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!