Induction Week (Welcome Week)

So Welcome Week,

Or Fresher's Fortnight as it was known, flew by!

It was so much fun though.  Plenty of freebies, pens, pizza, sweets, popcorn...it goes on.

Take full advantage of this when you can in Freshers, those free pens come in handy!

It was a whirlwind though. Met plenty of people from my course through all four branches (Adult, Child, Mental Health and Learning Disability).  We had the local radio station down at the university doing giveaways, we had the society fair where you can sign up for all manners of societies depending on your interests and how much free time you think you may have.  It was a lot of fun.  

As i am doing Learning Disability Nursing, or in fact nursing in general, our Welcome Week was induction week.  This meant that we were in a lot of lectures and tutorials to allow us to get to know the structure of the course and general health and safety stuff that we need to know. It did mean that we may not have had as free a week as some other students, but nursing is full on from the word go essentially.  So be prepared to work hard! 

We had classes on health and safety, fire training, introduction to each module and information on how the course is structured.  We were told how to use the library, how to search for resources, how to access our university email and how our placements worked.  

Of course this sort of information will be individual to the university you attend and how the course is structured. 

Welcome Week passes so quickly and i cannot believe how mad it was. Finding your way around campus and finding everyone, meeting up with people and organising how you are going to study is crucial.  As once lectures get underway it is fast paced and it is important you keep up with everything.  

It was a fun week and one in which you see many student going out, getting to know one another and discovering university for the first time.  As i had already been to university, this Welcome Week was very different! The difference in the younger Freshers to the older ones is somewhat evident when you can see people coming in first thing in the morning for lectures! 

Overall, Welcome Week...enjoy it!

1 more sleep..

So I have one more sleep until university begins. 

Funny isn't it from how when we are children we count down in sleeps and this continues on into adulthood!

But i have had some panicky moments over the weekend thinking "What am I doing?!" and "Will it all be okay?" "Will I cope financially?" "Will i get on okay with everyone?" "Will I pass?" 

All common questions that I believe probably go through everyone's mind when they start university, never mind nursing  After leaving work after having been in a full time role for 5 years it is going to be a little shock to the system I think, even if I have been to university before!

It is somewhat surreal knowing that tomorrow I begin university and I learn to become a nurse. After all the waiting, the applying, more waiting, the preparation, it's finally here.  I am so glad we have social media as well as i have managed to find classmates and meet up with a few people to attend occupational health and enrolment with. I think this has helped settled people a little and realise that everyone will be feeling exactly the same at some point or another.  The girls i have met have been lovely and the age range is varied.  The youngest is 18 and I think the oldest so far is in her forties!  So proof that no matter your age or experience you can succeed in getting into university if you apply yourself right.  

So in preparing for tomorrow I have been out this week and bought a new school bag 

Nothing too exciting, but I went for practical! I wanted a bag I know I can carry my books, my notes, lunch, water bottle and anything else in there. So its a 35L bag, so I am hoping that is plenty of room.  I didn't want a shoulder bag as I will be walking to university and I know in the long run I need to look after my back, especially in this line of work.  

I have also been messaging family and friends for any tips and any help they want to throw my way! So luckily I have an amazing family who are buying me some books so I have them to hand.  I have only asked for three which are fundamental for the three years of the course.  (I have found this out from asking others on social media from the same university I am attending) I have also bought some new highlighters, note pads, lever arch files and various other bits and bobs.  Hopefully this week I'll find out what else may be needed. But i'm sure another post on my organisation will follow.  

My partner is currently building us a desk and shelves in the study. So hopefully I can get some photographs up of that when it is complete.  He didn't want to buy a desk, they weren't big enough or wide enough or sturdy enough.  This is what happens when you live with someone who is a mechanical engineer apparently! At least he is practical!

As well as the desk building and bag buying, I have also printed off my timetable that is available on our student portal.  I have been reading through past exam papers that I have found and I have looked at what books I need from the library.  This last one is well worth doing if you can.  I have found one book which I need and all 10 copies are on loan.  So it is obviously a popular book! I have reserved this so hopefully I can have this soon. Mainly because we have an exam on our timetable already and I want to be prepared.  

So instead of counting down the days, it has now come to that point where we have gotten into hours.  When I was posting in May it felt so far away and that it would never come round.  But sure enough here it is and it feels like this summer has flown by.  

This time in three years i'll be waiting on my NMC registration and my PIN coming through. But first, a lot of hard work and dedication ensues! 

Enrolment - Part 2

So i've now enrolled online and keep checking my university emails.

Enrolling was pretty straight forward, follow a step by step system of inputting names, addresses, emergency contacts and how to pay your fees. As i am doing a nursing course this is currently still funded by the NHS, so i don't have to worry about fee payment. 

That does make me feel a lot better as going from a full time salary to a small bursary is difficult.  I have been budgeting since i knew i was successful in gaining a place. 

Feels weird now having to do that, after graduating 5 years ago it's beginning to feel like another lifetime. 

So much has happened since then. And it does sound so clichéd but time definitely seems to go quicker as you get older!

And now it is enrolling down at the university. Since i have organised our study and all my paperwork, all my certificates, from my GCSE's to training at work, are all in one folder. This meant i could take the folder down to university and let them have a look and see the originals. TIP: Never lose any certificate you are ever given as even years down the line they may be needed! I completed my GCSE's over 10 years ago and i still have them and still need them!

Enrolment is fairly straight forward, it's remembering to bring everything with you. 

Your university will tell you what is needed, in terms of ID, certificates, if you need to bring a photo or if they take one on the day (don't turn up hungover looking worse for wear!).

We had our photo taken and our certificates checked.  We were then measured for our uniform and had to pay for that (remember the cheque book) and then through to confirm our enrollment.  We had to go through our details and ensure we had certificates if they were needed. From this, through to yet another room to get our photo taken for our student card. 

It was all very straight forward and the staff helping us out were students at the university so we knew we were in good hands! After that we were given a time for our occupational health check by the university. This is next week. I don't know exactly what they are going to do but i can't imagine it being much different from my occupational health check for work. But i am sure i will let you all know! 

So now i have my student card that says i am a nursing student, i have my timetable (this is posted online) and i have my uniform ordered. Seems to be getting very real now!

I also have gone down to the library and being a little ahead of everyone else got a few books out :D 

Only because i know once we have our reading lists everyone will be straight to the library to get them out or to buy them. So through research i have taken out the basic ones which i had taken out a while back (mentioned in a previous post).  

Now its stationery and bag buying time! 

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.  

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! 

My Books So Far.....

So far i have bought a few books in my application journey.

I bought these to help me through my application, from understanding how to go about applying, what to put in my personal statement and then just some basic revision.

So i thought i would share with you guys what i have thus far.

I don’t anticipate needing much more as i hope to make fantastic use of the library and save myself a few pennies in doing so. Don’t be in some mad rush to start buying textbooks thinking you will need everything on your reading list either. There is your university library, sometimes if there is another university near by you can go in and have a read but not loan their books (depending on their policies). There are also many journals online you will have access to through university. As well as this, there are free books you can access through ereading websites or at a cheaper cost than actual books. Then you always have the option of creating a study group and borrowing coursemates books (and of course returning the favour!) Then your local library may have some books (not always) that could be useful. There are plenty of ways to access information online, and it doesn't always have to be from a book in front of you.

Just always remember to cite your articles / information and to include these in your references on any work piece. Plagiarism is not big or clever and will get you kicked off your course. Anything, including anything you read in a blog (hint!), a newspaper article, a radio debate etc needs to be referenced. Your university will have their own system on how to do this and usually classes or a book in telling you how to do so correctly. More often than not its the Harvard Referencing System they like to use.

Anyhooooo….serious stuff over! Back to the books…

I do plan on taking a picture of all of them, but its finding the time at the minute to do so! As sometimes its easier to remember what a cover looks like to help when searching rather than names and / or titles.

My List;

Textbooks



The Student Nurse Handbook - Siviter

• BNF 53 and 66 (You can get these from your local pharmacy free usually if you ask nicely enough!)

• Illustrated Clinical Anatomy - Abrahams, Craven & Lumley 

• Many copies of The Nursing Times

• Many copies of The Nursing Standard

• Oxford Dictionary of Nursing - Oxford University Press

• Law and Ethics in Nursing - Avery (Won this from tweeting! - Thank you Nursing Times! & Sage Publishing) 

Epilepsy - A Patient Handbook - Dr Jim Marrow (Given this on a training course) 

Matron Knows Best - J.Woodcock (A fascinating read into the 'old' NHS) 

Ebooks

• The Royal Hospital Manual Of Clinical Nursing Procedures - Dougherty & Lister

• Ross & Wilson Anatomy & Physiology In Health and Illness - Waugh & Grant

So as you can see i dont have that many books when it comes to nursing!

I have now managed to get access to my soon to be university library through work. So i have already ventured in there to have a look and to see what books they have. And i was a little in book heaven! 

Plenty of books to choose from and plenty of copies as well as computers and journals. So im glad i have a little heads up before September. 

I've also been advised by some other already learning disability nurses to loan a few books which i have done. 

So i now have on loan;

• Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability Nursing  - Gates & Barr / Oxford 

• Learning Disabilities Towards Inclusion - B. Gates 

• The Clinical Placement, A Nursing Survival Guide - T. Levett-Jones & S.Bourgeois

So i am hoping that this helps somewhat in getting an idea of the preparation i've done as well as calming any worries about buying a load of books. Some may be better to have a copy of if they are always on loan, however, it's a little hard to tell what those books are until university actually gets underway. 

So good luck for all your future reading!

What To Do Before Becoming A Student Nurse

• Brush up on your math skills as much as possible..drug calculations etc. There are some good websites out there to help, and BBC Bitesize is good for the basics if you haven’t touched on that in a while.

• Following on from this…familiarise yourself with Anatomy & Physiology. There will be exams on this! And this will help loads in learning little bits at a time during your free time. When else will you have this many months of preparation for a single topic where nothing else is also hanging over your head?

• Enjoy your free time as much as possible. Nursing degrees are in university attendance a lot longer than some other degrees. The summer before you start may be your last one with a lot of free time. The following summers you may spend revising, working and / or on placement. Make the most of seeing people and having days where you know you can enjoy the sunshine. It sucks having to be sat in, or even in your garden surrounded by books while everyone is off to Alton Towers or a BBQ..but it definitely pays to work hard!

• Get some stationary and get yourself organised - This includes a USB and / or portable hard drive to back up all of your work. (And me..personally i backup, my backup. As mentioned previously., me and technology sometimes have little fallings out!) Get some lever arch files to organise your notes. And a wall calendar i have always found helps immensely for keeping track of deadlines. And not forgetting, pens pens and more pens. And a pen clip if you’re anything like me. I have lost pens from my tunic pocket at work more often than enough. Bending over making beds, doing personal care etc. My pens have met untimely ends in toilets, bins, soiled laundry and well..you get the picture.

• Socialise! Both online and offline! Make yourself known on twitter etc. I have won a book through this and had tweets published, and it always helps to know your stuff on all things in your chosen field as well as others and all NHS info. Health care is constantly changing and being updated, so it pays to have the most up to date knowledge when it comes to assignments and helping your patients. Just please remember confidentiality. There is nothing worse than working so hard to get where you are to be kicked off your course or have your PIN withdrawn for some daft comment you have made about how bad your day was or how drunk you were the night before.

• In relation to the above…housekeeping. As you are going to be on placement and trained through the NHS, you are now looked at very differently from ‘ordinary students’. Thus, look at your online presence. Can people see you in ridiculous photos on social networking sites? Have you made any stroppy comments about anything that can bring yourself or others into disrepute? Worth thinking about. I have had friends delete all photos from websites, change privacy settings and even their online name so people cannot link them. Nothing worse than having a patient / client etc saying “I see you had a great night last night, bit drunk were we?” Or “That photo of you flashing your bum was hilarious..hope to see more ;) ” This can and will happen, so be aware!

• Research. This is so important. Research your university course you want to apply for, as well as the universities you apply to. Research what field of nursing you apply for and how you can progress. Is there a speciality you’re interested in? Research it! You may not have a definitive idea of how or where you want your career to progress in, but even a vague one is better than nothing. And if you’re ever asked..it may help to know (!)

• Get excited!!! This is a great opportunity and you are about to embark on what is the rest of your life. Never forget the privileged position you are in and why you started in the first place. After all, nursing is an amazing career and will have many ups and downs. Remembering why you are there and how you got to be there can help to keep you grounded and a little more sane when you have those busy insane days where it feels like nothing has gone right.

I’m sure i’ll end up adding more to this once i start. But this is a list from all my research and talking to student nurses etc. I am very lucky in that my place of work sees a lot of placement students. And they are more than happy to answer all my questions that i bug them with! But i will repay the favour when i’m in the same position (fingers crossed everything goes according to plan that is!)


If you can think of anything to add to this then please feel free.


Hope this has helped somewhat and best of luck for the future!

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.

Why Learning Disability Nursing?

I suppose when most people ask me why learning disability nursing, i always reply “Why not?” 

It isn’t something most people think of when they think of nursing. Or a field that people may think needs specialised nurses. But the reality is that as we live longer, as we progress in medicine, as we find new cures and new medications, as we advance as we species, there will be new diseases, new learning disabilities and new immunities. 

And there are many, many people that have learning disabilities. It may be mild, they may be very high functioning in that they lead a reasonably independent life. Or it may be that they have such profound learning disabilities that the individual needs care with every aspect of their daily life. And for that reason, i want to help shape the care of the future for those with learning disabilities.

                                             

It is important to recognise the difference between learning disabilities and learning difficulties.

A learning difficulty doesn’t affect general intelligence (IQ) whereas a learning disability does.

Examples of learning difficulties may be dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD.

Learning disabilities on the other hand do affect IQ. And generally to be identified as having a learning disability, three criteria need to be met. These are; early onset (presenting before aged 18 years) ; intellectual impairment and social or adaptive dysfunction.

(Please see BILD for more information)

I recently posted that the reason for me going into learning disabilities is to make a difference. To be more than just an advocate, but to show people that those with learning disabilities need to be included, not secluded. And this is enforced in my mind every day.

I work with adults with learning disabilities, and i have done for the past 4 years. i originally started out as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities. This was after i went out to America to work in a special needs camp. Hands down the best summer of my life!

Well worth doing if you ever have the chance. I met some amazing people, it helped shape me as a person and cemented my career goals and aspirations for working with people who need that care and support.

Anyway, i digress.

Working as a support worker i was able to see how those with learning disabilities function day to day. How they integrate within their local community. How they achieve the most monumental of feats due to support, education and assistance.

I then started to be interested in the ‘what happens next?’

Its okay for people to see the day to day functioning, but what happens when someone with a learning disability is admitted to hospital? How do health professionals monitor health? Especially in those with communication difficulties?

I then began working in end of life care, to gain insight into the more clinical side of care. To see what is needed for people in such vulnerable positions. This was eye opening. I worked with people in their own homes who chose to return there from a hospice or hospital setting. And i loved it. Not many people can work with those who need such terminal care, and some may say it takes a special kind of person. But i, myself, would have remained doing that work for a lot longer than i did. But i needed to progress in my career!

So then onwards to working in a day centre facility with adults with learning disabilities. Some have been attending for years, some months and some only weeks. Some are making the transition from child services to adult services. This again, has been another way for me to see yet another side of the care and support that adults with learning disabilities receive. It is a fascinating job and it is utterly amazing the work the staff do. Everything is monitored from weight, hearing, eyesight, communication, to completing goals and tasks to enable someone to write their own name, to choose their lunch independently, to being able to go to zumba classes or even scuba diving!

The work that goes on in a day centre is massively undervalued. When i have worked in supported living (which i still do), i have met staff that will say they dont know what the staff in day centres do. Or why are they so nosey ringing up all the time? Or why do they get paid loads for doing nothing? The list goes on. But what some of these people fail to realise is that all those involved in the care of an individual need to work together. They need to utilise their abilities to communicate and do so! And by doing so it improves the individual’s quality of life, their care and their task learning.

So from here i now go to university (again) in September.

I get to learn more about the care of those with a learning disability and hopefully get to make a difference to someone, even if it is merely helping them put a shoe on. It is the littlest of things that can sometimes make the biggest of differences to a person.

After all, isn’t that what nursing is about?

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

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.