Enrolment - Part 1

So in the last few days i've received my welcome pack from university as well as my starter pack. 

Its starting to make it feel a little bit more real now, although i don't think its really going to sink in until i get my student card and im sat in our induction lecture. 

Our welcome pack detailed when to enroll online and what to do. It gave us our university email address (time to start using that to get student discounts!) and information about what is happening in Welcome Week, which is also listed on their Facebook pages. 

These were sent out to all students, and the starter pack is individual to our school. 

For example, as i am doing Learning Disability Nursing i am part of the School of Nursing. 

So then our starter pack has been sent out detailing uniform times, enrolment times, our welcome week timetable and what to do for occupational health. 

So we have to log online to start our online enrolment, fairly straightforward and our welcome pack details how to do this. 

And then from there we attend our enrolment appointment at the university.  This is where i have to take evidence of all my previous qualifications, which should be fun trying to find them all and putting them all together.  Luckily i'm fairly organised anyway but after moving they are all still packed in a box somewhere! 

And once enrolment and our uniform is sorted we then need to attend an appointment for occupational health.  Once that is done we can then look forward to Welcome Week!

Welcome Week is the infamous Fresher's Week at most universities.

The university organises events for everyone to settle in and get to know one another.  During this week your school will also organise for you to go to induction lectures to give you your timetables, module information and your tutorial groups etc.

This is usually a time where everyone is feeling just as nervous as you probably are and everyone is in the same position.  

Luckily, today we have social networking sites where people can get to know one another a little before they meet at university. At the risk of sounding somewhat old, when i first attended university Facebook, Twitter etc weren't really up and running as such then and i went to university completely blank. I didn't know what to expect, who was going to be there and what was going to happen.  But i put myself out there and purposely went and knocked on other flat doors in the halls of residence i was in. This way i was able to meet people and l made some good friends this way. 

I can start my online enrolment next week (this is earlier than other students as nursing and midwifery students start earlier and we also are at university longer during the academic year).

It still doesn't feel massively real but it is exciting and unbelievably exhilarating knowing i have gotten this far.  

Work hard and you can achieve anything.  

Ignorance is not bliss.

So only a few more weeks to go until induction.
I've been trying to get my blog out there and make and more people aware of the learning disability branch of nursing. Especially when I am still seeing articles of health care professionals (hcp's) not understanding or even trying to, those with a learning disability. It has to be one of the most annoying things that those who are meant to be trained and work following the 6 c's of nursing ignoring all that?
In the past week I've had 2 very recently qualified adult nurses talk about how l.d is all community and how we don't do anything clinical and how we can't do iv's and we can't take blood and we can't do x, y and z.
It shows that even the most recently trained of nurses can still be ignorant. I have been told communicating isn't hard and how l.d is not a hard subject.
It does take a lot for me to not bite people's heads off at such things! In the years I've worked with people with l.d and the hcp's that liaise with them I've seen appalling communication! Talking to me and not the individual, pretending to understand then looking to me for clarification, just simply nodding and agreeing, hoping that the individual may stop talking. Constantly asking other hcp's for help when the person may be showing a behaviour that may challenge.
The list can go on and on.
Yet it is the carers and the health care professionals that work with the individual on a frequent basis that will know most about that person. And there are many conditions that people with learning disabilities have that many people have not heard of. All of this needs to be publicised more and to give those with a learning disability a bigger voice. There is only so much the parents or carers can do. They need the likes of learning disability nurses to assist them, to enable them to look after the individual to their best ability. They want the public to know more, the doctors, the nurses, the psychologists, the speech and language team, everyone needs to be made more aware.
Learning disabilities are not going to go away. They won't diminish and they certainly will not stop happening.
If you're scared there's not going to be a job at the end of the degree, don't be.
People are living longer, they're living fuller and sometimes riskier lives. People are having children later on in life, people may experience medical trauma. All of the above and more can contribute as to why someone may have a learning disability. And these people need qualified knowledgeable professionals to help and assist in their care.
Learning disability nurses can deal with newborn babies, premature, and inutero.  They can deal with children and adults. Learning disabilities do not discriminate with age. They can affect anyone. So in being a learning disability nurse you are experiencing a wide age range. A variety of people. And that makes you just as qualified as any other branch.

On my travels

Hi all :)

So today I'm travelling seeing family and friends. Will probably be the last time for a while so im making the most of it. 

It's weird how quick this summer seems to be going when I keep thinking it's dragging. But I have re-read some of my earlier blog posts and some statuses etc from social sites and it has gone very quick. 

I am more or less sorted for starting university apart from getting my house organised.  

Me and my partner have just moved so everything I did have organised is now lying in boxes. 

But so far, I have a diary (using a filofax), a wall planner, many lever arch files, many pens, highlighters, notepads, hole punch, poly pockets, a dictaphone, a usb stick, 2 external hard drives and my laptop.

So seemingly stationary wise I appear to have what I may need. Failing that, there will be the Welcome Week fair where you always bag some freebies! Even if it is just a few pens! 

I've seen a good few people panicking about occupational health checks still, what to do about finances, what bag to use, if to have a tablet, how you can get on with others, what age group will be in your cohort etc. The list goes on.

But my advice would be to not worry too much.  Universities will send out information that you will need and there will be induction classes before your actual classes get underway. 

I'm now just waiting on information being sent from my university in regards to induction and when to go for uniform measurement etc.  And then once that's on I can sort out how I'm getting it off work! 

But I am really looking forward to starting and seeing how the course is structured and how much work we will get!

So only a little longer to wait and then university starts. After all them months of waiting, finally!

Finances

The big stress for many students, never mind student HCP’s. (health care professionals)

As the NHS and the government are always trying to save money the NHS are looking at how NHS courses are being funded and if the NHS should continue to do so.  Currently, students can receive a bursary that is a set amount of money each month and their course fees paid for.  This is never a great amount, especially if you are coming from working full time to being a student once again.  Then, the amount you receive can be means tested or non means tested.  This means that it can either be assessed on your household income or your parents income (depending on how old you are and where you reside) or it can be just a given amount.  To further confuse matters this all depends on where you reside in the UK.  English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish students are all under different guidelines.  As it is the NHS that pays the bursary, this falls to your local trust and the local government.  For example, English students can also apply for a reduced student maintenance loan that you will repay back once you graduate.  English students can also get the bursary.  However, students in Northern Ireland fall under different guidelines and have a set amount bursary and if I am correct in saying so do not qualify for a student loan as well.  This may change or I may not be 100% correct here so do not quote me on this! Then the amounts you are awarded will depend on where you reside, and what the local policies are.  They may also depend on if you have any dependents (children, elderly relatives etc) that rely on you for money.  This also can change if you are entitled to any benefits.

See why many people get very confused?

And in many cases, you may need to write to Mr or Mrs Tax Person and ask for a statement to say how much your earnings have been over the previous three years.  You may or may not be asked to do this.  Again, all depends on your local NHS trust, where you live etc.  So applying for a bursary can leave many with a headache.

I have been told my university sends off the student names to the local bursary office and then they will send out forms for us to complete and then we should get our first instalment at the end of October.  So for September I will be relying on savings and my partner.  No one said this was going to be easy though!

I have sorted my student loan out after many a setback.  However, after various phone calls and a little nagging that has been resolved! So now I have to wait for information to be sent out regarding my bursary and how much exactly I’ll be getting and then I’ll know a little more.  I am registering with a couple of nursing agencies and I am hoping to stay on the bank system at work, which will give me shifts.  As I will need to work to ensure that we have a roof over our heads and that I can afford to eat! Never mind that we do need to pay for travel etc.  The finance side of things does tend to worry a lot of people.  The finances are only a minor niggle though. Passion for your career will always tend to put them doubts to one side when you think of the end goal. 

So finances aside, it is turning out to be a very good summer! We’ve had some great weather (when I was at work! Just my luck!)  I have more or less sorted things with university.  As I sent copies of my certificates before I even applied to see if I even could apply, I have not needed to do that.  I received an email not so long ago confirming everything was in order and to await information being sent out after results day. 

So the main thing is just waiting and waiting. Which can seem a little tedious but it is only 7 weeks until classes actually start.  That looks weird seeing that in writing.  7 Weeks!!!

Before that I have a uniform sitting, bursary form to complete, my portfolio to pick up and an occupational health appointment. 

The excitement is annoying at times though, it reminds me of when I was a child counting down until Santa was due to visit! You had written your list / letter and sent it off and now you were so excited to see if you were going to get that ‘must have’ toy of that year.

 It feels like that, a lot! 

Joining St John Ambulance

So its been a busy few weeks since I was last typing away.

Im currently on annual leave from work and in the process of moving house.  It’s all a bit crazy! But I have got underway with doing many St John Ambulance duties as I’ve recently joined and I’m loving every minute of it. The other members are lovely and are more than helpful.  Got my uniform, been an observer on a few calls (as I’m still learning!)  and I’ve found a house, signed contract and started to get our stuff moved. 

Really have picked the worst time to go away as well so im trying to get everything done as best as I can.  My partner has resits these next coming weeks, I have a family wedding, the house move to sort and then getting everything sorted for uni.  Desperately trying to save money as well.

I don’t think it was ever going to be a stress free summer! But I am enjoying making the most of having time to myself with no deadlines over my head and no stressing about how to divide my time and my money!

But anyway.

St John Ambulance have been great.  I have found this great preparation for going back to university and brushing up on the basics.  I have done my TFA (Trainee First Aid) exam and passed J I have then had my police check and had the chance to observe on some patient transfer calls as well as helping the local trust with calls.  This has been a great way of getting to know how St John Ambulance operate and to keep my people skills fresh.  I have also been assisting in other exams by pretending to be a casualty. So far, I have had a stroke in the toilets, I have been an elderly lady with COPD, I have had a bleeding leg, a burnt arm, ive had shock, ive been blind, the list goes on! This is a great way to see how others deal with patients and how the training classes go within SJA.  It means when it comes to the time I have to do them I should be prepared!

Not everyone will pass.  I was a casualty to some people who were told to go and practice and brush up on their knowledge. Maybe it was nerves or maybe just lack of knowledge I’m not sure.  All I know is they needed to be calm, level headed and professional.  Referring to a colleague as a friend is never encouraging for the casualty.  But the knowledge that the higher members have is great.  Many of the members are involved in the healthcare industry anyway.  We have paramedics, doctors, nurses, student paramedics, student nurses, an undertaker, a shop assistant, a telephone operator… So it goes to show although we have many that have medical knowledge outside of SJA, some will be getting that from SJA itself.  SJA will allow me to learn the biology and the care that is needed when responding to an emergency call for example, and then university will teach me how that care is continued on.  So the 2 are linking up brilliantly. And the best thing about it is that all of St John Ambulance members are voluntary.   So you know that everyone has a passion and want to be there.  It is great to see that.  It does make me wonder why the likes of St John Ambulance, Red Cross etc do not get more good press.  Or even other health care professionals.  Every time a nurse or a hospital etc is in the news it always seems to be negative.  Which is a great pity as the work that goes on is astounding.  The work people put in, not just in work hours as well.  Many go above and beyond for their patients and this simply doesn’t seem to make it to the public domain as much as it should. 

Moving house is turning into a slight nightmare as I go away and I’m leaving my poor partner with the majority of the work to do.  But unfortunately (for him), a family wedding has to come first! The main thing is the packing and the paperwork.  It would be nice if I could have some Diet Coke men come along, pack it all up and I could sit back and relax, but a woman can dream!

I suppose this is just a testament of the things to come.  No one ever said becoming a nurse was easy and university will involve a lot of hard work and dedication but if you want something bad enough, you can achieve it. 

I am starting to get very excited now as I keep continuing to count down the days.  I just keep getting a little geekily excited at desk shopping and organising our study for keeping track of everything.  I have bought a couple of wall calendars from Amazon (others are available!) as well as a planner and some files.  Just need a few shelves or a unit to put them all on.  I am hoping to put a few photos on here once it is all done.   The study needs a lick of paint first though, and ive been told no fluffy decorations etc. as it will detract from the learning! (Humph)

But it is all starting to come together now!

I just need to do the horrible dreaded notice now and then hand that into work.  Unfortunately due to where I work I cannot stay on due to the hours etc.  I will really miss the place and I don’t want to leave, but I have to do what is best for me in the long run.