Just An Update

As some of you may know, yesterday I had an interview for Bank HCA work at a Children's Hospice. The interview went rather well, a lot better than I anticipated anyway. I was a bit daunted at first when one of the interviewers told me there were 4 pages of questions!! (Panic Alert!) Although, to be honest the questions were pretty simple, I actually don't know what I was worried about. There were questions on why I wanted to work there, what I could bring to the team, what I thought the importance of teamwork was, what skills could I bring from my previous job to this role, there were questions on equality and diversity, and how i'd manage with some of the stressful situations that come with working in a hospice. I was pretty happy with my answers and the interviewers seemed happy too. With that said I was still quite nervous and must have had several glasses of water, I lost count haha.

I was honest and told them I had no previous experience with children in a healthcare setting and judging from their reactions they seemed pretty impressed by my explanation on how I could transfer the skills I used with adults to this role with children. The only downside is there were other candidates and imagine the standard are pretty high. They said they'd let people know pretty quickly, so... fingers crossed!

As the interview ended they wished me luck for next week... Only a few days to go now before I start uni and I cannot wait. They told me that they have other student nurses on the bank so that was reassuring. I am dying to start uni now, I'm hearing how my fellow student nurses are getting on and it makes me want to get stuck in even more. I still have a bit of preparation left, I get my first loan installment on Monday so intend to go on a shopping spree where I'll be getting a new computer, a printer and all the stationary I need. I've decided to go for a desktop PC rather than another laptop. I also need to purchase a Bus & Train Term Time pass too ready for when I start, getting the pass will save me a hell of a lot of money in the long term.

For those who are at uni, I hope things are going well for you. For my followers who are on the Access course, I hope your course is going well and you're not too stressed, haha. Just to end I want to let you all know that I am planning on doing a fortnightly blog entry from now on. I don't think i'm going to have the time to do one each week, and I feel after two weeks there will be more to talk about, so that's my plan. If there is anything in between that I particularly want to blog about then I will.

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Student Nurses & Social Networking

This post contains my own personal opinions and preferences, as well as those from other potentially unreliable resources, and should not be taken as official advice. If you have any concerns about social networking as a student nurse, please seek advice from your university tutor.

There has been much talk lately between my friends and I regarding how student nurses should approach social networking, and a discussion tonight with my friends on 'Student Nurse Forum' has made me think more about it. We all agree unanimously that the Nursing & Midwifery Council Code of Conduct should be obeyed at all times and that we must always maintain professionalism and be constantly aware that we are representing our universities and the nursing profession as a whole. There are, however, some who are completely unsure of how to approach the issue. I know people who are considering deleting their accounts completely, I know people who want to remove several 'friends', I know people who feel that some scenarios they have read about seem absolutely ludicrous, and I also know people, myself included, who don't feel the need to worry - all are valid concerns and opinions, but we must remember what the NMC says.

The NMC claims that student Nurses may jeopardise their ability to join the NMC Register, if they: 

• Share confidential information online.
• Post inappropriate comments about colleagues or patients.
• Use social networking sites to bully or intimidate colleagues.
• Pursue personal relationships with patients or service users.
• Distribute sexually explicit material.
• Use social networking sites in any way which is unlawful.

I don't know about you, but I have never behaved in such a way, professionally or personally, throughout my entire life and I certainly don't intend to start now. I think this all comes down to common sense, I just don't see how anyone would happily discuss confidential information online, or talk about people in a negative way online, or try and search for, and then attempt to get with, a patient... to me that's just all kinds of wrong! I certainly wouldn't distribute sexually explicit material now, let alone while I'm a student. As long as you're not unprofessional and insensitive, then I think everyone is perfectly safe to use social networking sites. I certainly won't be giving up my Facebook or Twitter accounts, and certainly not this blog. "Before you run for the hills, bury your head in the sand, or change your name by deed poll, all is not lost and it is possible to exist in the digital world without compromising your life in the real world..."

I have found some pretty good advice to ensure we use social networking sites safely;

• Once you have put anything on the internet it is out of your hands. Don’t assume because you are hidden behind a wall of privacy settings, that you control your information. Anyone who can see what you’ve written or uploaded can make a copy and forward it on to others. If you wouldn’t be happy to say it to someone’s face don’t say it at all.
• They say a picture paints a thousand words and when trying to maintain a professional appearance this has never been more true. Those drunken snaps from Aunt Sally’s wedding or the bikini shot from your last trip to Malaga might not be the most appropriate selection for your Facebook profile picture, especially when perspective employers these days may well Google your name.
• You’ve made sure all the pictures and videos you post online show the model nurse, and everything you write about obeys the code of conduct and portrays you as the next Florence Nightingale? Just remember all those people you call friends all have the potential to drop you in big trouble and it can be very difficult to control what they might say about you or post pictures or videos of. If somebody does post something you’re not happy about you can always ask them to take it down, but remember to be polite and professional about it - they might not feel very co-operative if you start shouting at them.
• Remember patient respect, dignity and confidentiality; if it relates to a patient best keep it offline. Social networks are a great tool for setting up meetings, but if you absolutely cannot meet in person then e-mail is the best medium for this and preferably a work e-mail address as this can always be printed and attached to patient notes if necessary.

Personally, I wholeheartedly concur that any student who does break this policy should indeed be removed from their course, or at least be given a warning depending on the severity of the incident. These rules are in place for a reason and we should all bare in mind that we have reputations to maintain, and not just necessarily our own. We are now a student of a university who are giving us an extraordinary opportunity, we will be student nurses on a placement who will be giving us extremely valuable training and support, and will be taking care of many vulnerable patients who will give us their trust, a trust that is earned based on our professionalism, it is only right that we treat each with the respect they deserve.

My final bit of advice - In a nutshell, just be careful, sensible and stay professional, then nothing can come back to bite you. 

STAY CALM AND CARRY ON POSTING.  =)

 

Got A Present....!!!

Random post but thought I'd share it with you all...

Today I got surprised with this fob watch. It was actually the same one I was going to get, I absolutely love it and can't wait to get my uniform so I can pin it on, haha.

Roll on 2nd October!!! I just want to get started now. =)

"This Could Really Be A Good Life"

This is a short entry but I just wanted to share with everyone how I'm feeling right now, and this song, that I absolutely love, sums it up.

It's called 'Good Life' by OneRepublic, and the band themselves have expressed what the meaning of the song is... "In the song, Tedder, the band’s frontman and chief songwriter, sings about having the choice to live a good life no matter what hurdles or rough patches come your way."

Personally, I see this song as a great inspiration to live life to the full and to never have any regrets. Like its telling you to be the person you want to be and to hold nothing back. It kind of makes me stop and look at the journey I'm about to embark on and realise, I have a shot to make the most out of my life, to be the best I can be and that I have all the potential to make my life a good one.

Have a listen, and envision your journey... It really makes you think. It makes me want to stick two fingers up to my doubters and say I'm going to do this, and if you don't believe in me, just watch me. Whatever life throws at me, they'll just be inconvenient hurdles that I have to overcome, but regardless, I will do this.

*UPDATE* - I think this still applies, even though I have left nursing, I am side stepping into a new career and I will get there. This is just another hurdle to jump over, I'm still going.

My Introductory Learning Day

Today's introductory learning day for child health was absolutely brilliant. I hardly got a wink of sleep last night, partly because I was excited, but partly because I'm having trouble sleeping anyway. I woke up at 6am and got ready, I met my college friend at the train station and we headed up to the uni together.

The day started at 9:30 with an introduction from all the staff on the Faculty of Child Health. There were 30-40 of us in this one room and we were told to get up from the table we were sitting at, and basically mingle around the room and talk... I have to admit these kind of icebreakers make me a little nervous and I felt a bit out of place being the one of two males amongst all these women, haha. After this we were given a presentation on what the university expect of us, their values and how we must remain professional at all times within university. We then had a presentation from the clinical lecturer who followed on from this, telling us about the NMC and the code we must adhere to when out on placement, telling us what was and wasn't acceptable. It was really interesting. After this we had a Q&A session where we got to ask all the tutors any questions we wanted, and found out one or two things I didn't actually know, which helped a lot.

After a break came the best part of the day... practical sessions. We started off in the mock children's ward where some real children we in our hospital beds, they were acting of course, but we got to go round to each bed and ask questions to the patient and/or their parent/guardian, asking things like why they were in and what was wrong. It was fascinating to learn some of the questions that should be asked that you initially wouldn't think to ask, that's where the child protection and safeguarding came in, it was brilliant. We then went into the next ward where the simulators were, which held a 9 year old, a toddler and a newborn, the simulators were so life like, feeling their pulses and watching their chests rise and fall were amazing, hearing the 9 year old talk back at you and the baby sims cry made the situations so life like, I really can't wait to begin learning more about observations. The final room was set out like a family clinic, where baby would come to get weighed and measured, etc. It was set up to inform us what kind of things community nurses do, although community nursing isn't of major interest to me, it was fascinating all the same and I'll definitely go into a community placement a lot more open minded.

After lunch we did an A&P session, where we took apart of model that has organs attached to it (you know what I mean?) and we had to take all the organs off and then replace them as quickly as we could. We also has an A&P quiz to test our basic knowledge, my group didn't win (booo) haha. We had two current third years there too who gave us some great advice, and said that we should spend the next 4 weeks brushing up on our A&P knowledge, which is something I will definitely do. I met some wonderful people and I'm looking forward to spending the next 3 years sharing this journey with them. All the staff are really friendly and so approachable. Overall it was an incredible day and I really, really, reeeeeally cannot wait to start officially.

We got sent an email during the day which contained our official reading list and our 3 year course plan which gave us dates, such as when we're in university, on placement, when we have exams and annual leave, etc, exciting.

Ooooh, and when we first went in, we were given a name badge and a goody bag, check out my two little goodies...

 Nurse USB Stick

Spongy Male Nurse (My Fave)

'Toughest Place to be a Nurse' BBC2

This is just a short entry in response to the programme ‘Toughest Place to be a Nurse’ shown on BBC2 tonight. Apologies if it doesn't make much sense in places, as it is late I am merely "jotting down" the thoughts in my head at this precise moment, and am pretty much writing this off the top of my head as I go along. Here it goes...

Watching this programme really hit it home to me how incredibly lucky we are here. It showed just how extremely limited they are in Mexico, especially in terms of medical equipment and the budgets they have. It showed how much medical staff have to cope with, and that despite helping people, their lives are just as much at risk on a daily basis. It was emphasised that to work as a doctor or nurse, you were deemed wealthy and therefore at risk of kidnap. It was remarkable how these people could go to work each day with a smile on their face. It also shocked me when they started talking about men armed with guns entering the hospital; yet medical staff would carry on working after such an incident… amazing!

I was in awe of the male nurse who worked the night shifts. It surprised me when he talked about changing the route to work every day in fear of being recognised and kidnapped. It amazed me how much he has to go through on a daily basis, not only fearing his safety at work, but also having a family who he worries for constantly… to have to go through all of that and still go to work with a smile on his face, and return home to a happy family life, it’s unbelievable!

After seeing this programme it really put things into perspective. It highlights just how lucky we are to live in a society where we can pretty much go through our day to day lives without enduring such violence that some cultures consider to be the norm. Also, it makes you appreciate even more the excellent healthcare we receive, and the advanced medical technology we have. Nurses over there go to work fearing their safety on a daily basis, some nurses here go to work and their main concern is how much they’re getting paid. It really annoys me how some people can criticize our NHS… be grateful that we have such a thing! Be grateful you live in a decent society! Be grateful you have a decent paid job! I’ve always said that when I become a nurse I will vow never to get caught up in political squabbles such as pay, I will be grateful to have a job, to be doing something I love and to be able to get paid to do it. Sure life may get a bit difficult, finances may get a bit stretched, but hey, life isn’t perfect. You may think I’m being naïve... well, think what you will, but I’m not going to get into the whole pay dispute… ever! There are many people in this world who are worse off, who am I to complain!?

If you watched this programme and have thoughts on it, I'd love to hear what you think, please comment!

Ok… rant over. Good night!  =)

Writing A Personal Statement

Recently I’ve had a few people ask me for advice on Personal Statements as they prepare their UCAS applications for the 2013 intake. I have been reading a couple of statements and helping people improve on them. So for those who are looking for help with personal statements (whether that is you or someone you know), I have decided to write up this blog in order to help you. What I have found most is that people mainly lack structure in their statement. It all makes perfect sense, but a lot of it isn’t quite in the right ‘order’. In this blog I’ll give you some pointers on how best to structure your statement, the kinds of things you can do to make your statement stand out, and what admissions tutors look out for.

I will start off with a quote made by UCAS;
“A good statement is important – it could help to persuade an admissions tutor to offer you a place. In many cases, applicants are not interviewed, so this may be your only chance to make the case for your admission.”

You need to begin by thinking up some preliminary ideas on the content and style of your personal statement. So you need to begin by thinking what the purpose of a personal statement is…  For instance, it is an opportunity to sell yourself, to express your reasons as to why you should be picked for the course, and a chance to share your background, experiences and any qualifications you have that you feel may be relevant and will enable your statement stand out. 

You also need to think of the format and layout of your personal statement. Below is a list of tips on how you could structure your statement;

Start by introducing yourself, perhaps begin by stating how you got to this point, for instance, was there an inspirational moment where you realised this was the career for you? Or is this the career you’ve wanted all your life? Include as much positive language as possible and make it clear why you want to be on the course. Remember, it is the start of the statement where you really need to get the admissions tutor’s attention!

In the next few paragraphs (main body), you need to provide information about what you have been doing up to this point. So what experiences have you gain that you feel are relevant? Are you making a career change? If so, talk about the skills you have obtained and how they can transfer into your chosen career. However, don’t just list your experience, make the most of them, don’t just say what you did, but also say what you learnt. Do not repeat information that is already on your UCAS form, this wastes characters, they already know where you have worked/studied.

Include a paragraph about any recent studies and your experiences at the college/university you were at. For instance, did you enjoy the challenge? How did you find the subject(s)? Mention the social aspect of college/university life. Draw as much out of these experiences as you can as you need to emphasise your suitability and enthusiasm. Also include a paragraph about your hobbies and interests, make sure you are specific! For instance, did you play for a local team? If so, how did you benefit from that as an individual? What did you learn from it?

In the final paragraph, and I can’t stress this enough, you need to end on a positive, ‘forward looking’ way. Reiterate your interest in the particular course and mention your long term aims. Once you have finished it is imperative you proof read your statement, make changes in necessary, and ask for other people’s input. It needs to be word perfect, clear, correctly spelt and interesting.

For additional tips, please click here.

Note: Some of the above information has been taken from a handbook I received when I was at college, in the hope that it will help you. The wording of this blog is completely my own. I have not plagiarised.