So you’re going to be a student Nurse

So, your about to start you’re your nursing journey

Some things for you to think about before and when you commence your Nursing journey, remember we all have self-doubts and have imposter syndrome you will doubt yourself on multiple occasions you will think you have failed when you’ve passed .These doubts are not a failings they are part of you and the expectations you have of yourself .you may resent the fact you are dyslexic or blame your dyslexia for holding you back ,but if I may id like you to take a different view of your dyslexia ,take ownership of it and accept it will be the cause of much frustration but it will also force you to take a alternative view to learning leading you to find alternative ways of learning .I wanted to discuss some strategies I put in place as a student nurse and the strategies that I use in my daily nursing life.

Firstly, have you got support in place? If not, why not here are some things to think about and make sure you have them in place for your student nurse journey

Have you got a dyslexia support tutor? A good support tutor does more that just proofread your work they help you structure and plan your work they give you strategies to manage your work load and as a matter of consequence build your confidence .personally my tutor became my friend and I could not have made it without her support. If your university does offer you a tutor it is in your best interests to source one yourself please see links below.

Note Taker or Dictaphone: This is a mater of choice and funding while I was at university, I utilised a Dictaphone and recorded all my lectures however I never fully benefitted from utilising it. A fellow student who also had dyslexia had a notetaker and I benefited from having the notes forwarded to me I found having notes from lecture very beneficial as this acted as a backup if I missed any information as I was taking notes little surjection hear use highlighter’s to emphasise important notes .personally I would utilise a note taker over a Dictaphone.

Wall planer and diary

Use both to plan and manage your academic personal and placement life I find it strange as I have been told I am organised but I’m not really, it’s a fight for me to keep on top of things and to be organised. I have put in place time related plans/rota that allocate time to reading ,planning ,research essays Family and personal time .it is important to remember you need to have me and family time or you will burn out or wont be able to absorb information effectively .plan plan plan and plan more when writing essays use mind maps or if you have mind map soft wear utilise it as this is a great way to harvest the information you require to write your essays and to assist you revise for exams .

Placement

When on placement utilise, a note books my notebook is A5 size please refer to earlier blogs where you will find how I utilise my pad. Words you regularly struggle to spell put in the back of your book to remind you how to spell them. Your best friend on placement are the HCAs they are a source of valuable Knowledge

Make a meds cheat sheet add to it as you disperse medications split into what’s it for / side effects /counter interactions

Uni life

Most importantly enjoy your time at university it is a wonderful time and time you won’t get back ,Get involved I recommend you look into becoming a RCN student Ambassador it is a great way to build your networking skills and to learn of issues that affect nurses and nursing. I really enjoyed my time as a student ambassador I had some wonderful adventures and now I am an RCN steward

Please if you have any comments please get in touch

Keep strong and believe

Please find some links for dyslexia support however please contact me if I can help in anyway

https://studyingwithdyslexiablog.co.uk/blog/the-new-look-studying-with-dyslexia-blog

British Dyslexia Association

www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

UK Dyslexia action

www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk

Wolverhampton University Student Support and Wellbeing webpage

https://www.wlv.ac.uk/current-students/student-support/student-support-and-wellbeing-ssw/students-with-disabilities--splds/

UCAS DSA information

https://www.ucas.com/finance/additional-funding/disabled-students-allowances-dsas