And So It Begins

Hi everyone. It has been a while since my last post, this is mainly because I have been really busy and have been trying to get my head around all of this. It is all so new and after my induction week I admit I had some niggling doubts about whether I could really do this. During induction we had a course overview lecture which told us how the course works and what is expected of us. They went through the grading system and what happens if we fail.

We got told that in each year we have 4 modules to complete which are each worth 15 credits, and in terms of academic work, we get 4 attempts to pass the first year. This includes assignments, OSCE's (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) and numeracy exams. In practice, we get 2 attempts to pass placements. If we fail to pass after all of those attempts, we are out, simple as that. We could reach the final placement of our third year, and if we failed that placement a second time, the previous years would count for nothing, and we would be dismissed from the course... ouch! We also got told that when it comes to our maths exams, in first year we have to get 70% to pass, second year 80% and third year 90%, if we are so much as one mark off, we are removed from the course for 6 months, and we then get to retake. This really began to make me wonder if I was really ready for this, but I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be, and I'm going to give it a damn good go. It all sounds harsh but I guess they have to be, and I respect that.

We have also been told that we won't find out our placements until 4 weeks prior to placement, we also have to pass the mandatory training that will come in the following weeks. If we fail, we can't go on to placement.

Tomorrow is my first day of lectures, we are starting our module launch and then having a lecture on cells and homeostasis. I'm really looking forward to this because I think physiology is one of my strong points. Even though I have done plenty of reading over the summer, I am going to spend today going over everything again so it's all fresh in my mind. I really can't wait to get started. Wednesday is another day off (feel like a part time lol) and thursday we have a field specific seminar and a lecture of the history of nursing (really can't wait for that one).

I'm not going to post a blog on each day, if there is anything in particular I want to talk about then you may find posts on the Student Nurse Forums. Hope all my fellow student nurses are getting on well at uni. Looking forward to reading more updates from you all. To all my followers aren't doing nursing, apologies if you were anticipating more blogs from me, but I guess I didn't realise how hectic uni life was going to be lol.

Speak to you all soon. =)

The Journey Begins Tomorrow

So the day has finally come! Tomorrow will be my first day at uni, and despite the likelihood of the day consisting of paperwork and 'non-nursey' lectures, I am dying to get started and I couldn't be more excited!

Today I finally went out and did some stationery shopping... talk about procrastination, already! Haha! No, the reason it was left so late was because I am quite low on funds, and unfortunately my loan installment didn't go in to day as hoped. I guess I have to wait until my attendance has been confirmed.

I love stationery shopping, I'm like a kid a christmas and I always take my time when looking. I must have been in the store for quite a while today, I had employees coming up to me and asking if I was ok, haha. I have only brought a few essentials for now, and a few extras which I got cheap in Poundland (result!). So, I brought;

• Pens
• Highlighters
• Post-Its
• A Scientific Calculator
• A Pocket Notepad
• An A4 Pad
• Page Dividers
• Punched Pockets
• A Folder; aaaaand....
• An Academic Diary

I thought I'd be nice and take a picture for my fellow stationery lovers (you know who you are, haha!).

I will be buying more stuff once my money comes through as there is no doubt I will need more. I will let you all know how I get on tomorrow. We have to be there for 8:30am but I am meeting my friends there at 8am as we want to get coffee first and then go to the lecture theatre before everyone else, we don't like the thought of sitting at the back of a crowded room lol. So this means I have to get up at 6am to get ready, get the 6:55am bus to the train station and get the 7:30am train to be at the university by 8am. Oooh what fun this is going to be... =/

I'll post another blog tomorrow when I get home, and I have no idea when that will be. I'll be tweeting tomorrow so if you want to know how things are going, take a look at Twitter when you can.

Wish me luck