I have just completed my Common Foundation Programme, with which came four written assignments, two presentations, a group blog and an exam. Alongside that we also had five clinical placements spread over the year ranging from one week to eight weeks long. Its been hard work to put it bluntly, but its also one of the best things I have ever done and I fell like Ive learnt a lot in a short space of time. The first placement I had was for five weeks in a nursing home and I was terrified of going into a new environment. It was like starting a new job in a way and I worried for weeks whether Id get along with my mentor, how I would handle going into an already established working team who may not want me there. But it was fine and I shouldnt of worried. Ive heard the horror stories from other students about mentors who hated them and staff who made life on placement unbearable, but I honestly havent come across that kind of mentality from my placements yet and I hope I never will. The placements we have are so important, because they are where we as student nurses gain a lot of practical skills and begin to learn about applying theory to practice. In short they play a big part of moulding what kind of nurse we will eventually become. Placement two took place in an outpatient department and although I didnt gain a lot of practical experience I took from it what I could in terms of learning opportunities and ended up going to theatre for a day and watching general surgeries, going to endoscopy and watching OGD's and colonoscopies and how things ticked over in recovery, childrens oupatients and the fracture clinics where admissions came straight from A&E. Placement three was in the community and I loved loved loved it there. The nurses there were fantastic and really wanted to share their knowledge and skills with me, which was so beneficial to me and I would of liked a longer placement to learn more. Placement four took place on a surgical gynae ward. Here we were deemed competant to start to dispense medications so I had medication administartion and injection technique on my learning contract and I was given plenty of opportunities to practice. I also got the chance to really hone my communication skills as a lot of ladies suffereing miscarriages came through the ward to be treated. I again got the chance to go to theatre and watch a sub total hysterectomy and followed the process from pre-op to post-op with the patients permission. My mentor let me look after the lady as my patient under supervision which was a great learning experience. I also took the chance to go to antenatal and infertility clinics on this placement after clearing with mentor and ringing through and asking permission. I have so far found that as long as you ask and its a valid learning opportunity, placement staff are great about facilitating learning this way. I found it daunting asking at first but as time has gone on my confidence is growing. Placement five was on a busy medical ward specialising in respiratory problems. Here was a real eye opener for me in terms of the reality of medical nursing. Even as a student I was constantly run off my feet fetching this and that and often in order to meet the needs of the patient, had to sometimes put my learning to the side, or risk putting the patient second, which I will not ever do. I gained invaluable experience in wound care on this placement, drug calculations, and medication administartion via a variety of routes. As a lot of patients were on the ward long term, I found myself getting attached to them. I think I still need to learn how to leave work at work while still being "human" if you see what I mean. There were a few sleepless nights on this placement worrying about different patients and how they were. I also learnt a lot about prioritising care, which if I want to work as a nurse in any capacity, I will have to become competant at. But Im still a beginner waiting to begin the branch programme, so this will hopefully come with time and experience.
Monday, 13 August 2012
The last year has been a rollercoaster.....
I have decided to start this blog so that I can track my own personal and professional development as I move through my course. I have wrote reflections throughout my first year and I look back at the first one and it feels like Im reading the thoughts of a different person. I dont feel like I have changed this year a dramatic amount, but I feel as though I have developed in how I think about and process different concepts and ideas and obviously like all student nurses, my knowledge and theory are growing all of the time.
I have just completed my Common Foundation Programme, with which came four written assignments, two presentations, a group blog and an exam. Alongside that we also had five clinical placements spread over the year ranging from one week to eight weeks long. Its been hard work to put it bluntly, but its also one of the best things I have ever done and I fell like Ive learnt a lot in a short space of time. The first placement I had was for five weeks in a nursing home and I was terrified of going into a new environment. It was like starting a new job in a way and I worried for weeks whether Id get along with my mentor, how I would handle going into an already established working team who may not want me there. But it was fine and I shouldnt of worried. Ive heard the horror stories from other students about mentors who hated them and staff who made life on placement unbearable, but I honestly havent come across that kind of mentality from my placements yet and I hope I never will. The placements we have are so important, because they are where we as student nurses gain a lot of practical skills and begin to learn about applying theory to practice. In short they play a big part of moulding what kind of nurse we will eventually become. Placement two took place in an outpatient department and although I didnt gain a lot of practical experience I took from it what I could in terms of learning opportunities and ended up going to theatre for a day and watching general surgeries, going to endoscopy and watching OGD's and colonoscopies and how things ticked over in recovery, childrens oupatients and the fracture clinics where admissions came straight from A&E. Placement three was in the community and I loved loved loved it there. The nurses there were fantastic and really wanted to share their knowledge and skills with me, which was so beneficial to me and I would of liked a longer placement to learn more. Placement four took place on a surgical gynae ward. Here we were deemed competant to start to dispense medications so I had medication administartion and injection technique on my learning contract and I was given plenty of opportunities to practice. I also got the chance to really hone my communication skills as a lot of ladies suffereing miscarriages came through the ward to be treated. I again got the chance to go to theatre and watch a sub total hysterectomy and followed the process from pre-op to post-op with the patients permission. My mentor let me look after the lady as my patient under supervision which was a great learning experience. I also took the chance to go to antenatal and infertility clinics on this placement after clearing with mentor and ringing through and asking permission. I have so far found that as long as you ask and its a valid learning opportunity, placement staff are great about facilitating learning this way. I found it daunting asking at first but as time has gone on my confidence is growing. Placement five was on a busy medical ward specialising in respiratory problems. Here was a real eye opener for me in terms of the reality of medical nursing. Even as a student I was constantly run off my feet fetching this and that and often in order to meet the needs of the patient, had to sometimes put my learning to the side, or risk putting the patient second, which I will not ever do. I gained invaluable experience in wound care on this placement, drug calculations, and medication administartion via a variety of routes. As a lot of patients were on the ward long term, I found myself getting attached to them. I think I still need to learn how to leave work at work while still being "human" if you see what I mean. There were a few sleepless nights on this placement worrying about different patients and how they were. I also learnt a lot about prioritising care, which if I want to work as a nurse in any capacity, I will have to become competant at. But Im still a beginner waiting to begin the branch programme, so this will hopefully come with time and experience.
I have just completed my Common Foundation Programme, with which came four written assignments, two presentations, a group blog and an exam. Alongside that we also had five clinical placements spread over the year ranging from one week to eight weeks long. Its been hard work to put it bluntly, but its also one of the best things I have ever done and I fell like Ive learnt a lot in a short space of time. The first placement I had was for five weeks in a nursing home and I was terrified of going into a new environment. It was like starting a new job in a way and I worried for weeks whether Id get along with my mentor, how I would handle going into an already established working team who may not want me there. But it was fine and I shouldnt of worried. Ive heard the horror stories from other students about mentors who hated them and staff who made life on placement unbearable, but I honestly havent come across that kind of mentality from my placements yet and I hope I never will. The placements we have are so important, because they are where we as student nurses gain a lot of practical skills and begin to learn about applying theory to practice. In short they play a big part of moulding what kind of nurse we will eventually become. Placement two took place in an outpatient department and although I didnt gain a lot of practical experience I took from it what I could in terms of learning opportunities and ended up going to theatre for a day and watching general surgeries, going to endoscopy and watching OGD's and colonoscopies and how things ticked over in recovery, childrens oupatients and the fracture clinics where admissions came straight from A&E. Placement three was in the community and I loved loved loved it there. The nurses there were fantastic and really wanted to share their knowledge and skills with me, which was so beneficial to me and I would of liked a longer placement to learn more. Placement four took place on a surgical gynae ward. Here we were deemed competant to start to dispense medications so I had medication administartion and injection technique on my learning contract and I was given plenty of opportunities to practice. I also got the chance to really hone my communication skills as a lot of ladies suffereing miscarriages came through the ward to be treated. I again got the chance to go to theatre and watch a sub total hysterectomy and followed the process from pre-op to post-op with the patients permission. My mentor let me look after the lady as my patient under supervision which was a great learning experience. I also took the chance to go to antenatal and infertility clinics on this placement after clearing with mentor and ringing through and asking permission. I have so far found that as long as you ask and its a valid learning opportunity, placement staff are great about facilitating learning this way. I found it daunting asking at first but as time has gone on my confidence is growing. Placement five was on a busy medical ward specialising in respiratory problems. Here was a real eye opener for me in terms of the reality of medical nursing. Even as a student I was constantly run off my feet fetching this and that and often in order to meet the needs of the patient, had to sometimes put my learning to the side, or risk putting the patient second, which I will not ever do. I gained invaluable experience in wound care on this placement, drug calculations, and medication administartion via a variety of routes. As a lot of patients were on the ward long term, I found myself getting attached to them. I think I still need to learn how to leave work at work while still being "human" if you see what I mean. There were a few sleepless nights on this placement worrying about different patients and how they were. I also learnt a lot about prioritising care, which if I want to work as a nurse in any capacity, I will have to become competant at. But Im still a beginner waiting to begin the branch programme, so this will hopefully come with time and experience.
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