In the words of Partridge, "It's hotter than the sun."
I finished my first clinical placement on Friday. I absolutely loved it. I had a horrible feeling going into nursing that I would enjoy the academic part in uni, but would get into my first placement and realise what I huge mistake I made... instead, it reassured me that what I'm doing is right. The clinical area itself was brilliant - I can't say much obviously, but it fitted so well with my past work experience and my biggest area of clinical interest. I would love to work there one day, and I said so! I got great feedback (even got an A+ for my physical presentation, despite my dreadlocks!), and was asked if I could come back for another placement, haha.
Quite an emotional rollercoaster though. I don't generally wear my heart on my sleeve, but one evening I came home feeling so frustrated and helpless for a patient that I just sobbed. Got all snotty over my mum, and when I finally sorted my self out, I thought, "Right. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening selfishly pretending people don't get ill, because it's horrible. And because if my mind keeps returning to it, I'm not going to be able to work in a functional emotional state tomorrow." So I went online (as one does of an evening), went on Facebook... and read Vivian Campbell's status update announcing his Hodgkins Lymphoma. Initially, it kind of ruined my "pretending people don't get ill" plan, but he was so positive about it ("spiffy" isn't a word I've ever heard used to describe anyone mid-chemo, but whatever) that it actually helped. Everything isn't the end of the world. I went back the next day feeling a lot more positive, and ended up leaving with happy tears. The whole thing has been such a great experience, and I genuinely miss it.
On the downside, six weeks of driving instead of cycling (can't get my nursey bun hairstyle under a helmet!) and eating quick food because I'm low on energy and hungry and short on free time has left me 6lb heavier. That's a pound a week! Fully returned to cycling as I'm back at uni this week (err, total mileage since Feb: 373.70 miles), and I'm cycling a whole gear lower all the time. I feel so unfit!
So, I now have a 3500 word essay to finish for Monday (I've nearly reached the word count but I've still got a lot more to write...). I also have a drugs calculation exam tomorrow, with 100% required to pass. No pressure then! I now feel very confident with all the maths, but I know that if I make a mistake it will be a silly little mistake (like clicking "tablets" instead of "caplets", or something), which is almost more daunting. It's also a full-blown heatwave here (30c! I know!), which is making it horrible to do work. It's 10.30am and I've already had to leave the desk in my bedroom because it's unbearably hot upstairs.
Having said that, sitting outside in shorts with my netbook in Southampton the last couple of days has given me a tan on my legs for the first time ever. I even have an ankle tan line from my Converses. Oh, and I gave Pippa a very drastic haircut - her long fur is all gone. We desperately wanted to keep her fur all long and beautiful (and her fur is the longest of any beardie we've had - even her one year old post-puppy coat is longer and thicker than Molli and Izzy's full adult coats!), but it's too hot. As soon as I finished, she bounced for hours, and she's barely stopped wagging her tail since. Mission accomplished!
Quite an emotional rollercoaster though. I don't generally wear my heart on my sleeve, but one evening I came home feeling so frustrated and helpless for a patient that I just sobbed. Got all snotty over my mum, and when I finally sorted my self out, I thought, "Right. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening selfishly pretending people don't get ill, because it's horrible. And because if my mind keeps returning to it, I'm not going to be able to work in a functional emotional state tomorrow." So I went online (as one does of an evening), went on Facebook... and read Vivian Campbell's status update announcing his Hodgkins Lymphoma. Initially, it kind of ruined my "pretending people don't get ill" plan, but he was so positive about it ("spiffy" isn't a word I've ever heard used to describe anyone mid-chemo, but whatever) that it actually helped. Everything isn't the end of the world. I went back the next day feeling a lot more positive, and ended up leaving with happy tears. The whole thing has been such a great experience, and I genuinely miss it.
On the downside, six weeks of driving instead of cycling (can't get my nursey bun hairstyle under a helmet!) and eating quick food because I'm low on energy and hungry and short on free time has left me 6lb heavier. That's a pound a week! Fully returned to cycling as I'm back at uni this week (err, total mileage since Feb: 373.70 miles), and I'm cycling a whole gear lower all the time. I feel so unfit!
So, I now have a 3500 word essay to finish for Monday (I've nearly reached the word count but I've still got a lot more to write...). I also have a drugs calculation exam tomorrow, with 100% required to pass. No pressure then! I now feel very confident with all the maths, but I know that if I make a mistake it will be a silly little mistake (like clicking "tablets" instead of "caplets", or something), which is almost more daunting. It's also a full-blown heatwave here (30c! I know!), which is making it horrible to do work. It's 10.30am and I've already had to leave the desk in my bedroom because it's unbearably hot upstairs.
Having said that, sitting outside in shorts with my netbook in Southampton the last couple of days has given me a tan on my legs for the first time ever. I even have an ankle tan line from my Converses. Oh, and I gave Pippa a very drastic haircut - her long fur is all gone. We desperately wanted to keep her fur all long and beautiful (and her fur is the longest of any beardie we've had - even her one year old post-puppy coat is longer and thicker than Molli and Izzy's full adult coats!), but it's too hot. As soon as I finished, she bounced for hours, and she's barely stopped wagging her tail since. Mission accomplished!