Bad day at the office?

We all have tough days

We have all had those days when we wonder why we are doing the job we do; when nothing seems to go to plan and it all turns to skittles.  In midwifery, it could be something simple like missing a vein when trying to take blood or something much more serious and tragic.

It takes an enormous emotional input to be in a caring profession.  Self care is vitally important to ensure you can give the very best to the women in your care, because if you constantly give without putting something back into yourself, you will soon run empty.

Oreo cookie icecream is a must

Here are my top tips for coping with those bad days at the office:

Treat yourself
Eat chocolate, watch your favourite film, listen to your favourite music, go for a run – anything that will release endorphins.  The first step is to boost your mood. This can start on your journey home
from work, turn the radio up, open the windows and let the wind blow the shift away.

Reflect
Don’t wallow, but think about the experience; what happened, how did it make you feel, what was good or bad about the situation, what have you learnt from it, what would you do differently if it happened again.  Every experience is a learning opportunity, even if it is “I will never do that again”.

Share
Find someone you can talk to, and cry with if need be.  Debriefing a serious incident is as important for you as it is for the parents, as it helps you to make sense of the situation and will aid your

We all need a help! button

reflection.  Remember, you have a responsibility of confidentiality and cannot share personal information of patients, but having another person to talk to will stop you rerunning it over in your mind.

Remember the good experiences
It can be very easy to get into a negative mindset.  The best way to break this cycle is to focus on better times; remember your first delivery, the best feedback you got from an essay.  I believe the bad experiences are made worse because they happen so infrequently, so remember to look at all the positive things which have gone before.

Tomorrow is a new day
Move on.  Practice in light of what you have learnt from your reflection, but don’t get trapped thinking it is going to happen again.

Its all worth it in the end

Hope this has helped. See you next week!

It's good to read

Hello again!

I didn't think I would manage it, but I am back on my laptop finally getting around to writing another blog. I have been completing an audit on the ward for my degree project which has required me to be in early-which included at 5am today on my day off. Good fun!

For those just heading into their nursing training or currently applying, you may or may not have read about the press around nursing in the recent years (depending how much you watch the news and read newspapers). It is key to be aware of the on-going changes going on within the profession, as this should help towards your learning, placements and career. A lot of attention at the moment is around the Francis Report, and you can either Google this or click here for a bit more information. The Keogh Mortality Review may be worth a look as well.

Previous to starting my nurse training, I kept an eye on the papers but in truth I didn't read around until I felt I was required to, and do regret that. I had attended the open day at Aylesbury campus and my main focus after this was applying and getting in. Once I had the offer of a place, my focus was on work at the time until university began. I threw myself into every opportunity; every meeting, rep opportunity and training. After my first year I did absolutely nothing in preparation for my second year, and really wish I had read about a bit! It is so easy to put things off that do not fall into the 'fun' category. I did everything to avoid getting on with things-organising, cleaning, rearranging folders, anything but pick up a book.

For those of you just applying or about to start, I would definitely recommend looking at the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) website which has a student area, along with the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) website, especially The Code which you will hear a lot about over the next three years at uni, whether child, mental health, adult nursing or midwifery.

I can assure you that you will have some tough times ahead, but I think particularly with this profession you will need that to understand how nursing really is. I started university at the age of 26, and felt that I had nothing to learn about my character. I had to learn in the first year that I did not know everything and did need to listen, observe and absorb the information, which was difficult as I had been so used to working. I had to learn to take feedback and understand that everybody you work with works in a slightly different way with their own routines. Also as nursing can be very stressful, sometimes you just need to nod, smile and get on with things rather than to take things personally (but if you ever feel you're learning is being affected and you need extra support-the university and hospital have various people who are there to help and guide).

Now I am in the third year I am trying to follow my own advice. There will be things that cause you to have a bad day or just generally feel that a long shift will never end, but then there are the patients. If you are heading into nursing as you feel you are a caring person (a necessity!) then to know you have made a difference to a patient and/or their family to bring some comfort or make things better for them will  make your day. You may even like me meet patients who remind you fondly of your own relatives with their sayings or appearance, which reminds you just why you are there. My day yesterday was non-stop and very busy on the ward, then I had some positive feedback from the doctor which made me think 'I'm getting there'. It may feel at times like you have years to go and that is never ending, but believe me; soon enough you will be saying about how quick the last year went.