Karen30

I'm sure they did, the only problem is we don't have enough staff to cover the nights shifts, which means we may be required to work nights and days within the same week.

Our shift times are currently: Early: 0700-1500 Late: 1330- 2130 Night: 2100-0730 Long Day: 0700-2130 There are proposals for new shift changes at our trust which will be as follows: Early: 0715-1515 Late: 1215-2015 Night: 2000-0730 Long Day: 0715-2015

Hi So sorry to hear you have failed your exams. It happened to me also. There is help out there, if you are with a union, either RCN or unison approach them for advice, they were really helpful and appealed on my behalf. Speak with your tutors as well, there may be chance you can go back a group or so. There are ways and means, just don't give up because the nursing school say you have failed. Good Luck Karen

I reply to this thread in two capacities, both as a nurse and someone whose family member has diabetes. My views and opinions are however the same regardless. I have been taught never to swab prior to giving a diabetic insulin, for several reasons. 1. Your average diabetic does not swab prior to insulin at home. 2. The alcohol in swabs eventually makes skin tough, dry and hard and thus can make it very painful for a diabetic to inject themsleves with insulin, let alone another person doing it for them. Providing you, the patient or whoever may be giving the insulin washes their hands then the risks are minimal.

Please.....does it really matter where a nurse originates from? Surely the important thing is can the nurse do her job in a safe and competent way. Does it really offend you so much for nurses to speak in the language of their home countries around the nursing station? Surely allow them this small piece of home when they are so far away from it. As someone points out is it the fact you don't know what there saying that annoys you? If this is the case does it not occur to you that those nurses who may still be learning various "slang" or other english words may be annoyed when you start talking in slang. Is it so hard for people to get on with other cultures and races these days, I thought nurses were supposed to be caring and compassionate people who treat others despite disabilities, race, culture etc. As I said at the start of this post, so long as the nurse is safe and competent and both patients and staff are happy with the nurses competence then I really cannot see the propblem with what language they speak in round the nursing station or when they are with friends. As for Filipino nurses sitting round the nursing station or the middle of the ward having a social chit chat.....I have yet to meet a lazy filipino nurse, the ones I work with are some of the hardest working nurses I have ever worked with.

Yep there is a real world. There is also bad practice. There is also very good practice. There are ways and means about going about reporting bad practice and quite frankly being very vocal about it, as far as I am aware is not one of them, nor is it very productive to either staff or students. Staff like students still continue to learn after qualification, and one of the best ways of keeping up to date with best practice is to talk and listen to students and in theory they are being taught by lecturers who should be bang up to date. Okay what the students are taught is sometimes not practical, but it is still best practice. So what to do if you see bad practice? Talk to the person who has demonstrated "bad practice", ask why they have done it that way, if you still don't agree or maybe have another idea of how something could be done, suggest another way. Speak to the ward manager if you have concerns. If then you feel that there is still an issue then is the time to take it to placement link facilitators, university etc. All this however does not need to be done VERY VOCALLY. Basically as I said before there are ways and means for reporting bad practice, being very vocal does not usually achieve anything except getting everyones backs up and a lot of discontent.

EEkkk... I don't know about being too anal..... I like having a uniform, I feel proud when in uniform that I am a nurse. I too had a silver buckle and this had meaning not only that I was a qualified nurse, but the fact my parents bought it me as a qualifiying present......I know a lot of nurses whose buckles were given to them as presents on qualifying. However, I do wear tunic and trousers these days which are much more comfortable and practical for work. As for how much infection a buckle may harbour...consider things you use today such as fob watches, pens, scissors, stethoscopes...etc......as well as the aformentioned arms and hands.

This obviously doesn't work ..frequently I am asked by visitors for vases, cups of tea, mop buckets, the floor being wet...etc......maybe they think I am the domestic!!!

Firstly, don't be tempted not to put your medical history on application forms, you will be found out and then have no chance of a job as people will consider you untrustworthy. Be honest. You can explain either on your application form or in person, if you get an interview why you are seeing a psychiatrist. Some reassurance, I saw a psychiatrist a couple of years back, and then about a year later applied for a new job. I was honest and put my medical history on the application form, this didn't hinder my chances. I got an interview and was offered a job, the main thing is to sell yourself on your application form, make your prospective employer think you are the only person who is right for the job, if you do this then your previous medical history shouldn't be a major problem if one at all. Good Luck.

Firstly, don't be tempted not to put your medical history on application forms, you will be found out and then have no chance of a job as people will consider you untrustworthy. Be honest. You can explain either on your application form or in person, if you get an interview why you are seeing a psychiatrist. Some reassurance, I saw a psychiatrist a couple of years back, and then about a year later applied for a new job. I was honest and put my medical history on the application form, this didn't hinder my chances. I got an interview and was offered a job, the main thing is to sell yourself on your application form, make your prospective employer think you are the only person who is right for the job, if you do this then your previous medical history shouldn't be a major problem if one at all. Good Luck.

Yep, it's individuality. Personally I could not work all day shifts or all evening shifts, getting up 3 days on the run for an early shift just about does me in!!! so I enjoy the mixture of lates and earlies. As for wokring 40-50 hours, I couldn't do that either, 37.5 is enough for me. As said before that's just my personal choice though. I guess I'm lucky I don't rotate onto nights to often as we have staff who prefer permanent nights. I think sometimes it's a case of the grass is greener on the other side. Yes we moan, even like moaning, (I know I like to have a good old moan sometimes!), if we didn't moan we wouldn't be human, but we must like the job just a tiny little bit otherwise we wouldn't do it!!!!!

Well in that respect were lucky then!!!!!

Yep. Although we moan alot about working conditions here in the UK, compared to some people we are really quite well off. I know my sister here in the UK works in the public service sector and only gets 4 weeks annual leave. As nurses, I think it's a tradition we moan about the job and it's conditions, (I do it all the time!), and on occassions it is justified, but we aren't badly off in relation to working hours, annual leave, maternity leave etc.

Yes we do have some of the longest working hours in Europe, but having researched into nursing in Canada. our holidays are fantastic compared to there. Here we get about 35/36 days holidays, whereas in Canada, (and I assume the US), they only get about 15/20 days holidays a year. Quite a difference between 6-7 weeks here to 3-4 weeks in Canada eh???

Hi, Although I am from the UK, the advice I will give you still applies and is very simple. If you truly still want to be an RN, then don't give up. I was in a similar situation about 9 years ago when I was doing my training, I failed my exams twice, but I didn't give up, as all I have ever wanted to do is be a RN. Having been qualified for 8 years now, I am so glad I didn't give up. Pursue your dreams and have faith and confidence in yourself, you'll make it in the end.

I think it has been said before, but I'll say it again as it is what I believe. Even with todays technology, no-one can say for certain what "brain dead" or unresponsive patients can and cannot hear, which is why I always chat with any patient, responsive or unresponsive, let them know what the weathers doing, what day it is etc. Maybe future advances in science will reveal those patients who are "brain-dead" can hear, who knows. As for talking to those patients who have sadly passed away...yes I do it, it's a coping mechanism and enables me to cope with their death and also who knows whether the soul/spirit can hear people? Maybe, maybe not but who knows anything for definite in this day and age?

Hi I am actually thinking of moving to Canada. Mainly for a change and that if I don't do it now I never will. Unlike yourslef, it's taken me 9 years off being qualified to decide to move countries!!! So on to nursing in the UK. Okay the pay isn't the best, but it's not completely bad, and hopefully with proposed pay changes in the next 12 months it should get a little better. Holidays are good, depending on how long you have been employed depends on your leave, but I remember starting out with something like 33 days holidays, inclusive of bank holidays, which works out about 6-7 weeks a year. The NHS pension scheme is supposed to be one of the best in the country. You get discounts from various shops, more if your in the RCN, (Royal College of Nursing -trade union). More information can be found at the Royal College of Nursing, (http://www.rcn.org.uk/) website and also the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (http://www.nmc-uk.org/nmc/main/splash.html). A website that might be helpful is the NHS Careers, (http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/), it gives you information about entry requirements and working in the NHS). Might also be work looking at two popular UK nursing journals, to see whats going on in the uk nursing world, these are Nursing Times, (http://www.nursingtimes.net/nav?page=nt), and Nursing Standard, (http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/). Whatever you decide, good luck!

Interesting reading, I'm not Canadian or US, but from the UK, and quite a few of these apply to me, especially the Tim Hortons, when I am visiting family over there, does this mean I should emigrate and became a Canadian resident??!!!!!!

If it makes you feel any better, I still pass out 10 years on into nursing when I'm having blood taken or having vaccinations!!! Now I'm not the sadistic type but it doesn't bother me watching other people having injections or taking blood off other people, (good job really as it wouldn't do for your nurse to collapse everytime she gave a patient an injection or took blood!!!), just tends to be when it happens to me I pass out!!!!

It sounds like this has been a long standing problem not one that has developed overnight. There is obviously a problem, and it needs solving. Yes it's unfortunate that this nurse isn't able to do her job properly, but by the sounds of it the caring nurse who has posted her problem on her has been covering to ensure the patients don't suffer. Unfortunaltely this is not acceptable and needs sorting, but is it not better to find out why there is a problem rather than condem the person before finding out why the problem has occured in the first place?

Is it just purely their obesity preventing getting jobs done or is there an underlying issue? Are you sure you are not using the excuse of their obesity to cover up the fact work doesn't get done, do you think if this person was not obese the work would get done??? Just some thoughts. As someone has mentioned document everything, maybe approach this person and ask if they are coping with the work load, maybe they don't want to be seen as not coping and therefore won't ask for help. Maybe just try not to judge the person and assume that the problem is due to their obesity, there could be a million reasons why jobs aren't done. If it does turn out to be the obseity causing the problem, some support and a friendly ear about losing weight might be an idea.

Had loads of ghostly experiences but two that stick in my mind are the time a lovely gentleman passed away and for days after and sometimes even now the call bell for the bed he was in will go off for no reason, even when there are no patients in that bed or we have had patients who have not been able to use the call bell for that bed. Second one was one time I was attending to a patient's IV and out of the corner of my eye I saw "the other nurse" I was on duty with, I was telling her something, when I turned round she had gone so I assumed she had gone to attend to another patient. When I returned to the nursing station and asked her opinion on something she didn't have a clue what I was talking about and said she had been with Mrs. **** for 10 minutes. I checked this out with Mrs. **** who said that Nurse *** had been with her for at least 10 minutes because her catheter had blocked. I have no idea to this day who I was talking to, other than it was definitely a nurse, (but there was only me and Nurse ***** on duty) spooky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You really need to ring the pharmacy and check with them. I'm assuming your working in an NHS hospital and as such each trusts drug policy will be different. At our hospital we have bottles of 1 litre sterile water which we use, to reconstitue powder medication. Although it sounds like your mentor isn't being very helpful, we are trying to help and sometimes, you do need to work through a problem, that's nursing, everybody won't know the answer and that is when you need to think how best to use the resources available to you to find the answers. Sometimes qualified staff may seem to be being horrible and nasty not giving you an answer to a straight and obvious question but sometimes it is because we want you to work the answer out yourself rather than spoonfeed you everything. That way you are more likely to remember and learn and in the process do some problem solving.

I have nursed for over 8 years now and I certainly don't hate nursing, if I did I would leave. What I do hate is not always being able to give your best to the patients because of lack of funding, staff, etc. What I hate is when your the only qualified nurse on duty with 2 support assistants, trying to maintain 24 patients health and well-being and relatives are constantly telling you that, "Mary in the next bed is shouting for a nurse" Mary is confused and disorientated and constantly shouts for a nurse and I would dearly love to sit with her, reassure her and orientate her, but unfortunately Mr. Smith has chest pain, Mrs Jones has terrible back pain, Mrs Bloggs wants the toilet and can't get there without assistance and the bed manager is pressuring me to discharge or transfer patients as there are patients in A&E. Thats what I hate, not nursing but the inability at times to be able to do my job and nurse.

I don't know that the "no lift" rule helps retain nurses, but it does save their backs. Here are a few links and documents to get you started on the "No Lift" rule. NHS Plus Manual Handling Nursing Times - Defining and implementing a 'no lifting' standard Safer staff, better care: RCN manual handling training guidance and competencies (February 2003) Code of Practice for Patient Handling NHS Back In Work Campaign