127 Days....Not That I'm Counting!

So…its 127 days until my first class :D 

I feel so excited!!!! However, i actually enrol way before that and get measured for my uniform etc at the very beginning of September. I’ve been trying to keep my mind busy so i have managed to get a copy of R&W Anatomy and Physiology to read up on during the summer. I’ve bought a few books already but they were purchased last year and very early on this year for fairly good prices before demand for them went up! And i got a BNF for my birthday so that’s hopefully going to come in handy.

So i’m not going to buy anymore until university as i know the library stocks a lot of them. And due to me and my partner attending different universities i can also use his library and get books should the others all be out on loan. But the key thing here is to be very very organised!

I remember last time i was at university and come exam time or assignment deadlines looming, all the books were out on loan. So the key is to reserve and have them on loan for near assignment time and to begin that assignment as soon as possible! So im going to hopefully get myself a big wall planner to keep track of everything. 

And i have my phone that is got my planner on as well as linking that with my laptop and then also my trusty Filofax! Couldn’t live without a paper planner / diary. I dont have the best of luck with technology and last time i was completing my dissertation, my whole computer crashed. Everything was lost. Despite many techy friends coming to my aid, i was unable to recover about 90% of the work i had done. So i was back to the start. So always, always, back up your work! I now have 2 USB sticks as well as various online storage facilities and 2 external hard drives. Paranoid? Hmm maybe perhaps..but i’ve learnt and i certainly won’t be losing anything important again! 

So. Thus far i have filled out my police check (DBS or Access NI depending on where you are), i have also had information through the post about my occupational health check. That is almost complete… just waiting on information from my own occupational health department to be sent through the post so i can forward this on to the university’s occupational health department. Luckily my doctor was able to print off and sign my vaccination history very promptly. I was unable to attend the information day the university had for us soon to be students, but this info was sent through the post. This included uniform costs, what to do in the meantime, dates they would be in touch for enrolling, how to sort our NHS Bursary out (the uni forwards on the information to the NHS Bursary department who then contacts us) and last but not least, a little information about our placements. 

I have to commend the university. They have been very prompt in sending out information and getting us organised with police check etc. This is very good considering the amount of police checks that are sent off during the summer months. So i guess my blog may be a little quiet over these summer months apart from you keeping updated with how things are going in regards to getting sorted for September. But then i’m hoping to keep this updated on a regular basis. Not least for reflective practice (very important), but to help potential applicants for Sept 15 entry.

I have scoured the internet high and low for learning disability blogs (not that many), or websites dedicated to the field. It still seems to be a little known field and many seem to think that it may not be worth going into. I’ve heard various things about people worrying about job prospects afterwards and that there aren’t as many clinical skills needed etc. However, anyone who goes into nursing shouldn’t have job prospects as a main deciding factor. I personally believe that you go into it for the love of it, and because you want to be an advocate for your patients. And in L.D nursing, this to me is the most vital aspect of it. A lot of people with a learning disability have communication difficulties, and it is these people who need someone to be an advocate. To help them to communicate, to understand and to ensure they have the capacity to be making any decisions whether that is in regard to their medical health or for something as simple as if they understand how to make a hot drink. 

I personally cannot wait to start the journey in becoming a learning disability nurse. And if you look, there are always jobs for learning disability nurses. They won’t go away. People with learning disabilities aren’t, so why would their need for care? I am hoping to become dually qualified so i can also work with those with mental health. Many people with learning disabilities can have mental health problems too, so to be dually qualified means i will have a greater understanding of my patients and be able to help them a lot more. 

To understand the journey the term ‘learning disabilities’ has made, and those people with learning disabilities, have a look at MENCAP’s report entitled ‘Death by Indifference’ or even ‘Learning Disability Nursing Practice : Origins, Perspectives and Practice’ by Mark Jukes. The attitudes towards those with learning disabilities has changed greatly and so has the care they receive. So by becoming a student L.D nurse, you and I are helping not only those with L.D’s but the general public to overcome the obstacles of understanding and caring, but to carry forward the message that every single one of us is an individual, but we are all equal as individuals. 

If you have any questions or would like to know more..don’t hesitate to ask! That’s primarily why i have started this blog. To help others in understanding learning disability nursing. And the journey in becoming a learning disability nurse. After all, we all as health care professionals are here to help and assist one another in being better at our jobs in all aspects for the welfare of the patients. Clichéd as it may be, we are part of a family. And families are there to support.

Congratulations!!

So after i accepted and firmed my offer (my 1st choice uni too!)

I then went out to celebrate.

Food drinks dancing and live music..was a great night!

And my poor partner. I couldn’t stop all day and all night..guess what..im going to be a nurse…Guess what…4 months…Guess what…141 days….Guess what…there’s my uni…Guess what..it’s so exciting i can drive past my uni already!
It was never ending. But the emotional high after all the time planning and preparing your application, the stress you go through sitting and waiting. The guessing game of what order they process applications and interviews. The ‘what if’ that’s always circling your head. The unknown future. The future that someone else holds in their hands. Its all very stressful and daunting. But so so worth it.

So the day after i got an email from the admissions department. Detailing what to do with regards to my police check and occupational health.

I received an unconditional offer as i had already completed all exams etc necessary for entry. However the offer is still subject to satisfactory police check and occupational health check. However, in my current role i have had these done. So im not too worried!

For those who don’t know, an occupational health check is very simple. They need to check your blood for immunity (sometimes not always) and your GP records for when you have had vaccinations and boosters etc. They need to see if you are fit and healthy to be looking after others who aren’t so fit and healthy unfortunately. These will involve checking your hands for wounds, broken skin or skin conditions. It may involve taking a blood sample to test. It may involve you needing a print off of your vaccination history. It’s simply a sit down with an occupational health nurse to assess your current health.

The next step is to fill in the form and get it sent straight back for police checks. If you have never had one of these done or haven’t for a while it can take anything from 2 weeks to 8 weeks to come back. This is why it’s best getting this filled in and sent off straight away. The ID required as proof was seen at my interview, so all i need to do is fill it in, pay and send it off. (Which is what i will be doing today on my day off)
Then the university is holding an information day that will detail everything you need to know in regards to the course etc.

And as luck would have it i fly out the country the day before! But i am hoping they can either email me the information or my partner could possible go (cheeky i know!) I will be emailing them to ask!
So now..im going to be asking everyone nearest and dearest for student nurse gifts. Ie money to buy the very important textbooks (others i can get from the library) Money to buy uniform and many a pen and fob watch! ( I lose mine a lot at work..no idea how)

And so now the countdown until enrolement begins!

141 days to be precise…

May 8th

UCAS offer day. 

Within student nurse / midwifery wannabes circles …this is such an important day!

The internet forums i was on were buzzing, my phone was never out my hand waiting for that dreaded UCAS update email. 

I was at work, so i awoke and off to work i went. Not knowing what the day held in store. It was mad. Everytime my phone went off my heart was in my mouth. And then i tried to forget about it and concentrate on what i was there to do…work!

Then it came to lunch time. I literally had just sat down and my phone went off. UCAS.

'UCAS status application update' -

"Something has changed on your UCAS application." 

This is when having a smart phone and not an old fashioned Nokia is the best blessing! I sat there trying to log into UCAS. In my hurried and nervous state i couldnt remember my application number, or my password. Then when i did i entered it wrong twice. I must have looked like a mad woman hunched over my phone tapping furiously.

I logged in. 

Scrolled down.

OMG!!!!!!!!

Had i read that right? Did that just say congratulations? I think it did. After reading…re-reading and reading again….I’M IN!

Could not believe it!

So i ran outside to make phone calls. I got to start the phone call with a rather loud hurried and VERY excited…

"I’M GOING TO BE A NURSE!!!!!"

This of course then had to be announced to everyone else i knew via other social media outlets. (forgone are the days of carrier pigeon apparently) 

And then i was on a high the rest of the day! 

Best feeling in the world realising that over two years of preparation and hard work as well as progressing in my career over the past several years have been all but worth it. 

It’s all paid off :D

The Interviews

They are nerve wracking and a lot does depend on your interview performance. But they are worth it. 

The interview panel usually consists of nurses who may now lecture at the university you have applied for and some may even be local nurses. All the interview is, is to get to know you as a person. To understand if who you said you are in your application is true. 

After all, nursing gets more and more competitive each year. The standard is being driven up and up. The government keeps changing their minds on what they want student nurses to be and / or have. Do you have GCSE’S? A-Levels? Access course with good marks throughout? Experience? Will you not be those that the media have deemed “too posh to wash”?

Universities are continually changing their entry criteria in line with the government and the likes of the NMC. Examples of this are:

Have you completed study in the last 5 years? The last 3?

Have you GCSE's grade A-C in English, Maths and Science? Grades A-B?

Do you have a-levels? Does one of those need to be in a science based subject?

It is hard, it can be difficult but it is SO worth it after all that work you have put in!

I was asked to 3/5 interviews. This would have been 4 however they wanted me to apply for learning disability instead of adult. As i had used my 5 choices this was only possible through clearing. This in particular university emailed me to speak to me about this too. Very nice people!

To prepare for interviews....research!

Google frequently asked nursing interview questions or something along those lines. You are told not to discuss the questions exactly so unfortunately i cannot put them on here. 

Plan plan and plan. Plan how to get to your interview, how long it will take, etc. Nothing worse than turning up late looking dishevelled and sweaty!

Practice. I made those little cue cards with possible questions on to look over as i made my way to interviews and in the days running up to them.

Take someone with you if you feel you need it! I never did this but some people are soo nervous and need a friendly face.

Be sociable. When you get there talk to the others, talk to the staff around you. Although it may not seem it, you will be seen as soon as you walk through the door. Create an impression (for the right reasons)

Smile :D You want to be a nurse don't you? Nurses have to be approachable, be friendly and warm. So act the part.

Be organised! Take your certificates (photocopies and originals) if asked. Take your interview letter, your ID and any photocopies of that if needed. It shows organisation and the ability to pay attention, especially if this has been stated in your letter! 

1 interview i withdrew from, and 2 i attended. 

Both were individual interviews. Some universities may have group interviews as well as an individual, or instead of. 

Group interviews are there to show you ability to work and communicate with others. My advice? Dont talk over people but dont be that timid mouse in the corner scared of making your opinions known. This follows through to nursing if you ever need to report anything. Don't be afraid to!

My first interview was okay. I dont think i get massively nervous in interviews, after all i’ve done a fair few to get jobs. But my first interview for university felt like a total different ball game so to speak. All the other candidates there were lovely. It was a relaxed day (even though we had maths and english exams - they weren’t so bad and my revision paid off! - PASSED!) I was the first one in, 2 women and what felt like a fairly informal chat on why i had applied etc. (cant give the questions they ask..this is asked of you when you go in to prevent unfair advantage etc to others) 

After that interview it was a waiting game.

( I later found out i was unsuccessful )

I was then asked to another interview. Cue more nerves and excitement! In this interview there were no tests, just a 15 minute sit down with 2 ladies in a small room. I answered their questions with a little prompting from them..think i went off on a tangent a few times! And then i left. Chatted to a few who had also been in for interviews, each seemed to get asked slightly different questions but more or less the same. My panel informed me they don’t read the personal statement beforehand so i gave them a run down! So it's always helpful to know your personal statement inside out. 

Then i went home and waited some more.

In The Beginning....UCAS Applications

Where to begin exactly?

I suppose the start!

I got into care work due to family reasons and from there ive never looked back. 

It made sense when i was looking to become a nurse that i thought long and hard about it and if it was something i knew i would stick at. That i would try my damned hardest and not feel like giving up all the time.

Of course there will probably be days when it feels like that, but im hoping the general ethos of nursing will guide me through!

So i started looking at applying to go back to university to do a nursing degree back in 2012. I started researching the type of nurse i wanted to be, started looking at what they look for in interviews, i began revising my maths and english again. I completed my NVQ 2 and began to watch A LOT of medical shows. 

I was in and out of the library, i used my partners university library to my advantage by looking at the reading lists of the nursing courses at his university. I then read some of the books. I talked (or rather nagged on some days) any health care professional i possibly could. This included CQC inspectors, RQIA inspectors, student nurses, recently graduated nurses, long time standing nurses, matrons, sisters, ward clerks, day care workers, student doctors…ANYBODY! You will value their advice to the point you’d be lost without their wise words. I have bugged people no end, but everyone has always been so nice and helpful. I find most people that work within the health care profession always see it as (oops cliche) but one big family. And that’s a good thing. Everyone has to be. You liaise with that many different health professionals that it is imperative you learn to talk to them.

And so after all that, i began emailing universities. I emailed and i rang, asking if my grades and experience would get my application noticed. I asked if they were good enough, was my NVQ (QCF) study recent enough? I asked about private tours as id missed open days. I asked when applications opened, if any applications were ever accepted though clearing etc. And then it went from there! As soon as UCAS applications opened from mid September i was in there!

As i was applying as an individual i had to ensure that i had everything in order to apply. (Including asking my referee if there were okay to do a reference for me, never forget to ask them.)

I drafted my personal statement over and over. I had friends and family look over it. I had family friends who were nurses look over it, I asked them for advice. I researched personal statements online to see what people had written previously. I spoke to people on forums about them. ( all while remembering your statement has to be personal…no plagiarism!) And then i asked my referee if they were okay to be my referee and would they write my reference. 

I then also had to make sure i had all certificates of any qualifications i had..if not..i was paying £30 - £50 each certificate! After all that was done and dusted…application was sent off in the November. Deadline closed January 15th..so now..the wait. 

So in the meantime to try and prevent myself from going stir crazy checking UCAS and emails constantly. I had a subscription to The Nursing Times and The Nursing Standard. I kept reading them. I also had bought a copy of The Student Nurse Handbook (great advice in there) And read them. I continued with my maths (havent done much since school 10 years ago!) 

So the waiting.

Was horrible.