the application process second time round to prove a little easier. I was wrong. You see, getting on to my first degree didn’t involve an individual and group-based interview, maths and English test, medical assessment, or soul-destroying application form for an NHS student bursary!

In order to comprehend and prepare for the series of events listed above, I did as you’d expect and turned to the internet. Whether it be with the aim of finding answers to my endless list of queries, looking for some much-needed insight in the form of personal accounts from current student nurses, or fervently searching Amazon in the hopes of finding a book that would tell me everything I needed to know about the world of nursing in 200 pages or less, I was convinced the internet would show me the way.

Surprisingly though, there seems (to me at least) to be a lack of dedicated UK-based websites and blogs, not including forums, catering specifically for student nurses. And that, dear readers, is why Florence Nursingtales was born. Essentially, I want to create a comprehensive one-stop shop for prospective and current nursing students who are looking for useful, relevant, and easy-to-understand information.

And where better to start this journey than at the very beginning. Below is my account of the university application process, which will hopefully provide some clarity to any future student nurses out there.


UCAS - Personal Statement

The personal statement section of your UCAS form is your chance to sell yourself to prospective universities. The UCAS website itself has a superb in-depth guide that covers all the fundamentals of writing a personal statement. In addition to this, there are literally hundreds of websites offering helpful advice, as well as those showcasing example statements - remember though kids, plagiarism ain’t cool. 
I decided that drawing on personal experience was not only the best way to help me stand out, but also the best approach to convey my desire, commitment, and suitability for the course - I got an interview out of it so I must have done something right. There is more than one way to write a personal statement however, so do your research and see what feels right for you.


University Interview

During my interview process, I participated in a group-based interview followed by a short individual interview. The group interview, from what I can tell, seemed to be an exercise used to determine the kinds of characteristics we all possessed based on how we interacted with each other. We were asked to read an article, discuss it, and then each present our thoughts on different issues that were identified.

My individual interview was surprisingly brief - I had read a number of accounts from people who had described their interviews as being lengthy and in-depth - with only four questions in total. It's important to be aware that each university will conduct their interviews differently, so make sure you have as many bases covered as possible. For my preparation, I compiled a long list of questions that I thought I was likely to be asked and constructed and memorised my answers for each of them. To give you an idea of the kinds of questions I had anticipated, here are just a few of them: Why do you want to be a nurse? Why do you want to study this particular branch of nursing? What do you think is the role of a nurse? What do you think makes a good nurse? Why do you want to study at this university? 


Medical Assessment

Should you be offered a place at a university, you will be asked to undergo a medical. If like me you’ve suffered with poor health at some point, don’t worry. According to the nurse who carried out my assessment, out of the thousands of prospective students that they see each year only a handful do not pass, and in those cases it’s usually due to severe mental health issues.

Before being asked to attend my medical, I was instructed by my university to send completed health questionnaires from both myself and my GP - be aware that your GP will most likely charge you for this. Once my questionnaires were received I was asked to attend a medical at the university’s occupational health department. The assessment started off with questions about my vaccination history, followed by a couple of jabs. The majority of the session, which only lasted 30 minutes, was spent discussing the medication I currently take and the clarification of a few minor details. I found out there and then that I had passed, and that was it!


NHS Student Bursary

For me, the application for my bursary has been the most stressful part of this process, but my circumstances aren’t exactly the norm so don’t worry. Once you have been made an offer, your university will automatically forward your details on to the NHS Student Bursary department - at least this is what happened in my case, double check with your university if you’re unsure. You will then receive a letter from the bursary team with your unique student reference number, and instructions of how to obtain the application form relevant to your studies from their website. For reasons I’m not privy to, you cannot complete and submit your application online. Instead, once you have located the correct form, you will need to print it out and complete it by hand. You will be asked to send in original documentation along with your form in order to support your application - depending on your situation they will want to see proof of identity, yearly earnings, and so on.

My advice would be to complete your application and send it off as soon as possible. Make sure you go back and check everything at least a couple of times before you do so, as your form may be returned to you and your application delayed if mistakes or anomalies are found. If you’re unsure about anything in relation to your application, give them a call. I’ve spoken to them on a handful of occasions and they have always been super friendly and helpful.


And there you have it, my journey so far from start to finish. If anyone has any questions or would like to share their experiences, use the comment feature below. 

Lead the Way

Apologies, dear readers, for having not posted anything until now! This last month has been somewhat of a roller coaster, what with attending several university appointments, filling in a 36-page NHS bursary application form (yes 36 pages!), and keeping with the theme of embarking on new ventures, but on a totally unrelated note, learning to drive.

I digress however, the subject of this post isn’t to bemoan the overwhelmingly frustrating and anxiety-ridden student nurse application process, but rather to discuss an issue that has come up in conversation rather frequently of late; the issue of whether or not health care professionals should set a good example to their patients.

I am somewhat torn on the matter, but ultimately I believe that if health care professionals are to promote healthier lifestyle choices to patients, the message is far more likely to be effective if they themselves lead by example. That’s not to say that I believe HCPs should be expected to abstain from all kinds of vices because they are born from some sort of bad-habit-hating super race! I do not. However, I do think that there is a risk of the message being undermined if informed professionals are seen to be at odds with their own advice – I don’t know about you but the whole ‘do as I say, not as I do’ ethos never really worked with me.

But isn’t this whole argument irrelevant as long as a person’s lifestyle choices do not directly affect their ability to provide the best health care possible, in other words do their job? I guess at the end of the day we are all responsible for our own lives and choices. Advice provided by health care professionals is just that, advice. It’s up to us what we do with it.

What do you think?

Hello!

Welcome to Florence Nursingtales! The 'About Me' section says it all really, I am a soon-to-be student nurse who will be embarking on a nursing degree in September 2011. The aim of Florence Nursingtales is to inform, support, and amuse other student nurses and health professionals during my journey of education and beyond, as well as anybody else who is interested! I’m looking forward to filling these scarily blank pages with anecdotes, helpful information, rants, and hopefully witty commentaries.

If you have any tips or suggestions for the blog I’d love to hear from you. Contact me at florencenursingtales@gmail.com or at @FloNursingtales