Nursing requires endless patience
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As a nurse, you will come across endless situations which test your patience and make you feel the pressure.
From things as simple as not being able to find the right equipment in order to carry out a task to communicating with members of other professionals who do not understand you. The reality of being a nurse is also a huge pressure, the constant dirty uniforms, not being able to go to that party or spend time with your partner because you have to do a night shift when hes working 9-5.
Most importantly you need to have patience for your service users.You need patience with the small kid who is constantly screaming and crying because he is bored and wants to go home, patience with that teenage girl who keeps sliding down the bed and needs re positioning 8 times a day, and definitely with the parents who don’t seem to appreciate that you are looking after 5 other patients expect instant action and care when asked for.
So where do you find it from? I would be interested to know. Is it from support from your family or friends? Is it from jokes with your fellow nursing staff? Or is it coming from some amazing internal source? Are you born with it or do you have to train yourself in this quality?
Nursing habits stay with you forever
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With nursing, you bring your job back home with you. When I'm making my bed, I tuck my sheets in with a hospital corner and I wash my hands in the same way I would just before I'm about to come in contact with a patient. I've noticed how much of the skills I carry out at work I also carry out in my personal life.
It's difficult not to apply a plaster on a cut in a specific way or not to fluff pillows like you would when your making a hospital bed at work, and i still make a shift planner for my every day life as well as when I'm at work
It's difficult not to apply a plaster on a cut in a specific way or not to fluff pillows like you would when your making a hospital bed at work, and i still make a shift planner for my every day life as well as when I'm at work
I bet there are lots of bits
of nursing that have crept into your everyday life and habits. Are there
any that you want to share?
So you want to be a nurse
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I feel like I have so much to talk about now that I'm in my final year and so close to graduation. It's important to me to warn all the future nursing students exactly what they're getting into. Therefore I bring you a list of things you should know prior to becoming a student nurse:
Your life will be over for a little awhile. I'm not just talking about while you're studying in university. I lost 2 years of time I've wanted to spend with family and friends I will never be able to get back only to take on a 12 hour shift job which will take me away from them anymore. Don't get my wrong, I love my job with a passion, I wouldn't change it for anything however your social life must end and your school life must become a priority. It is insanely time consuming, but if you're committed you'll make it through and it will be worth it in the end.
You will get fat. University and placement is full of chocolates, cakes, take aways and fatty hospital cafeteria food, not to mention the occasional all night study sessions which will require a years supply of lattes and chocolate in order to stay awake. I flutter between 10 and 20 pounds more than I started and the worst part is those elastic-waist uniform trousers make you feel as if you haven't gained any weight at all because they fit no matter how much chocolate you eat. The Nursing uniform s is a comfortable blanket of lies. They are awesome.
The uniform is awesome. I can not say this enough. Not only are they extremely comfortable, They make people think you are a medical professional who may one day save their life so they are nicer to you. People open doors for you, smile at you and nearly everyone speaks to a lady nursing uniform as if they think that asking how you are H will you cause you to remember their faces.
All nurses are psychiatric nurses. As a slightly nutty nursing student myself, I have never been the student who has said "I don't deal with crazy" which was a good because that's rude and inappropriate and these so-called crazy people (you know, like me) are everywhere. You will have to deal with schizophrenic, bipolar and anxious patients within hospitals, nursing homes, schools and private sectors. You WILL have to care for patients with mental health problems at least once a week, So suck it up and make sure you improve your communication skills. It is now a part of your job description.
You will not feel prepared when its time to graduate. It doesn't matter if university was a ten year course instead of three, you will still not have time to practice every skill with every type of patient that you will come across in your nursing career. I'm a third year student who still hasn't started my IV training or seen CPR on a person who isn't made from plastic. Don't get me wrong, I have gained so much knowledge and experience however you will not do it perfectly once you graduate and that's okay. As long as you learn because I can guarantee you, you will be learning for the rest of your life.
You CAN do it. This is something you need to remember and tell yourself. every. single. day. A lot of the skills that you use in nursing you are born with. Compassion is something that you can not teach. It is hard and you may feel like you are drowning in work but if you cling tight to God and those who love you, you will finish with a degree in your hand. and you'll feel like an absolute legend.. that is until you have your first ever shift as a real nurse and you almost pee your pants at-least 20 times. But you can do it and it will be worth it.
Your life will be over for a little awhile. I'm not just talking about while you're studying in university. I lost 2 years of time I've wanted to spend with family and friends I will never be able to get back only to take on a 12 hour shift job which will take me away from them anymore. Don't get my wrong, I love my job with a passion, I wouldn't change it for anything however your social life must end and your school life must become a priority. It is insanely time consuming, but if you're committed you'll make it through and it will be worth it in the end.
You will get fat. University and placement is full of chocolates, cakes, take aways and fatty hospital cafeteria food, not to mention the occasional all night study sessions which will require a years supply of lattes and chocolate in order to stay awake. I flutter between 10 and 20 pounds more than I started and the worst part is those elastic-waist uniform trousers make you feel as if you haven't gained any weight at all because they fit no matter how much chocolate you eat. The Nursing uniform s is a comfortable blanket of lies. They are awesome.
The uniform is awesome. I can not say this enough. Not only are they extremely comfortable, They make people think you are a medical professional who may one day save their life so they are nicer to you. People open doors for you, smile at you and nearly everyone speaks to a lady nursing uniform as if they think that asking how you are H will you cause you to remember their faces.
Nursing students can make anything sound inappropriate. It's a coping mechanism which is used by a lot of people. We need to talk about herpes and vomit and blood and the ever-present thought of the dying, to help us get through the day. We do develop a strange sense of which can turn a pressure ulcer into a laugh. Well... no...actually that is a huge a lie, a pressure ulcer is never, ever a laughing matter, but the reason we talk and laugh about stuff is because other nurses are the only people you can actually feel comfortably asking was THAT normal??
Nursing students do most of the work that nurses do not want to do. I have never heard anyone say I can not wait to become a nurse so I can give everyone bed baths but this is exactly what most of the clinical placement days will consist of. you do spend a lot more time cleaning patients than practicing the key clinical skills you will one day use to care for them. You need to use you initiative and ask the nurses on the ward if you can watch or carry out any of the clinical procedures rather than expecting it. I should however make it very clear that I do consider bathing and personal care an integral part of patient care, and I think its important for students and nurses to get involved and no one is beneath doing it.
All nurses are psychiatric nurses. As a slightly nutty nursing student myself, I have never been the student who has said "I don't deal with crazy" which was a good because that's rude and inappropriate and these so-called crazy people (you know, like me) are everywhere. You will have to deal with schizophrenic, bipolar and anxious patients within hospitals, nursing homes, schools and private sectors. You WILL have to care for patients with mental health problems at least once a week, So suck it up and make sure you improve your communication skills. It is now a part of your job description.
You will not feel prepared when its time to graduate. It doesn't matter if university was a ten year course instead of three, you will still not have time to practice every skill with every type of patient that you will come across in your nursing career. I'm a third year student who still hasn't started my IV training or seen CPR on a person who isn't made from plastic. Don't get me wrong, I have gained so much knowledge and experience however you will not do it perfectly once you graduate and that's okay. As long as you learn because I can guarantee you, you will be learning for the rest of your life.
Nursing is a sisterhood (or brotherhood). When I first joined university I was incredibly competitive and I didn't want anyone get in the way of my graduation however I was introduced to a group of girls, some who became my best friends. We lost a few student on the journey but these ladies became my sisters. We started as classmates and ended up as an unexpected family who each other study study help. We share laughter and tears and I thank God EVERY DAY for every single one of them.
You CAN do it. This is something you need to remember and tell yourself. every. single. day. A lot of the skills that you use in nursing you are born with. Compassion is something that you can not teach. It is hard and you may feel like you are drowning in work but if you cling tight to God and those who love you, you will finish with a degree in your hand. and you'll feel like an absolute legend.. that is until you have your first ever shift as a real nurse and you almost pee your pants at-least 20 times. But you can do it and it will be worth it.
Can you teach Compassion??
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Words such as kind, compassionate and empathetic are words that have always been linked to nursing. Whatever words we use to describe the characteristics of a good nurse, we all know one when we meet them.I feel that good nurses are good people. So I am left wondering, are people born destined to be nurses or can we teach people how to be compassionate and kind?
There is obviously no doubt that a high level of education and training is needed to be nurse however they also need qualities that help them transfer all this knowledge into usable skills in practice. You can teach key elements of nursing, however I personally feel that you can't teach the empathy, compassion and kindness that is needed for nurses to be able to provide good care. And here is the challenge we are currently facing. I know that all of us nurses know people who would make the most amazing nurses however simply do not have the qualifications and others who have top marks in theory however lack essential qualities that are crucial in nurses.
I think that the first step in overcoming this is to ensure our future nurses have the right qualities and values and make sure that the NHS is prepared to help graduates become empowered and use these skills in their career.
Good Luck to all the New Students!!
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It’s freshers’ week student nurses all over the UK will be starting their degree and will come across experiences and challenged that will completely change their views and outlook on life, not just in their career but personally too.
I feel excited for all the new student nurses. They will learn the fundamentals of nursing care. All of the current second and third year students will remember most of the difficulties of learning clinical procedures and the fear of not doing it right. I definitely remember the first time I gave an injection, changed a dressing or helped someone go to the toilet. Most importantly, I remember the joy of being able to support patients at a time when they need care.
I feel that nursing changes you in a personal way and you you will probably still remember some of the patients you met during your training even after you graduate. I feel quite excited on the new student’s behalf – wishing I could turn the clock back and go through again some, if not all, of the variety, challenges and real life experience that nurse training offers. Good luck to all the new students.
The Five Stages Of Essay Writing
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1)Being Cocky
You receive your assignment brief and think ha! This sounds like a piece of cake. This confidence lasts for about 1.25 seconds and swiftly moves to step two
2) Depression
Your lecturer starts explaining every single example in history of how students have gone wrong and what not to do. The horror stories shoot out at you thick and fast until all confidence has been diminished and utter terror is spread all over your face.
3) Denial
You carry on with your life pretending the essay doesn't exist nor has it ever existed. At all. Ever. This is the delightfully unaware stage. That is until you go back into university a few weeks later and other students are talking about how they have already written 4680 words and found 46 references. Hearing this almost catapults you back into stage two.
4) Acceptance
You finally realize that is it actually easier to just write the essay. Its a grueling. pain staking journey which includes cussing at the laptop, questioning your place on the course and eating tubs of ice cream to get through the night.
5) Relief
After all the sweat and tears, you have submitted your essay. You tell yourself that it wasn't that bad and next time you will start early to make it easier on yourself.
Repeat this process with every essay.
You receive your assignment brief and think ha! This sounds like a piece of cake. This confidence lasts for about 1.25 seconds and swiftly moves to step two
2) Depression
Your lecturer starts explaining every single example in history of how students have gone wrong and what not to do. The horror stories shoot out at you thick and fast until all confidence has been diminished and utter terror is spread all over your face.
3) Denial
You carry on with your life pretending the essay doesn't exist nor has it ever existed. At all. Ever. This is the delightfully unaware stage. That is until you go back into university a few weeks later and other students are talking about how they have already written 4680 words and found 46 references. Hearing this almost catapults you back into stage two.
4) Acceptance
You finally realize that is it actually easier to just write the essay. Its a grueling. pain staking journey which includes cussing at the laptop, questioning your place on the course and eating tubs of ice cream to get through the night.
5) Relief
After all the sweat and tears, you have submitted your essay. You tell yourself that it wasn't that bad and next time you will start early to make it easier on yourself.
Repeat this process with every essay.
Too posh to Wash?
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As I have made clear before, I love what I do and I love being challenged by my placements in order to gain more knowledge, however there is one thing that really irritates
I feel that nursing is where you work with your head, heart and hands. It’s a demanding and rewarding career and I could not imagine myself working in any other field. As a student, I have never refused to provide basic nursing care for my patients. I have always worked along health care assistants and other staff nurses, trying to learn more from them. No nurse should ever think that they are above providing basic care. All too often, nurses delegate jobs to nursing assistants because the nurses feel they shouldn't have to do them. If we choose to parcel off those elements of nursing care that we think are distasteful or beneath us, we'll be left with a fragmented outlook on patient care
When I first started my course, I really wanted to learn everything I could, start from the basics. Every morning I did the cares with the HCA’s and learnt how important it is to have a foundation. I learnt and understood the value of dignity, respect, communication and comfort. These skills will stay with me for the rest of my career. During university, I had skills sessions where I practiced these skills in scenarios such as performing a bed bath or dressing a patient, however dressing a dummy is entirely different to helping a real human being. You can never simulate a real life situation that you get on a ward. What these skill sessions do teach me is the reasons behind my actions. My lectures give me knowledge however you can only gain experience with practice. Writing a fantastic essay does not make you a fantastic nurse. When I qualify, I don’t expect to become a super nurse who is above health care assistants and think I know everything. I hope to be a good nurse who understands the importance of the basics and team work. Don't give away the parts of nursing that let you connect with your patients. Caring comes through in your touch. A clean body and bed are important to the ill person in ways that you won't fully comprehend until the day when you're a patient receiving nursing care.
It only takes one
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So being a nursing student is a really big struggle, trying to juggle university, work, exams and placement. But one experience I had during my second year of placement made it all worthwhile. The tears I cried over exams, the tiredness and hours I lost trying to remember pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the panic and fear of making a mistake while on placement all drained away because of one patient and reminded me why I was doing this in the first place. I was working with the community physiotherapy team and I noticed a little child waving at me. I waved back, thinking he was just another friendly child however as he spoke to me, it became obvious to me that this child knew me from somewhere. He looked up at me and asked me “Do you remember me?” and as you can imagine, my brain was trying to recall and place a name to this face however I drew a complete blank. Before I had a chance to answer him, he told me “You were the nurse that looked after me when I was sick last year”. That’s when all the memories came flooding back to me. He was a fantastic patient and I loved looking after him. I had only spent two days with this child however I had spent a lot of time with him before he was discharged. He was a child who had all the nurses crying with laughter and smiling throughout the whole of his stay.
I think that this has been the biggest compliment I have received till date. “I remember who you are” Is more than just I remember you. To me, it means you looked after me so well that I didn’t forget you. It means you are doing something right. It means that I was more than just a nurse who gave medication and physically treated you. I was ecstatic for the rest of the week. That one comment made me feel like all my hard work was worth it. I have always worked hard and tried to do my best because for me nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a life. To be told I was a great nurse by someone I looked after more than a year ago is the best reward I could ever get.
Final Year
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I can't believe how much I have achieved in the last 2 years. There's a lot of pressure this year and a lot for me to worry about but with the amazing support. I definitely won't give up with the end so close. I will be keeping you guys updated about my journey to becoming a nurse
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