my first ward..

allnurses Guide · Nov 7, 2008

Karen I am just on my way out of the door for the weekend but what a marvellous thread idea.

I will add my stuff on Sunday:up:

cheshirecat · Nov 7, 2008

I remember my first ward. It was N (Nellie 2), a female medical ward. On an early shift you would have 1 sister or 1 staff nurse, 2 enrolled nurses, 2 auxillary nurses and the rest would be student/pupil nurses.

I did 6 weeks intro. Like Karen G, we were shown how to do admission beds, theatre beds etc. Every morning we had to take our temp and pulse and write it down on an obs chart.

We were taught lifting techniques (remember the Australian Lift), how to give injections into an orange, how to set up for an IVT. Our hospital had very few kings fund beds. Our beds where the old fashioned high hospital beds.

We seemed to have more fun then, or maybe life was a bit slower. Our shifts went from 7.45am - 16.45 with 2 15 min breaks and a 45 min lunch!!!And woe betide any nurse who did not take her lunch. Nursing officer would come and get you and send you down to the canteen. Late shift was 12.45 - 21.15. Our half day ended at 1pm (we worked 37.5 hours per week).

My hospital was an old ww2 flimsy thing. My first winter the ward I was on was so cold that the senior sister came out and said we could all wear our cardigans whilst we where giving patient care!!!I remember giving a patient a blanket bath and the patient insisted I wrap a blanket around myself as I looked so cold!!!

Hyacinth55 · Nov 8, 2008

KarenG,

You just brought back so many memories for me - I started in May 79. I thought I was the only one who hid in the sluice when I had my first death during my 9 week medical rotation, maybe that`s why I`ve only worked in labour/delivery and the operating theatres - I could not handle it when my patients died (crying with the family was frowned upon).

I remember while in the classroom another pupil nurse volunteering to have a nasogastric tube put down his nose (his name was Andrew). I remember the many parties I went to until into the early hours and going to work early the next day (came from a restrictive upbringing so going to the QE in B`ham I was free to party). I still think it`s a miracle I passed the training! Blossom48

Hyacinth55 · Nov 8, 2008

What we had to put up with back then!!

Personally I think the UK nurses are the best trained in the world. I remember going into my 2nd 6 months of my pupil nurse training and being assigned my first set of nights with Andie (Staff nurse), myself and two auxillaries. On my 3rd night out of 8 came to work and Andie wasn`t there. I said whose in charge the Nursing Officer said I was!! I almost fainted - this was a surgical ward with 20 plus male patients! The following two nights it was me and my auxillaries they saved me when I had to do bladder washouts? and other procedures which I had only read about! They directed me on how it was done!! After that I felt I could do anything.

While doing the last 6 weeks of the 2nd yr of the Associate degree (in US) my instructor assigned 3 students with me and three with her. She said because of my clinical background from the UK (I spent 8 yrs as an SEN) she felt I was quite capable to lead and instruct my fellow peers - it was an honor and a tribute to what we as UK nurses can do, Blossom48

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 8, 2008

I remember my first ward as if it was yesterday not in 1986. I spent 4 weeks in school learning basic observations, making beds including theatre beds, passing NG tube and injections. Then out onto the ward for 9 weeks and it was a surgical ward. 9 staff on days, 7 on afternoon and 3 on nights with a 4th person working between the 2 wards. ward was divided into 3 dependencies those going to theatre, been to theatre and ready for discharge. I was put down in the low dependency (ready for discharge) whilst I got my bearings and got used to working on a ward. We all had a rota of jobs to be done some daily and some weekly, ward always looked clean and tidy. We had chance to sit down and get to know the patients. Ward rounds it was expected that we disappeared unless in final year then we could take part on the round and learn how to do them. When it was someone's last day on the ward it usually meant they would get thrown in the bath or a syringe fit. Patients used to love it and enjoyed seeing the staff relax when at times it would be the other way round. The staff from sister down was very supportive and I loved it, learnt so much. Also made my training as the same sister was in charge of my last ward and one of the first to know I had qualified.

Yes things have changed but I see both good and bad in how I trained but also on how students are trained now. Would be great if a program could be devised that took good from then and now as it probably make a great course where everyone benefited. I have seen some good students who was willing to learn everything they could and others who would only do what they had to do which made it hard all around. The one thing I really hated was expected to do more work that what was physically able due to poor staffing levels or poor higher management or both as it was always the ward staff and patients who suffered

BrightEyes · Nov 9, 2008

I remember always having to have our patients out of bed by the time the consultants and their tribe came round to do ward rounds. All the patients had to be sitting up in the chair beside the bed, beds all made with corners "just so" and the men HAD to be freshly shaven. Woe betide us if this wasn't done before they came round to see the first patient. Our ward sister was a tyrant, but I learned A LOT and she was very well respected. The first 9 weeks and the last 9 weeks of my training were spent on this ward and this is where I ended up getting my first job after qualifying. Awesome foundation.

We worked 7 til 330, 1245 (I think) til 930 for the late shift. Lates had two staff nurses, usually a first yr and a third yr student and usually one auxillary. I think it was about 30 patients and we had to remember the name of every last one of the patients on the ward. Hardly ever had a weekend off that I remember. Lots of nights spent "debriefing" in the social club. At that time they still had one on the hospital grounds. Couple of steps from the nursing home. Many a good night spent there I remember. It was a sad day when the "powers that be" decided to knock it into the ground. Thankfully, the nearest pub was 5 minutes away, always made for a bad hair night walking there in the rain.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!

RGN1 · Nov 9, 2008

I trained from 1989-1992 & did a kind bridging program between the "old" style training & the yet to come P2000. We did all the practical stuff of the older training with all the theory of the new! We didn't even get the diploma they got for it either!

We had 8 weeks in calss to start where we learned bed baths, making all the types of beds as others before & feeding pts. I remember we all had to try & feed each other to see how it felt. We didn't learn any invasive procedures as we were told we were going to be concentrating on basic nursing care on our 1st placements, which were on various adult wards.

# months in we were back in class for 3 weeks, in the 1st week we had an exam (which we had to pass) got the results of our 2 unit essays (which we had to pass.) Then for the next 3 months (2 weeks in class) we moved on to Medical nursing - learning relevant A & P, pharmacology, injecting opranges, blood glucose testing, NG tubes & catheterisation (female only - the men weren't allowed to do either!)

That's how our training went on - we moved in the same vein to surgery, psychiatry,speciality mine was ENT/dental (others had gynae, ophthalmics etc), orthopaedics, emergency, theatres, paeds, community, maternity & ended with ward management. Each unit was roughly 3 months - except community & maternity which were 4 weeks & 6 weeks respectively.

We had to complete some competencies on the ward, which the staff nurses could sign off but others were assessed by clinical nurse tutors, I remember aseptic technique as one of those!

cariad · Nov 9, 2008

talk about good old days, i lived in the nurses home, which meant from day 1 we all had a camaraderie going, our corridor always hung out together, went to class together and left for our shifts together, and of course, in the pub every night, nightclubs at the weekend, and lots of studying in between. the wards were very much like karen g describes them, i used to think i would train to be a nurse and then become a ward cleaner as they seemed to have the most power. you werent allowed cardigans, even on nights if you wore them, you would stand up and take them off when the night sister did her rounds, whenevr there was something going on, you were sent with the patient so that you could watch, whether it was a lumbar puncture or even in the operating room, to see what was done. i loved my training, and even now doing my bsn, love the group of nurses that we have in our class.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

OmG cannt believe I missed this thread so interesting and so many memories. Like Cariad we lived in the nurses home and for 3 yrs we had a party, so much laughing, fighting and making up. We werent allowed to bring men home and we used to sneak them in-we were so bad. Of course if you didnt like your date we would use the excuse that men were not allowed in the home LOL.

We too worked 5-10 days a week depending on when your days off were, if you were lucky you would finish on a half day before your days off and come back on a late. You never answered the phone only the Staff Nurses and sister would be allowed. We had 8 pts each and we did everything apart from drugs which the RN would do with you standing next to her shaking in case you didnt know the drug what it was for and what the side effects were. Strict 2 hourly turns, urine was never seen collecting in the catheter bag for very long. Beds were made everyday and pts were not allowed to refuse a bed bath or wash LOL.

You dished the food out onto plates at meal times. You did drink rounds where they were offered an assortment of drinks and every bloody pt would ask so what have you got!!!!!!!and always settled for tea.

Your hair had to be tied up, your shoes clean lace up;s, your tights the color dictated by 'management', bare arms and no cardigans at a pt's bedside-something I still cannot do.

You never ever sat on a pts bed and if you were seen doing nothing well the consequences meant you were never ever found doing nothing ever again.

We catherized from day one, IM injections, NG tubes, wound dressings, chest tubes, peg feeds, mouth care foley care. The principle was you saw one you do one.

How I loved those times, I cannot believe how nursing has changed and not neccesarily for the better. We laughed so much more, our moaning was more about working weekends and nights than management, policies and fininaces.

Oh yes and the big one do you remember your first pay packet both as a student (yes we got paid then) and then as an RN.

kermitlady · Feb 4, 2009

Thank you all for your stories!

karenG · Feb 5, 2009

oh.. more memories!

I too lived in the nurses home.. and yes, no men allowed. we had a home sister called Mrs C.. she was polish and we didnt know her real name. her office was by the front door.. and had a large glass window so you couldnt sneak a man out in the morning.. my nurses home is now very expensive flats!!

all my group lived on the same floor so we cooked together. we lived on the 3rd floor and on christmas day, those on earlies would cook dinner for those on lates. we would drag tables up to the third floor and have a proper sit down meal. we also did picnics...

as a first warder, you were at the mercy of the ward sister. we had to have correct uniform, no nail varnish or make up, hair off the collar. you were sent home to sort yourself out if you didnt meet the required standard.. I still cant wear make up or jewellery at work.. or have hair on my collar.. its so ingrained!

I do remember partying until the wee small hours.. having an hours sleep then going on duty.. and trying not to be sick while serving breakfast!

does anyone remember being taught how to test urine for suger in those little test tubes ? or how to set up a nelsons inhaler? or a kaolin poultice.... and rememeber giving patients egg, milk and brandy to drink? that used to be prescribed instead of sleeping tablets!

LOL yep.. I am feeling very old!