Thinking of retraining as a nurse...

hippychick1

Taypier wrote: »

Now I'm qualified I find it hard to find the time to provide what I think is the right care, its sad and it frustrates me. As a student or support worker I had more time to spend with patients and I wish I could get that back now. Def try a support worker role first and take it from there.

I agree completely with this. I worked in a nursing home for 12 months before I started nursing training, to get some experience of caring. My previous job was an accountant, and I was worried I wouldn't cope with such a change. A few people from my course dropped out halfway through their placement, as it 'wasn't what they thought it would be'.

I realised, too, that I loved the support worker role, but am now worried that when I am qualified, my time will be taken up by dishing out pills and paperwork. I am considering further training once I am qualified to go into midwifery. It frustrates me to see that nurses have no time to 'care' for patients :mad: This is not their fault, it's just the nature of the job now.

hippychick1

McKneff wrote: »

:T:T:T respect, a lady with balls (so to speak :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Awwww, thanks!!!

tiff

I know a lady who was a teaching assistant and has recently qualified and got her first job as a midwife, and she is 50. So much respect as she also lost her adult son last year.

donaldsl1

Hia Bubblegum, Just wanted to give you some insight into the nurse training. Im in my final year of the Adult nursing Diploma, I never had any previous experience of Health care assistant work before i started the course although I work as a carer now alongside my training. I have found the course to be quite demanding, the Nursing course is unlike all other uni courses, We have shorter holidays, alot of essays and exams, When on placement you are working 40hours a week 24/7 including alot of weekends/nights.

I have had good and bad placements, but althought some may have been worse than others they are all learning oppertunities. You need thick skin to do your traning, as well as being confident and not being afraid to ask questions, and questioning other people if you do not feel comfortable in a situation.

The bursary in itself for me as a single youngster living at home has been adaqute i recieve £530 a month + travel expences to and from placement. Its enough for me to get by and any shifts i do in my care job are extra.

I think if you feel that you are a caring, confident person and feel that you would contribute to the nursing profession then go for it.!

Have a little read on this Blog, http://militantmedicalnurse.blogspot.com/

Not too put you off nursing though, Nurse Anne (Blog author)gives the honest truth about what its like being a nurse, fair enough not every ward is going to be like it.... but have a read it does open your eyes to the profession.

I love doing my training and i cannot wait to qualify now, Hoping to apply for a district nurse post

x x x x

The_Bride

Got to agree with my fellow students and nurses, Im a 3rd year and qualify in a mere 6mths :eek: Its bloody hard work but I do have 3 kids ( 4 if u include DH ). Im lucky as my elective placment is on a
Gynae ward where hopefully I'll get my first job, my ward is much more relaxed and Im able to actually talk and care for my patients as opposed to dishing out pills and filling in paperwork like i do on other more heavier wards.
I didnt have any previous care experience prior to starting but I did my research and had a good understanding about what was expected of me. I would advise taking a look at http://www.studentnurse.org.uk/. The forum on there is fantastic for advice etc.

Good Luck!

bubblegum6000

Thank you so much for all your replies :j

I would be wanting to do the diploma and do have the qualifications etc, but know I only have next year to do it!

Thanks for all the advice about gaining some experience, I'm going to have a look at the NHS professionals website and see if I can get any bank work

It's been great to hear peoples experiences, I'm going to check out the student nurse forum site too, thanks The_bride

will mull it all over and do a bit more research! Thanks again everyone:T

slummymummyof3

Have you thought about looking into any of the allied health professional roles such as radiographer, OT etc? You might find that these interest you - also you are not 'stuck' on a ward in these roles and may find the variety to the job roles very satisfying.

am0329

Hi
I left my job and retrained as a nurse in my early 30s and when my youngest went into Primary school, Ive now been qualified for nearly three years and have never regretted this decision.
The course is not easy, It took me ages to get back into writing essays and attending lectures because it had been so long since I had done this. Somebody posted about being on placement and having to deal with assessments at the same time, yes this was sometimes really difficult, working 12hrs, coming home and dealing with family and then having to think about researching something was really hard. Something normally has to give, In my situation it was the housework, my house was a tip for 3 years, it drove me mad but I just did not have enough time.

The placements, some you will love and want to stay there and if Im honest, some you will hate and hope you will never have to come back. No matter what variety of placements you have, it will never prepare you for the first day you walk onto the ward as a qualified nurse, it is truly SCARY!!!
You will meet some amazing people, both staff and patients, I still remember one lady I met on my first placement in a nursing home, she was American, had been a ballet dancer, her eyes used to light up when she talked about her life in NYC as a child. You will meet some staff who will be so supportive, and others who you would rather not see ever again!!
Giving up a salary and surviving on a bursey is not easy, remember to use your student card as you can get discounts on many things. You just have to budget and be prepared to be skint for a while.
One last thing, I joined the local nursing bank as a HCA when I was in 3rd year and did some shifts in the holidays and sometimes overnight for some xtra cash. This was a good idea because, I got to know the staff and when applying for jobs, they knew me and how I worked, sometimes its good to get your face known. Especially with the current job situation.
Well good luck if you decide to go ahead, its hard work, but defo worth it. xx

GEEGEE8

My sister is a nurse and isn't the most academic person, by her own admission, but she got through!

She also finds nursing in the UK very hard work, last year she went to Australia for a year, travelling and nursing at various hospitals... she loved it! They pay so much more, you have far fewer patients to see to, better pay and usually they give you accomodation for free aswell.

She is off to New Zealand later this year to travel and do the nursing again.

Getting her Nursing qualification was the best thing she ever did!

dizzyb99_2

I trained as a nurse about 20 years ago and later moved into nurse training, where I am now. As everybody has said it is a really demanding course but so worth it at the end of the day. It is also worth remembering that nursing does not ony take place in hospitals, there are so many areas that you can go into further down the line, eg. community, research, teaching to say nothing about the potential to travel with your qualification. A friend of mine did her training about eight years ago with the intention of eventually emigrating - she is going to Australia in November.
It is definitely worth looking into