cheshirecat

I also worked at Lyell McEwin Hospital about 16 years ago. I loved it. Staff very supportive. Had to leave to go back to the UK. Good luck finding accommodation.

I get paid double time up to mid band 5 so about £23 a hour. Hope this helps.

Happy New Year to everyone on allnurses. Posting early as I have got the itchiest allergic reaction rash imaginable. May change my name to Spot The Cat.:bow:

Outpatient nurses also do invasive procedures. Have you tried NHS Direct? It is not hands on nursing though. They also always seem to be advertising for staff.

Me too, blossom. Drives my husband mad.

Students should have supernumeray status if they are not being paid to work on the ward. They should have clinical teachers on the ward, and not expect staff nurses to do all the clinical training. It is getting teachers on the cheap. If students were trained properly and not used as ward fodder, they would have the skills needed to be effective newly qualified staff. I did my training in the early 80's (started 1981). No way would I like to do the training the students do now. I loved my nurse training. I just feel that in many placements students are being abused, and that is why the training is felt to be ineffective.

In some trusts, zippy students are being used as unpaid HCA's. Managers keep costs down by rostering students on at the weekends, and giving HCA's days off. Could you manage on a bursery of £400 per month? Could you pay your rent, food, gas, electricity on this? I could not, I will be honest. If students are on the wards, they should be supernumeray. If some trusts can manage this, then all trusts should.

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!!!

Back in the bad old days, students were taught by students. As a first year on the wards, I would not even talk to a Staff Nurse. A third year used to take you under her wing, and show you how to do things. As you progressed through the years you became the teacher. Our hospital used to be staffed by student nurses. They where the workforce. On an early shift there would be 1 staff nurse, maybe 2 3rd years, 2 2nd years and 2 1st years. I think the students today get a raw deal. They are used as unpaid workers. At least we got a wage at the end of the day. I can understand students not wanting to wipe up **** etc if they are being paid nowt. Also, if they are not being taught anything on the ward, why should they put themselves out?

Have to say that the wards karen G talks about are nothing like the wards of today. When I first qualified (1985) I worked as a staff nurse on a surgical ward. Our hernia repair patients would stay in 5 days post-op, APR resections would come in for 5 day bowel prep etc. So we had many more 'well' patients then we do today. On the surgical ward I worked on until 1.5 years ago, a good day looked like Beirut(hope thats spelled right). We had 1 RN for 16 patients, supported by 2 HCA'S. No enrolled nurses to take some of the burden from the RN. Students used as HCA's and no time for training. This is why we are getting newly qualified nurses who cannot do s/c, im injections, cath patients, put in ryles tubes etc. It is because they are being used as HCA's and not given the training they should be getting. We are all guilty of this in my mind. We should as a profession stand up to our managers. We should demand more staff so we can teach students. And if we have to go on strike to get this? I would, would you.

If you worked for the NHS in the UK, you would know that low census never exists. As soon as the bed is empty, it is cleaned and the new patient is in there. Our wards are supposed to be staffed at 85% bed occupancy, but we never have below 97-100% bed occupancy.

Hope you are ok, scarymary. Thinking of you.

If I signed RN after my name, people would assume I was in the Royal Navy. Same goes if I signed RM (Registered Midwife). They would assume I was a Royal Marine!!!! Would never put RN after my name in any place except work.

Karen - have you turned into a southern softy yet? Don't you just miss chat? Bring back chat!!!!

I will let you off Karen G. But I am calling for a ban by nurses of The Mail. Like you, I much prefer The Telegraph which employs decent journalists. I don't know, journalists in my day where much better trained. They got off their bums and worked. Did not try and pretend they are professionals. I say bring back Editor!!!!