Extra Curricular

As I have been so busy and have neglected all you readers for the last 2 weeks, here are two posts in one day!

Dont all fall over with shock.

Today is my day off!! 

I am working all weekend in my part time job, then I hit placement on Monday. So today I am making the most of it and organising, tidying and all the other grown up stuff that seemingly sucks at times when all you want is to have a pyjama day! 

I just wanted to let you all know what I have been doing, or attempting to do in my spare(ish) time.

I started rowing at the university and thoroughly enjoyed it. However with other commitments i have not been able to carry that on as yet. As I have mentioned before, I volunteer with St John Ambulance.  These past two weeks I have also had an exam in that as well. I was being assessed on my first aid skills and ability to use a defibrillator.  As I am sure you can understand, it has been a very busy few weeks.  The exam for SJA was an all day exam of training and assessments.  This may seem a lot but it is worth doing if you can.  Those in St John do notice a surge of people joining in September time to look good on applications and then dropping out later in the year.  However, St John will allow you to learn a lot more.  I have learnt a lot more about First Aid as well as ECG's and treating patients.  We do a lot of courses in our weekly meetings just for information for everybody.  This has come in handy especially for my university course.  So I am glad I am doing it.  

As well as that, I have also been elected as a course representative for learning disabilities.  So this means that I have had to attend meetings for that and try to keep everyone on the course updated with such things.  The university is looking into various ways to improve the application and interview process for nursing, hence a lot of our input is required.  

It is good to do though as everything always looks good on your curriculum vitae. There are possibilities to go on from here and represent your area with the RCN. They have elections each year and then every several years depending on the post.  This is something that will keep you busy but will also allow you to keep updated with what is going on in the nursing world.  

Then on top of that I have also been working part time to try and ensure I have an income! The bursary does help, but for anything for social activities and unforeseen bills etc, a little extra income is always good.  As i start placement on Monday, I will need to fund travelling to that until I finish and I can then claim this back from the bursary department.  This will mean keeping very organised and documenting mileage, keeping receipts and looking at parking costs.  I did look at public transport, however due to location it just is not feasible. 

Then, I have joined the university gym to try and keep fit and healthy.  You will feel so tired at some points, so I find staying in shape and exercising is a good way to maintain a good sleeping pattern and keep your energy levels up (along with a good eating plan!)

Sometimes it is impossible to go or you just have so much else on ( revision ) but it has helped in meeting others too.

To summarise, I feel like a very busy bee! 

On the other hand, I know if I'm not busy, usually that means something needs doing and I am probably avoiding something. It's good to keep organised and keep on top of things.  And above all, talk to people if you do start to feel overwhelmed..  There are plenty of other students going through the same thing and may just feel the same way.   

Must dash, vets appointment to attend now! (For the rabbits, not me!)