Part one of 8 months a Nurse : Into the Blues

 

Welcome to part one of eight months a nurse, into the blues, 

blues is  the term used for the uniform that a qualified nurse wears.

 I chose to do my electoral placement on the ward  i was going to work on and had wanted to  work on from my first year as it was my first placement .However as a consequence of  claiming extenuating circumstances my academic work interfered with  my time on elective placement. While on placement  I was still in the process of writing my dissertation and had a viva exam still to do, all which detracted from the experience and joy of my electoral placement.

I found writing my dissertation particularly challenging because the framework i had been given was ambiguous and confusing ,and when seeking advice from my fellow students it transpired that all our mentor’s had different  expectations of how a dissertation should be wrote  and what should be in it . which added to the confusion and heightened  my anxieties and affected how i wrote my dissertation, however after all the trials and tribulations of penning my dissertation I gained a pass.

Electoral Placement 

I had hoped that having my electoral placement on the ward I was joining would ease and assist in my transitioning from student nurse  to qualified nurse . However this was not to be ,due to the issues relating to my academic work. The anxiety’s I was feeling were magnified further in the process of transiting and finding my feet on the ward leading to me having a crises of confidence and lacking self belief .

access to work   

Prior to joining the ward I had contacted access to work for a dyslexia an assessment. I would recommend to any student who is aware they are dyslexic contact access to work as they can put in place training and software that will assist you to manage issues with reading writing and concentration I will put the link access to work at the bottom of this blog. My assessment recommended that I have a trust laptop Dragon and Claro read software and training to utilise said software Dictaphone to help with meetings and when taking notes and neuro- diversity training which I have found extremely helpful and has helped give me strategies to manage issues that I wasn’t aware of until I started my role on the ward. Issues such as memory, reading and self-esteem.

Although I was assessed prior to my taking up the role I did not receive my laptop software or training for the first four months of my role. During these first four months I dealt with issues that I was discovering and learning about me myself and my dyslexia on a daily basis , this journey of discovery although caused much anxiety and distress is also caused me to grow and develop. However it could be argued that having these four months without any strategies in place or support led to me identifying issues that have been addressed with my neuro- diversity tutor.

Although there were times when I felt like I wanted to give up and walk away I am so glad that I found strength to carry on I have grown so much in these last eight months and have developed self belief and confidence where there was none.

 

Access to work Link : https://www.dyslexia.uk.net/employers/access-to-work/

Coming next Badging Ceremony