End of Community Placement

So yesterday was the last day of my community placement. I didn't really know what to expect from community- the general consensus was that it was easy and there was a lot of sitting around drinking tea! 


In some aspects that was true,but I felt like it was far more than that. We went on visits in the morning which consisted of a wide variety of  tasks. Many patients had some form of leg ulcer which needed to be redressed regularly. I never knew there were so many different varieties of dressings and bandages! Many patients had cancer so the nurses visited then for support and to encourage them to visit the day hospice. These were the hardest patients for me as I didn't really know what to say to them- especially as many of them can hardly understand my accent. To me it sounds like I'm mimicking them if I try to go more 'Yorkshire'.


The one thing that I was picked up on during this placement is that my medical/biological knowledge is great but I need to concentrate on the social elements more. On the 12 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Almost seems ironic that this blog is called the conversion to social science when apparently I haven't converted yet! To be fair, as soon as it was picked up I concentrated on the ADLs to a greater extent than I ever had before, which, thankfully, seemed to impress my mentor.


This placement has really helped me increase my vocabulary related to wounds extensively. Before I would simply say 'they have a pressure sore on their leg'. Now I can describe the stage at which it is and what the tissue is like- ie sloughy, epithialising, granulating, eschar etc. Hopefully I can get a chance to impress my new mentor when I start my next placement.


So Monday I'm off to a new placement on a care of the elderly ward. I know my way around wards, they have essentially all been the same up to now. But lets see how it goes...

New Year, New Blog

So I thought I'd just give you a brief introduction to me. I'm just starting the second year of a PGDip Adult Nursing course at Sheffield Hallam University, which is also my final year (gulp!). 
I previously studied at Manchester Metropolitan University reading MSc Human Behavioural Ecology. I completed the first term before moving to Hallam and have fading hopes of actually finishing one day. Before that I was at the University of Sussex reading BSc Biology. 


I loved studying and living in Brighton, it is the place I feel happiest and most at home but I have increasing less hope of making it my home. I considered reading Nursing at Brighton University but as soon as I found out the course was run in Eastbourne, I turned towards Sussex, and have absolutely no regrets about that. For one, it was where I met my now fiancée, Beth.


I was never sure that Nursing is for me. My ultimate goal is to research sexual health. At the moment, the plan is to work on any ward when I qualify until I find the job I want in a sexual health ward/family planning clinic. I know that I can't put up with the antisocial hours that are involved in Nursing forever, especially not when child(ren) come into the picture.


As well as training in wards, my life is mainly consumed my the huge amount of uni work that is needed to qualify. Beth and I are currently struggling to save up for a house here in Sheffield and a wedding. At the moment, it will be a civil partnership unless the law changes in the next two years (there's always hope!).


Anyway, in a nutshell, thats me. I will mainly use this blog as a vent for me but will also mention my hobbie plans and projects including travel, sewing, knitting, painting, etc...
K