Tonight I had an evening of knitting and Mad Men planned, but I made the mistake of popping out to Tescos for a pint of milk at 8pm, and ended up going to A&E. I walk out of my flat and found my friend T sat with my friend C getting first aid, after T - like an idiot - decided to put his finger in a hand blender and switch it on ... to "see what would happen", he then promptly fainted and hit his head on a cupboard, getting an inch long cut on his scalp, concussion and one hell of a bruise on his cheek.
Since C said he wanted to go to the pub, it was decided that I should accompany T to A&E, because I was a) sober, and b) "it'll be useful for you to see how they do the stitches!". So off I pop, with no book, no phone, no Knitting and no cash to A&E, I got to enjoy T flirting with the two female paramedics, and then a hour and half's wait - a hell of a game of eye spy. But - eventually (and after sitting through 3 rotations of waiting room's full) we were let in to cubicals, I should say at this point that that wasn't a complaint of NHS waiting times in A&E, T was a pillock and in pain, but he was fine in himself, he had minor concussion, but nothing that a good nights sleep and a few days wont cure.
The triage nurse and the doctor were lovely, the both thought that he was a total pillock, and told him so, but equally they both looked after him very well. His head was pretty easy to fix, a wash through with some saline and then he was glued back together. But his finger proved a little bit more problematic, it bled - an awful lot - it took three goes to get the steri-strips to stick down, but in the end, it worked, and we were sent home with a couple of pamphlets and a lot of laughing.
But what struck me was the comeradery and the real care of the staff - yet another moment when I've felt, completely and utterly reassured in my choice of occupation - which is nice among all the moments of being unsure and worried, to have a moment of being so sure!
Friday, 7 December 2012
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Surgery
Today, while on the ward I was "spoked" out into theater, I got to watch surgery. It was scary and not something I would want to work in, HOWEVER it was bloody fantastic to see, one operation was the filling away of inflamed cartilage in a patients knees, it was a laparoscopy so in terms of blood guts and gore there wasn't much on offer, and it was very interesting, to see all the bone and cartilage, and fluid and how it all sits together, but - watching a man file away at some cartilage was horrible, however good it is for the patient, it still looked like they were raping her knee. I was demoralised and feeling sad I hadn't enjoyed it, especially since I was looking forward to going in to watch some surgery, but a saviour came in the form of Bob the anaesthetist, who sent me off to Theater C, after the first knee had been completed, theater C had a hemicolectomy, the removal of a portion of the colon. This was far more up my street.
The colon is part of the bowel, and so before surgery the patient must have an enema to "empty the field" it was only after I had left the theatre that I realised that this particular patient had been admitted by me this morning, and I had watched him have his enema - not glamorous or exciting but I did like the circle of life quality of my day! Seeing the guts of this man out on the table was incredible, however many diagrams and photographs of the internal organs one sees, you never realise how much there actually is inside of you, in terms of sheer volume, there is shed loads let me tell you! I'm amazed that it all fits in, it makes you think "OH - that's why I haven't got a flat tummy!" because there is so much inside of you that makes you work, I mean you could fill buckets with the amount of stuff there is going on in there - honestly! I'm quite small a person, and I'm amazed that there's room.
Before the first surgery I helped to put the patient under, I held, the mask in place, and pushed the tube to help her breath once she was anaesthetised into her windpipe. If you want to know what one looks like: it looks like a rubber vagina on the end of a tube ... obviously!
I'm just about to come to the end of my first placement, and it had honestly been a completely fantastic fortnight, I've learnt skills, I've made friends, and I've met so many great patients who I hope are all now well on the way to recovery! I've met the worlds sexyest anaesthetist this side of anywhere, (who doesn't wear a wedding ring, and I've put my colleagues on the task of finding out if he's married haha!) and I've learnt the pain of putting TED stockings on patients, TEDs are the work of the devil and are evil to put on people, (think insanely tight flight socks) but are useful in preventing DVT's.
Oh - and I've become the queen of doing blood sugar testing!
The colon is part of the bowel, and so before surgery the patient must have an enema to "empty the field" it was only after I had left the theatre that I realised that this particular patient had been admitted by me this morning, and I had watched him have his enema - not glamorous or exciting but I did like the circle of life quality of my day! Seeing the guts of this man out on the table was incredible, however many diagrams and photographs of the internal organs one sees, you never realise how much there actually is inside of you, in terms of sheer volume, there is shed loads let me tell you! I'm amazed that it all fits in, it makes you think "OH - that's why I haven't got a flat tummy!" because there is so much inside of you that makes you work, I mean you could fill buckets with the amount of stuff there is going on in there - honestly! I'm quite small a person, and I'm amazed that there's room.
Before the first surgery I helped to put the patient under, I held, the mask in place, and pushed the tube to help her breath once she was anaesthetised into her windpipe. If you want to know what one looks like: it looks like a rubber vagina on the end of a tube ... obviously!
I'm just about to come to the end of my first placement, and it had honestly been a completely fantastic fortnight, I've learnt skills, I've made friends, and I've met so many great patients who I hope are all now well on the way to recovery! I've met the worlds sexyest anaesthetist this side of anywhere, (who doesn't wear a wedding ring, and I've put my colleagues on the task of finding out if he's married haha!) and I've learnt the pain of putting TED stockings on patients, TEDs are the work of the devil and are evil to put on people, (think insanely tight flight socks) but are useful in preventing DVT's.
Oh - and I've become the queen of doing blood sugar testing!
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Today is why I became a nurse!
Not a particularly original topic for my blog I grant you, but none the less. Today, the 4 mile round trip on my bike in the pouring rain at 6:00 was all worth while, it's so easy as a student nurse to get bogged down with exams and assignments that fill our lives, it's easy to feel useless and shitty when you have no idea what you're doing - but today a patient almost died, and I helped save his life, not much, I mean I wasn't performing open heart surgery or anything, but I was on hand, and taking obs and when the family were crying and thanked us all as they left, I though - yeah, I did that, that's why I want to be a nurse, to look after people.
I'm no fool - I know that it wont always be so easy, and the outcome wont always be so good. And in all honesty, that patient was seriously ill - us saving them now, isn't going to give them another 20 years. But we did a little something - and sometimes that's all you can ask for!
I'm no fool - I know that it wont always be so easy, and the outcome wont always be so good. And in all honesty, that patient was seriously ill - us saving them now, isn't going to give them another 20 years. But we did a little something - and sometimes that's all you can ask for!
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Being a real nurse for a fortnight!
I've been a little down recently - I don't really feel much like a student nurse at the moment, a prime issue with an academic course for a practical occupation of course is that you spend an awful lot of time studying things and not an awful lot actually doing things.
But on Monday - Monday will see me on my first placement at our local hospital! I'm very excited - I have a uniform (which is very exciting since the mayhem of getting it in the first damn place ) - I have a fob watch - I have a slightly grumpy mentor and now - surely - maybe - possibly - I'll start to feel more like nurse!
But on Monday - Monday will see me on my first placement at our local hospital! I'm very excited - I have a uniform (which is very exciting since the mayhem of getting it in the first damn place ) - I have a fob watch - I have a slightly grumpy mentor and now - surely - maybe - possibly - I'll start to feel more like nurse!
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The heart of the matter
Firstly - I apologise for being so rubbish at posting - things have been getting a bit on top of me up here!
I have issues with the nervous system - it, and the endocrine system are very interesting don't get me wrong - and when they go wrong they really do go wrong. And they do they go seriously wrong - so clearly to learn about them is important ... however - they are an enigma, a mystery and one hell off a confusing thing.
The heart I love, the heart is a mechanical thing, it's a pump, it's fantastically simple and a truly beautiful thing - hell I can even draw a picture of it!! (You'd never guess that I got a B at GCSE art would you!?)
But the nervous system is a whole other kettle of fish! It's a complex system of electrical impulses running through your body - it's fallible and brilliant but so so so very confusing, tied in with the endocrine system - a crazy ass mixture of hormones that are all reliant on one another and interconnected in a way that to me is just double Dutch! But hopefully - in time, it'll all come clear in the end ... I hope!
I have issues with the nervous system - it, and the endocrine system are very interesting don't get me wrong - and when they go wrong they really do go wrong. And they do they go seriously wrong - so clearly to learn about them is important ... however - they are an enigma, a mystery and one hell off a confusing thing.
The heart I love, the heart is a mechanical thing, it's a pump, it's fantastically simple and a truly beautiful thing - hell I can even draw a picture of it!! (You'd never guess that I got a B at GCSE art would you!?)
But the nervous system is a whole other kettle of fish! It's a complex system of electrical impulses running through your body - it's fallible and brilliant but so so so very confusing, tied in with the endocrine system - a crazy ass mixture of hormones that are all reliant on one another and interconnected in a way that to me is just double Dutch! But hopefully - in time, it'll all come clear in the end ... I hope!
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
"The NHS's gone to pot ..."
That ("The NHS's gone to pot ...") was said by a fellow student of mine, today in a seminar - and she said it while were discussing if people who don't pay NI should be entitled to free health care. Well - should they? I don't know, I assume that you don't either, but when I heard the woman behind me say that - my Labour blood boiled and I could have spat acid.
I don't pretend that the NHS is some kind of nirvana - perfect and without fault, because clearly that's bollocks. It's not perfect, it's completely imperfect , it's full of faults - but at it's core is the basis of a truly fantastic thing, healthcare free at the point of access. Because I for one couldn't afford cancer care in a private system, I couldn't afford to have years of dialysis after suffering from kidney failure in a private system, and I'm proud that I can work in a country where anyone - regardless of their background and income can get treated. It may not be perfect but I think that the NHS is pretty damn good, I know plenty of people have bad experiences, but on the other hand on a personal note: I've always experienced brilliant care at the hands of the staff of the NHS, (Of course I'm biased ...) a district nurse who cared for some of my relatives was one of the most fantastic women I've ever met - caring and kind and very talented. The midwife who looked after my Mam when I was born - saved my life after I went all kamakaze with the umbilical cord.
So - maybe I'm biased, maybe I'm just just a naive labour girl, with my head stuck in the past - but I'll defend anything that means that everyone, from a Tory peer to a homeless man on the street, from a middle class head teacher, to a single Mam from a council estate can receive the same medical treatment, for them, their children and their parents - without worrying about the cost.
I don't pretend that the NHS is some kind of nirvana - perfect and without fault, because clearly that's bollocks. It's not perfect, it's completely imperfect , it's full of faults - but at it's core is the basis of a truly fantastic thing, healthcare free at the point of access. Because I for one couldn't afford cancer care in a private system, I couldn't afford to have years of dialysis after suffering from kidney failure in a private system, and I'm proud that I can work in a country where anyone - regardless of their background and income can get treated. It may not be perfect but I think that the NHS is pretty damn good, I know plenty of people have bad experiences, but on the other hand on a personal note: I've always experienced brilliant care at the hands of the staff of the NHS, (Of course I'm biased ...) a district nurse who cared for some of my relatives was one of the most fantastic women I've ever met - caring and kind and very talented. The midwife who looked after my Mam when I was born - saved my life after I went all kamakaze with the umbilical cord.
So - maybe I'm biased, maybe I'm just just a naive labour girl, with my head stuck in the past - but I'll defend anything that means that everyone, from a Tory peer to a homeless man on the street, from a middle class head teacher, to a single Mam from a council estate can receive the same medical treatment, for them, their children and their parents - without worrying about the cost.
Friday, 19 October 2012
The politics of names
Anyone here who has worked within, or been treated by the NHS recently (and I imagine that that's most of you in the UK!) might have noticed that we are no-longer supposed to call our patients ... well - patients. They should now be either clients or service users - so what does this mean for our patients? From a nursing point of view it makes me uncomfortable, I've gone into nursing - to nurse, silly as that sounds I know - I haven't gone into nursing to have clients, it makes me feel like a prostitute!
So what should a patient be called, I've heard some lecturers say that to call a patient a patient makes them feel like an invalid - and sick. But, surely any patient is! I understand that we need to make our patients/clients/service users feel comfortable and not out of place in hospital - however, in my opinion calling a patient a client is just symptomatic of the changes happening in the NHS at the moment. We're being sold off to the highest bidder - becoming a business with clients - for the better or worse isn't for me to say ... but perhaps you can tell my opinion already!
In other news - what have I been up to? Well I've been enjoying a "user and carer conference" - it was actually far more interesting and valuable than it sounds. We spent the day speaking to a mixture of current patients, former patients and carers about their experiences within the NHS, some of the speakers talked about the old NHS of 30/40 years ago. There was even one man who spoke about the NHS in it's infancy - when he experienced it as a young man with PTSD after the second world war, there was a mixture of responses towards treatment in the NHS, from fantastic to shockingly bad - but everyone of them agreed on what makes a good medical professional, about having the time and conviction to speak to your patients, to treat them like individuals and remember that no matter what the illness, injury or medical problem - they are still a human being, still someone's mam, dad, brother, sister, daughter or son, and it's important to treat them as human beings.
So what should a patient be called, I've heard some lecturers say that to call a patient a patient makes them feel like an invalid - and sick. But, surely any patient is! I understand that we need to make our patients/clients/service users feel comfortable and not out of place in hospital - however, in my opinion calling a patient a client is just symptomatic of the changes happening in the NHS at the moment. We're being sold off to the highest bidder - becoming a business with clients - for the better or worse isn't for me to say ... but perhaps you can tell my opinion already!
In other news - what have I been up to? Well I've been enjoying a "user and carer conference" - it was actually far more interesting and valuable than it sounds. We spent the day speaking to a mixture of current patients, former patients and carers about their experiences within the NHS, some of the speakers talked about the old NHS of 30/40 years ago. There was even one man who spoke about the NHS in it's infancy - when he experienced it as a young man with PTSD after the second world war, there was a mixture of responses towards treatment in the NHS, from fantastic to shockingly bad - but everyone of them agreed on what makes a good medical professional, about having the time and conviction to speak to your patients, to treat them like individuals and remember that no matter what the illness, injury or medical problem - they are still a human being, still someone's mam, dad, brother, sister, daughter or son, and it's important to treat them as human beings.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Being practacal
Another fun filled day - today was a little bit of basic wound care, how to dress a wound in a sterile way, keeping your gloves sterile is hard work I tell you!
You almost start to feel guilty about the amount of gloves you get through though - while it's obviously necessary for some procedures, and in some cases (no one wants to be wiping someone's bum if you've got a cut on your hand!) - however we had a discussion about whether nurses overuse gloves. I'd be interested to hear anyone's thought's about this by the way, do we overuse gloves in the NHS? While there are many procedures that do require the use of gloves, there are equally many that don't! For example, emptying a catheter, while you as a nurse may want to use a pair of gloves while emptying it - do you actually have to? You won't be touching any part of the patient where they could pick up an infection from you, you wont be dousing your hands in urine (with any luck) and in all probability, your hands that you've just washed will be a damn site cleaner than the gloves from the box that's been sat at the nurses station for 3 weeks with 20 different people's hands going in and out.
For the record (and to cover my own arse) - I'm not saying that gloves shouldn't be used - not at all, we were just question weather they are being over used in wards today. Clearly there are many procedures where they're very important, but do patients always benefit from their use?
 |
| My friend's handy work - try and ignore my onsie ... |
For the record (and to cover my own arse) - I'm not saying that gloves shouldn't be used - not at all, we were just question weather they are being over used in wards today. Clearly there are many procedures where they're very important, but do patients always benefit from their use?
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
1st labour of the student nurse
- WARNING -
Rant filled, move to 4th paragraph for a more cheerful post!
This is not a problem that many will encounter in there professional lives - not many of you will have to wear a specific, prescribed uniform. I do - and I wont lie, it's pretty damn ugly, it's not meant to be sexy or alluring - I understand that - that's fine! But when picking out their uniforms - did they have to find an outfit that made us all look both fat and short? You could be 6'3 and 9st and you would still look god awful in a pair of high waisted polyester trousers.
Once upon a time, 6 months ago, when I was offered my place on this course the uniform regulations were outlined. And we were told that in September we could go online, and order our special student nurse uniform. Lovely I said, excellent I said - and so I did, 3 months later I am introduced to my first challenge as a student nurse, like drinking a yard of beer to get on the rugby team, if a student nurse wants to succeed in her chosen field she must first negotiate the bizarre and burocratic nightmare that is ordering her uniform [insert cracks of thunder and dramatic suspense filled music]. Each year - 300 student nurses at our university will order 3 tunics from this particular uniform shop, the uniform shop will then duly dispatch said 900 tunics, complete with the university logo - this happens every year - and yet, they seem compleatly surprised by the fact that in September they have received 300 uniform applications ...
I realise that right now I'm sounding like a whingey bitch - but in all seriousness, when on the phone to the company to find out why I'm having to wait another 6 weeks for a uniform, when I need it in 3 weeks time. They seem genuinely shocked at the fact that there had been a mass order of uniforms in September, if I can grasp the basics of maths - why can't they?
- END OF RANT -
Anyway - this is all by the by really. I follow my rant with some altogether more cheerful news to those of you who are (as we all should be) concerned by cases of MRSA in hospitals, hospital acquired infections are a serious bushiness. Which is why today, my group enjoyed a 3 hour session, on infection control and handwashing - I know 3 hours washing hands sounds a bit daft. But anyone who's had a friend of relative who's acquired MRSA or C diff in a hospital, will know that sometimes it's the basics of care that really do save lives. Although I am not feeling a little bit paranoid about how clean my hands are ... no one said that nursing was good for your nerves.
As well as the all important hand washing, we also got to ... wait for it ... practice putting on latex gloves - I know - exciting stuff right?! Obviously touching the clean surface of the glove with an unclean finger is counter productive, cue a room of concentrating faces and lots of finger wiggling (feel free to add in your own dirty jokes *here* - I wont do it for you).
However, despite the rain, the cold, the 3 hours washing my hands at 9 this morning - I'm feeling happy, I'm content, my friend's and I have had some great times, I've got a comfy bed and as a cheeky bonus - I'm having Chinese food tonight!
Rant filled, move to 4th paragraph for a more cheerful post!
This is not a problem that many will encounter in there professional lives - not many of you will have to wear a specific, prescribed uniform. I do - and I wont lie, it's pretty damn ugly, it's not meant to be sexy or alluring - I understand that - that's fine! But when picking out their uniforms - did they have to find an outfit that made us all look both fat and short? You could be 6'3 and 9st and you would still look god awful in a pair of high waisted polyester trousers.
Once upon a time, 6 months ago, when I was offered my place on this course the uniform regulations were outlined. And we were told that in September we could go online, and order our special student nurse uniform. Lovely I said, excellent I said - and so I did, 3 months later I am introduced to my first challenge as a student nurse, like drinking a yard of beer to get on the rugby team, if a student nurse wants to succeed in her chosen field she must first negotiate the bizarre and burocratic nightmare that is ordering her uniform [insert cracks of thunder and dramatic suspense filled music]. Each year - 300 student nurses at our university will order 3 tunics from this particular uniform shop, the uniform shop will then duly dispatch said 900 tunics, complete with the university logo - this happens every year - and yet, they seem compleatly surprised by the fact that in September they have received 300 uniform applications ...
I realise that right now I'm sounding like a whingey bitch - but in all seriousness, when on the phone to the company to find out why I'm having to wait another 6 weeks for a uniform, when I need it in 3 weeks time. They seem genuinely shocked at the fact that there had been a mass order of uniforms in September, if I can grasp the basics of maths - why can't they?
- END OF RANT -
Anyway - this is all by the by really. I follow my rant with some altogether more cheerful news to those of you who are (as we all should be) concerned by cases of MRSA in hospitals, hospital acquired infections are a serious bushiness. Which is why today, my group enjoyed a 3 hour session, on infection control and handwashing - I know 3 hours washing hands sounds a bit daft. But anyone who's had a friend of relative who's acquired MRSA or C diff in a hospital, will know that sometimes it's the basics of care that really do save lives. Although I am not feeling a little bit paranoid about how clean my hands are ... no one said that nursing was good for your nerves.
As well as the all important hand washing, we also got to ... wait for it ... practice putting on latex gloves - I know - exciting stuff right?! Obviously touching the clean surface of the glove with an unclean finger is counter productive, cue a room of concentrating faces and lots of finger wiggling (feel free to add in your own dirty jokes *here* - I wont do it for you).
However, despite the rain, the cold, the 3 hours washing my hands at 9 this morning - I'm feeling happy, I'm content, my friend's and I have had some great times, I've got a comfy bed and as a cheeky bonus - I'm having Chinese food tonight!
Monday, 15 October 2012
New beginings
Well hello there, and welcome to my little blog!
Firstly - a little about me I suppose, for obvious reasons personal details are vague, and as we progress along this journey, for confidentiality reasons - names and locations will be changed.
I'm a first year student nurse, in a North England university - although I'm originally from Wales.
I hate quiche but love pesto.
I've wanted to be a nurse for about 4 years, although other potential career paths have included: social worker, teacher, costume designer and actress.
and I do love crime drama's, from Frost to New Tricks, from Miss Marple to Scott & Bailey - I love a whodunnit!
---
This blog is my opportunity to share my experiences, my troubles and hopefully the good times with you all, as much as this blog will be about my life as a 21st century student nurse and my life within the NHS I hope I can talk about other things too - my life - my hobbies - and the cooking!
I hope you all like my blog - and always feel free to comment and add your thoughts and feelings!
Firstly - a little about me I suppose, for obvious reasons personal details are vague, and as we progress along this journey, for confidentiality reasons - names and locations will be changed.
I'm a first year student nurse, in a North England university - although I'm originally from Wales.
I hate quiche but love pesto.
I've wanted to be a nurse for about 4 years, although other potential career paths have included: social worker, teacher, costume designer and actress.
and I do love crime drama's, from Frost to New Tricks, from Miss Marple to Scott & Bailey - I love a whodunnit!
---
This blog is my opportunity to share my experiences, my troubles and hopefully the good times with you all, as much as this blog will be about my life as a 21st century student nurse and my life within the NHS I hope I can talk about other things too - my life - my hobbies - and the cooking!
I hope you all like my blog - and always feel free to comment and add your thoughts and feelings!
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