10 things Iāve learnt during my nursing degree
1) Talking about bodily fluids, bloody wounds andĀ āhow cool that procedure wasā is totally fineā¦.but only with nursing students or medical peeps, big apologies to all my friends and family that I have put off eating over the last 3 years.
2) If in doubt, ask! Your mentor would much rather you askĀ āwhat they meant?/where that is?/how you do it?ā then ask you to do something and wonder why 20 minutes later you have achieved sweet nothing and have been nervously panicking away in the store cupboards. Also some situations will be time sensitive, and not all staff will recognise yourĀ āstudentā status so if you get asked to grab something ASAP and you have no idea what that is - TELL THEM and let someone else go!
3) Before uni, you have many expectations of how much you will learn and what an amaze-balls nurse you will be with your vast amounts of learnt knowledge and skills.Ā The truth is, 3 years in youāve forgotten half the stuff you learnt in year 1, youāre cacking your pants at the thought of qualifying and kicking yourself for all those study naps you felt worthy of. Which leads me toā¦.
4)Ā āITāS OKAY NOT TO KNOW EVERYTHINGā I 100% guarantee every student has thatĀ āIām going to be an awful nurseā moment, heck knows I still do, and some shifts have left me in tears. But just remember, even as a newly qualified nurse, you are not suddenly left on your own, there are always people around to answer your questions and guide you.Ā
5) Keep yourself healthy. Physically and Mentally. You cannot help others, if you cannot help yourself. This doesnāt mean coping alone if you are struggling, but it does mean recognising when you need some help. Reach out to loved-ones. This applies when youāre not on placement too, uni is stressful, money is stressful, personal life can be stressful, recognise this, adopt a healthy balance between work/social life. Eat well, be active, and laugh often.
6) Be prepared for shifts!! My essentials for a shift on placement;Ā
- Pens x2 (I like the pens with 4 colour options to choose from, some ward paperwork requires using red ink for charting certain observations)Ā
- Pen light (For neuro obs)
- Fob watch (You will quickly learn that nurses document everything, including the time, and the day you forget your fob watch you will realise what a godsend they are - plus they look pretty cool and come in funky colours/patterns)
-Calculator; Drug calculations, fluid calculations, input/output, weight, etcetc numbers are everywhere in nursing and Iām yet to find a nurse who does not have or use a calculator during shifts.
- Lip balm, because ward air conditioning sucks the life out of you and who wants chapped dry lips?
-Hand moisturiser, hand-washing is essential, but without a good moisturiser you will fall victim to dry cracked and sore hands due to the billionth time youāve washed /alcohol gelled them.
-small notebook, endlessly useful, itās okay to ask questions but sometimes itās good to jot things down you donāt understand, and spend time researching yourself to see if you can answer the question first. Also any important info you need to pass on, door codes or general information you can keep close to hand - Just remember that any private/confidential data such as patient names etc needs to be disposed of in hospital confidential bins and shouldnāt be taken home or left around!
-Water Bottle; Dehydration is a bitch, so drink when you can (and if you see a toilet and have a spare minute donāt hang around)
- Dextrose/glucose tablets, this isnāt for everyone, but if youāre a bit funny like me and tend to drop your blood sugars at funny hours of the morning on a night-shift or when youāve not eaten in a while the sugar boost can be useful, whether its a placebo effect or reality, when Iām getting a bit dizzy/nauseous I take one and find it helps (Just donāt overdo it)!
- Food; Goes without saying really, prepare food the night/day before shifts, it may be the last thing on your mind when youāve gotten back late and youāre tired but you will feel worse when you leave in the morning and realise you either a) have to spend money on buying lunch b)you have to go hungry on a 12.5 hour shift. Think nutritious, slow energy releasing and filling foods!
7) Sometimes you faint. In my case a few times, and its equally embarrassing every time it happens. The wards are use to it, theyāve seen it, you may get nurses that roll their eyes, but the majority will firstly check youāre okay, and secondly probably laugh at you- roll with it. But if you do feel faint, do not try and push through, tell someone, take yourself out the room or sit down out the way and wait till you feel better! Everyone will appreciate it much more if you take responsibility and sit out as opposed to dropping something/someone or knocking stuff over and falling on a patient!
8) You can learn a lot from people if you are respectful, kind and enthusiastic. This includes doctors, nurses, physios, healthcare assistants, ward clerks and sometimes cleaners. As a student you will do multiple placements in different places, and every placement is a fresh start, new ward, new team , new paperwork and youāll have no clue where anything is. You are neither above or below someone, and although hierarchical thinking is still present (often with the older generations) there are things to learn everywhere and everyone deserve respect. Bare in mind some of the staff you encounter may be a lower band than you, but may well have worked on the same ward for 20+ years!
9) Nursing is a profession where you will constantly be learning and developing, it will push you to your limits; You will meet staff and patients and families that inspire you and intensify your love of caring, and unfortunately youāll meet others that will make you feel small, and useless and the worst nurse in the world. It happens, and it will always be a possibility in a profession that evokes such emotions from people. All I can say is remember how it feels! Remember how that backhanded comment from a nurse shattered your confidence, or how being calledĀ āThe studentā 8 weeks into placement made you feel worthless, or how embarrassed you were when you asked a question and it was ignored (Or even worse, you were mocked). Some nurse dislike students, some donāt have the desire to teach and would rather just do it themselves and leave you following behindā¦ but its always the good mentors and nurses that you will remember, the ones who go out of their way to teach you, get to know you and would rather let you go and watch something new or interesting, as opposed to making you do the odd jobs because its to busy and you are needed in the staffing numbers. Strive to be those nurses, be passionate, be interested, be helpful, and remember it is better to help someone progress than let them fall through the cracks.
10) There will be good days, there will be bad days, and some days you will have no clue what is going on or how you will ever qualify and pass your degree. Everyday is different, but nursing is a privilege like no other. You will be there during someones best and worst moments, you will hold many hands, and give many hugs, and cry many tears. Love is everywhere, but so is sadness, anger, fear and desperation. Not everyone will survive, and sometimes miracles do happen. Hold on to the things that keep your passion alive.
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