Almost there!

Where is this man's oscar?!

Well the ‘D-day’ has finally arrived. Would you believe it, I was actually ready, despite pouring a fresh cup of tea over my laptop three days before the deadline!  Final word count; 10 997 words (30, 744 if you include all the appendices).  Now all I can do is wait for the results…something no student enjoys. 

Now my dissertation is out of the way, I can concentrate on filling in the gaps of my clinical skills.   I have eight babies to catch (but having two on one shift was a bonus), about 50 learning points, 7 clinical assessments, a presentation. Writing it like that makes it seem like a lot, but is hard to see anything as a challenge on the same day as you submit your dissertation.  I could probably climb Mount Everest today.  Probably. Maybe not.  I do feel like Jack from Titanic though….the “I’m the king of the world!” moment, not the freezing to death that is. 

Probably not the train she was thinking of

 One of our lecturers described our training as a train journey; in the first year you are leaving the station, excited about the trip, wanting it to gather speed so you can reach your destination.  Second year you go into a tunnel called ‘general placements’.  It goes dark and you feel like it will never end.  You start to wonder why you even started the journey in the first place. And then finally, third year; you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But then it seems to be hurling towards you and you start to question whether you want to leave the comfort of your carriage.

Then there is small matter of getting a job.  My stomach lurches every time I get an alert from NHS jobs.  It makes the last three years of training very real and although sometimes I can’t wait to write RM after my name, at other times I think I would like to stay in my white student uniform for ever.

Interview tips; I must remember to shave

I have my first interview in mid June, so have been brushing up on obstetric emergencies and neonatal resuscitation. I have found running through these with a group of my friends on the course has been the most successful way of doing this.  Interviews for midwifery jobs also include a maths test so I have been practising my mental arithmetic.  I also have to choose an interview outfit.  A very important decision there!

I will let you know how I get on in my interview and my dissertation.  I’m now off to my cousin’s wedding, what a lovely end to a successful week!  See you next week!
 

And there it is...three years of study comes to an end

Hello Everyone from yet another sun kissed evening in Luton!

Well here is the post I feel I have been counting down to all year...my studies are over! I completed the last of my placement hours on Thursday and got the last of my skills signed off for submission. I passed my final essay (naff grade for me but I am rather ecstatic with a pass at this point!) and submitted the last few bits of work into University yesterday morning. I also met with my Personal Lecturer on Wednesday  
to go through my work and grades and to discuss how I have done, including her taking some notes in order to write a reference for me.

Following my submission of an application for a hopeful job in the South West come September, I decided to give them a ring for more information about the role. The lady I spoke to sounded lovely and I was told about the position and that they would be shortlisting not long after the closing date on the 21st July. Whilst I play the waiting game, I will be heading off to Somerset tomorrow and having a camping trip in Wales and fortunately the sun is due to shine! I will be mostly living off BBQ's and playing on inflatable hoops in the sea!

I'm feeling a little 'between two worlds' at the moment. My last shift in which I had been focussing on for three years and having all of my work due in came...and went. I have been so focussed on the final day I did not contemplate what would happen after this point. My partner asked me the other day when I would be officially moving in with him and I did not have a clue. I have only ever been in a relationship with him as a student, so I am trying to get my head around no more countdowns....my future is now!

Three years ago, I had been counting down to starting at the University of Bedfordshire. I remember arriving on the first day and sitting at our Induction at Park Square looking around wondering who to start up a conversation with. I remember thinking how long three years would be, and how I would be 29years old when I finished. I remember feeling like I would find it difficult to adapt back to study mode after 8years of full time working. Year One passed, Year Two arrived. I then remember thinking how long another two years would be of study, then when Year Three began last year it hit me...I'm a Third Year student  and expected to know things! This year really has been the quickest of them all. Despite having quite a lot on this year with essays, our equivalent of a dissertation, an exam, an OSCE and full time working hours at the hospital; it made things fly by.

Today I spent my day being what I call normal (others may deem 'dull'). I did the food shopping, sorted lunch and did my ironing. I emptied a cupboard to start throwing things away before relocating, and continued selling things on eBay. The main thing was it felt amazingly refreshing to just do normal things. I got to catch up with my mum and sit out in the sunshine, all things I used to take for granted until I did not have the time with study. Now all of the work is in I feel absolutely fantastic with a sense of achievement. It has felt like such a long journey but I've done it! We have a date to come back in in September to sign onto the nursing register, and our Graduation will full at the end of November.

It has been hard work, but I think because of this I feel that I have achieved so much more than I had expected of myself, and also that I have earned this summer off!

Well, I best get packing. Will catch up next week after camping and Thorpe Park ;)

Em x

Another week closer to 'farewell university'

Evening All!

First of all, I just want to explain that just because I seem to be forever working towards a countdown (for example; my title to this post) I can assure you that this isn't a reflection on the university! This last week has been an 'almost' goodbye to attending university, as apart from one lecture in mid/late March and going in for exams and assessments throughout March, I will no longer be spending any time with my cohort (class). 

After our Spring leave I will be going straight into my 13week management placement followed by Summer leave, a bit of paperwork then out to the world of work! Looking back I found the first year quite slow to get in to as I had not been in a place of education since I was 18 (I started the course 8yrs after this!), so the idea of sitting in lectures and learning to observe and learn was a gradual process for me! In the second year I started to get my head around university and the idea of being a nurse and then wham! Year three sneaks in and you start to realise that in no time at all you will be a registered nurse looking after your own set of patients and you will be the example students look to to learn the profession.

The past week at university has actually felt a bit different to me personally. The cohort were in as usual but the impending job hunting/exams/no more uni/final placement seem to have put people in a reflective mood. On Monday we found out where our final placements would be (very happy as I got my requested gynaecology!), and yesterday found out our grade for the essay submitted in January (happy again-A-). Tomorrow I will be hopping on a train (4 to be precise) to travel to my partner's house in Somerset in preparation for my open day also in that county. I have given my CV a good polish (on the most expensive paper I could find just on the off chance they would like to have a copy!) and have jotted down some potential interview questions as you never know what could happen! I know it is only an open day but my friend attended one in another Trust the other day and was offered an interview on the same day, so it may be worth turning up with my portfolio up to date and dressed appropriately! As one of my lectures explained to us, 'Fail to prepare means you prepare to fail'.

Once I get back from Somerset I will be giving you a quick update and then back to exam preparation, with the first being my practical OSCE a week on Tuesday based on a deteriorating patient. Wish me luck!

Well that is all from me I'm afraid, but hope everything is good in the world of applications, open days and interviews? Not forgetting the wait to find out of course! I noticed more interviews going on last Thursday, amazing how quiet the learning resource area can be during this time!

Will catch up soon! :)

Em x

P.s. on a last final random note, I mentioned the other day I was going for a photo shoot. I decided after years of my mother telling me to stop hiding from the camera and get at least one proper photo taken of myself while I am in my 20's, so I bit the bullet and I went on a 50's makeover fashion shoot. I'm still awaiting the official pics but here is a taster :)