Another assessment complete :)

Happy weekend everyone!

I'm once again sat at my desk (with back to sunshine ignoring the warmth) playing with my final essay. I am planning to submit on Tuesday so I have a busy long weekend ahead of me.

I have had a really lovely week of placement, which involved a good mixture of ward management and being allocated my own set of patients to look after. It has been refreshing to work so closely one on one with the same patients for a full 13.5hr shift, as I have then been able to handover my patients to the following staff and be able to answer questions about them off the top of my head. It really doesn't feel long now until I finish!

I had my intermediate (midway) assessment with my mentor on Wednesday, which you will find happens on every placement. It is a good opportunity to discuss how you are finding the experience and progress you are making. You also are required to grade yourself on where you think you are at, as well as your mentor grading you. This is quite an interesting thing to see whether you are over or under estimating your abilities! My mentor graded me an A- which I am absolutely thrilled about, so I hope to work on this before my final assessment and bump it up maybe to an A.

Relaxing day at Wrest Park-15min drive from Luton

I managed to sacrifice an essay writing day yesterday for a day out with my partner just relaxing and switching off. I think I needed it as I woke this morning and have been rather more productive than usual! You really do need to take time out to recharge once in a while!

So yes...in 4 weeks and 6 days time (not that I am counting) I will be on my last ever day of placement. I will be meeting with my personal lecturer the day before to get the OK on my nursing portfolio, and hope to submit that along with my assessment from this placement the day after placement finishes. The day this happens, I will have eight weeks off ahead of me. A number of these are consolidation which is used for assignment and examination redo's, but any student who has completed all of their work and all of the hours required on placement can just sit back and await their final degree grade. I will spend some of the time revising a number of things in preparation for my new job, but I am determined to have the most laid back summer ever! I wont ever get that much time off to myself again...until retirement maybe?!

All of the other students in my class have either been offered a job or are in the process of applying for jobs. The hospital I am currently working at had their maths/drugs calculation tests last week and for those who pass the test will be interviewed over the next week or so. Some are considering further studies, and I have heard a few contemplating applying for a further year of study for a Masters at the University of Bedfordshire.

It is all a rather exciting time for us all, as once this next essay is in we officially have no more assignments due in. The end really is in sight!

Have a lovely weekend all!

Emma x

Reflection

 

Afternoon all!

 

Well with 10 days left until Christmas, I thought it would be a good time of year to talk about reflection.

Reflection is something you will most likely already do, whether it be due to a positive or negative experience. Those moments when you replay a situation in your head that you either observed or were involved in, then wonder whether you could have done things differently or maybe just take something from the moment that could affect similar scenes in the future.

This time three years ago, I had made the decision to apply for nursing. I remember vividly standing in my Gran's garden telling her how unhappy I then was with my life as my then job was not going anywhere, and she told me to come home. This happened a few weeks after she had been in hospital and I had worried about the care she had received and I decided I could care for people like her better than she had been cared for then. She passed away not long after I stood with her, and less than a week after her funeral, I was offered an interview for the course. I put everything into applying for the University of Bedfordshire as I wanted to be around my people to support them. When the email popped through the following summer offering me an unconditional place, I was over the moon. I gave in my notice at work and looked towards the future.

This situation made me view care of the elderly differently. I see families come onto the ward and see peoples children, grandchildren, partners, friends and other relatives. Every now and then I see similarities with some patients or families to my own which does remind me of why I am there. I think I will always have a soft spot for those patients who you notice do not have any visitors and you wonder how they feel seeing other people around them being visited with gifts and cards in tow. Does nobody miss them? 

The reason for the above example is that you will realise once on the course that reflection is very important for your learning. You will be expected to write reflections of your experiences throughout the three year course of any event that makes you stop and think. Reflecting on such events in nursing and general life will then lead to better future experiences. Because of my close family and past experiences, I believe that I appreciate working with the older generation more than I would have done prior to my Gran's death, as I have witnessed care both good and bad and know what care I want to give as a nurse.

Another form of reflection could be maybe writing a diary of events throughout your day...maybe during placement. I did this throughout my second year and found it a valuable tool to refer back to in regards to reflection and learning experiences.

Well, I now have three shifts left before Christmas leave then am determined to get my next essay done and out of the way. The work I have done so far along with research is currently sat staring at me so I must get on!

Thanks for stopping by, will catch up again next week :)


Em x