mazza1998
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Just the beginning.
I thought I'd start this now as the kids are in the bath and I have some rare moments to myself.
This year has been a weird journey. If you'd told me last year that I'd be a student nurse, I would have laughed in your face. 'Not me, I'm going to be a midwife.' I would have told you.
Yet here I am, on the Diploma Of Higher Education/Bachelor Of Nursing (Adult Branch) for a mixture of reasons and I'm actually happy about it. I can't wait to go on placement, the workload makes me nervous and excited, the uniform fills me with a sense of pride, and all the opportunities ahead seem endless. For now, though I'm concentrating on doing my best for the next 3 years. One step at a time.
The first week, was Freshers week nursing style. No free booze, no foam party, no chances to get pink highlights in your hair like the first Freshers week I went to. (many moons ago, before I fell pregnant and put my education on hold.) they did give us an introduction bag, with tampons and Mars planets though, and the Principle and Student president (who I thought looked like A Brad or a Brett, he was actually a Jordan) gave us a talk about societies, sports and student parliaments that we'll probably have no time to take part in 
I met a few nice girls on the first day though, we swapped bebos, arranged to meet at the canteen and hung around the Library on our breaks. I breathed a sigh of relief as there's nothing worse than feeling alone on those first few days.
We sat in a huge lecture hall. All 500 of us including Mental health and Children's branch, being given our matriculation cards, getting our first lectures and effectively being told that this week counted and we'd have to make it up if we weren't there. That was the first indication of the nature of our course. A few faces fell, a couple of students had holidays booked, some were working their last weeks notice or had booked childcare only from the following week.
They hastened to tell us that from now on the course told us when to take our holidays for the next three years. Apparently we are Guinea pigs for a completely new way of doing things this year. They warned the returning first years not to expect the same as the year before. I'm not sure if that is good news or bad news for us.
I listened to our first microbiology with a mixture of Interest and fear. Hoping I'd be able to keep up with all those who had Higher biology.
Being one of the very few who was given a uniform which remotely fitted. I proudly took photographs, loaded up with Benylin to help the awful cold, I had. Looking at the pictures, I've a feeling that there wil be many times in my career that I look that bad in my uniform, with puffy eyes, no make up and scraped back hair.
In week two, we had our first Clinical Simulation Lab. We were given 3 units of Cleanliness Champions to work through. Then went through the practical skills of hand hygiene and sample collection. Who knew? Well might someone mock teaching student nurses to wash their hands and collect samples, but after a year of working as an HCA and doing those tasks I can say that I have DEFINITELY did those things wrong many times over the year to my acute embarrassment.
I went away from my second tutorial as Class Rep and with my very own Portfolio of personal and professional development. It's startin to sink in that I'm training to be a nurse.
It was a short second week since it's our September weekend holiday is this weekend. I've quite a bit of preparation for next week, but at this moment in time I'm enjoying the reading, and the preparation. I hope it lasts
As my tutor put it in our first tutorial I've " Sold my soul to the NHS".
Last edited by mazza1998, 23/Sep/2007, 5:49 pm
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23/Sep/2007, 2:29 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
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You spend your life avoiding something and then...
It smacks you right in the face.
I remember thinking when I took Standard grade Physics and chemistry that biology was boring and useless. Back then, I didn't want to be anything remotely like a nurse. No, I was going to university to get a degree that would earn me megabucks. So now, I'm faced with a picture of a cell, sans labels and expected to fill in the blanks + functions and I'm just thinking, eh?
I think this may be my weak point. For the first time in my life I feel like a dunce. I may invest in A&P for dummies (There actually is such a book you know.)
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25/Sep/2007, 7:05 am
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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4 years today.
And my husband and Iboth forgot it was our wedding Anniversary. Totally unrelated to nursing but a milestone for me none the less.
We've been really busy over the last couple of weeks organising our lives around uni and childcare. Gary dropped the girls at school, and since it's his birthday on Friday I was talking about him getting a long lie, breakfast in bed and maybe us having a meal later on and a few glasses of wine when it dawned on me. So I said " Oh..happy Anniversary" His face dropped for a moment at the realisation that he'd forgotten our anniversary, but we both burst out laughing when he realised that I'd forgotten too, so it was ok. It's midweek, so it'll probably just be a quiet night, and we'll celebrate on his birthday. I can't believe it's four years since our wedding. It's flew in.
Back to study.
First A&P tutorial today. Maybe I should save time by standing up at the start and just saying " my name's Marie Anne and I know Sod all about biology, oh and my chemistry standard grade went out with Witch hunting, so I can't remember any of that either" On the bright side, we do our pack work before the tutorial so we'll pick up quickly on our weaknesses and at least be able to get help. I hope my tutor is helpful.
Yesterday, we had nursing and the law. You couldn't get a more dry topic for four o clock on a Tuesday afternoon, and to top it off this weeks homework for fundamentals of nursing is " Political Drivers", with plenty of riveting links to the Scottish executive (sorry, 'Scottish Government' white papers. Oh fun. I sound like I'm hating it, but actually i'm not I'm loving it, but what's the fun in hard work if you can't moan about it
Last edited by mazza1998, 26/Sep/2007, 11:59 am
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26/Sep/2007, 11:58 am
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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TMAV
Therapeutic management of Agression and violence. That's what we did this morning, had a tutor stand and tell us a fraction of the nasty things which may happen to us in our nursing career and how to tackle them. I have to admit it was fun, I think it may have been a weak excuse for me to have chips and yummy pasta for lunch though. I used the old ' I've been in the gym for three hours' line. Even though I'd not exactly been straining myself. Still, I needed the carbs for Anatomy and physiology brain power.
There was I thinking that all I had to do was section one of our pack. Check. Did my homework. Lovely.
How wrong was I. We have to do a whole pack per week.  I'll just say goodbye to spare time then. Ah well.
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27/Sep/2007, 3:35 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Re: Just the beginning.
Well, after panicking about falling behind. (due to losing study time at TMAV and on dhs birthday.) I appear to have caught up with my work. Even the anatomy and physiology is getting a little easier since we started on the Nervous syatem, which at least is interesting enough to hold my attention.
I'm actually quite proud of the fact that I've been doing my homework, getting in when I should even when I don't have classes until later and though I have the odd skive with the other girls in between classes, I make up for it by ditching the TV, studying quietly in my room or coming in a couple of hours before my lectures.
Financially, things aren't great. My bursary isn't here yet, and toast and beans is starting to look like it will be our staple diet until dh gets paid next Thursday or until my Bursary gets paid in. We know things are moving, albeit slowly as the other girls are getting theirs in trickles. One girl who applied just before we started got hers on Friday so I'm estimating that it won't be more than a couple of weeks until it comes through. I hate being a skint student.
Now. Tutorial preparation.
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2/Oct/2007, 2:06 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Almost placement time.
I cannot believe that I'm approaching week 7, the last week of teaching before my week 8 exam. This week I have my second A & P coursework to hand in. I also have my student rep meeting and a whole load of issues to bring up at the meeting from my group.
I have been guilty of ignoring my A&P work simply because I'm not that good at it. So desoite being ill today, I'm in to study and get myself up to where I should be. I have done the basics, but I just need that extra push where this subjects concerned. My Bursary arrived, the day after dh got paid. (sods law) and quickly disapeared on the kids winter wardrobe, nursing books and bills. The bursary is quite good to tell the truth, but I'm applying right now for bank work so that I can supplement it.
I'm enjoying the course so much. I did feel a wee twinge of jealousy when we did a pregnancy and childbirth lecture and then a tutorial on breatfeeding, but that passed as I enjoyed getting stuck into nursing related topics. I know I've done the right thing, there's definately a nurse in here, it's just fighting with the midwife that's in here somewhere too
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27/Oct/2007, 2:17 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Re: Just the beginning.
It feels really real now. I'm coming to the end of my first block of teaching. I have a Placement in a Medicine for the Elderly ward and today I have My last clinical skills lab. CPR  Next Friday, I sit my first big Exam. It's just flew in.
* Oh and I'm all chuffed, because I've been worried about A & P so much but I managed a 7.5 out of a possible 8 for my first coursework. *
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2/Nov/2007, 11:21 am
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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I'm in the last leg of the beginning.
And I am panicking about my exam on Friday. I don't feel like I have time to get everything I need into my brain. I need to steer clear of Bebo, and study my bum off.
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4/Nov/2007, 1:48 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
Global user
Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
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Re: Just the beginning.
Well. I did it. I got through the first uni teaching block without cracking under the strain. We managed the childcare, and I think I worked hard. (Could do better lol.)
I think I did enough to scrape a pass in my exam, but I definitely wasn't at my best. I only stopped crying about 1/2 hour before it because I found out that one of my best friends mum died. My group leader advised me to fill out a special factors form, to be on the safe side though.
Anyway. I'm looking forward to this new chapter. Bring on placement.
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10/Nov/2007, 11:40 am
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