STUDENT COLUMN
What I would have told my first-year self Emma Blakey looks back over her nursing degree course and thinks of some advice she might have appreciated at the start of it—advice that others could benefit from as well.
© 2015 MA Healthcare Ltd
A
few weeks ago, I was asked what advice I had for an acquaintance about to start a combined adult and mental health nursing degree. Now that I am halfway through my third year, it really got me thinking about the kinds of things I would have liked to have known when I started my course—and also what happens to us during our studies. Are we born nurses, or do we become nurses during our degree? If you carry out an internet search for ‘becoming a nurse’, it lists a variety of sites where you can find out about the different paths into nursing, what requirements are needed to access degree courses, and the ways you can do this. However, I feel it takes much more than getting accepted onto a course, completing it, and receiving your pin number to make you a nurse. Whether you feel you were born to nurse and had a calling, or whether, like me, you took a more ‘scenic route’ into nursing with forays into outreach, marketing and health-improvement work along the way, there is a process we must go through to become nurses. Not only is the process a challenge, one that requires commitment and dedication, but there’s also a need for a certain set of values that complement the knowledge and skills that we acquire during our studies and placements. Although degree-level nursing is still a hotly debated topic, by doing a degree we learn the practical and clinical skills needed to nurse and get the opportunity to think about what we are doing. Through this, we critically analyse what we see and read, which helps us provide quality care to our patients. After all, it is possible to care by thinking, too. These skills help us to gain the confidence to question what we see around us. Not only does this help us to advocate for our patients and improve the care we provide for them, but it also means we can stand up for and protect the important services we provide. In
British Journal of Nursing, 2015, Vol 24, No 13
this way, we are preparing to be nurses—not only to do nursing. This process of learning, changing and growing is what makes us better nurses. No two nurses will have the same experiences, but perhaps there are some things it would be good for everyone to know at the beginning of the first year.
We are preparing to be nurses, not only to do nursing A quick straw poll of some of my student colleagues provided some interesting comments about what they would tell their first-year selves, which may or may not be influenced by the fact we are currently working on our dissertations! There were calls to start your dissertation early (along with your UCAS application in one case); others pointed out how important coffee and chocolate had become. On a more serious note, there were reminders to stand up for yourself and your patients, to swallow your fears and remember to ask questions on placement. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way that I would have liked to have been told on day one: ■■ The fear you feel is okay. You are allowed to be scared; being a nurse is a huge responsibility. Learning to manage your fear, and using your knowledge and skills to care for your patients, is what matters. A little bit of fear means you are not complacent and shows you care. ■■ You are much stronger than you think. You will have moments when you wonder why you are doing this, especially after a tough shift. Then you will have a breakthrough with one of your patients. Helping them will remind you that you’re doing the
right thing by becoming a nurse. You will surprise yourself, you will stretch yourself, and you will be able to do it! ■■ Nurture your friends and family. Make new friends. Your support network is vital in helping you keep going. I know I wouldn’t be doing this today if it wasn’t for the amazing support of my friends and family. ■■ You might not think you have time, but take time out.You need to recharge your batteries whether that is during a shift or after a long week. Olympic athletes have rest time. So should we! ■■ Speaking out is part of your job. Asking questions is part of being a nurse. It can be scary at the time, but knowing that you are doing so for the benefit of patients and colleagues means you can acknowledge your fear and still do it. ■■ Find a technique to switch off mentally and emotionally after a shift. The first thing I do when I get home is put my uniform on to wash—once it’s in the washing machine, the shift is over! It’s taken me an enormous amount of hard work and dedication to get to this point; I may be tired and emotional, but I’m also itching to get my first job. I am not sure I will ever feel fully prepared. The point is, I am going through this process, I am becoming a nurse, and once I have my first job, I will strive to push myself continuously to keep learning in order to provide even better care for my patients. I’m also certain that a few years down the line there will be advice I would have liked to give BJN myself when starting that first job! Thank you to the Oxford Brookes Adult Nursing January 2013 cohort for their comments.
Emma Blakey
Third year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University 679
British Journal of Nursing. Downloaded from magonlinelibrary.com by 137.189.170.231 on November 23, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. . All rights reserved.
What I would have told my first-year self Emma Blakey looks back over her nursing degree course and thinks of some advice she might have appreciated at the start of it—advice that others could benefit from as well.
© 2015 MA Healthcare Ltd
A
few weeks ago, I was asked what advice I had for an acquaintance about to start a combined adult and mental health nursing degree. Now that I am halfway through my third year, it really got me thinking about the kinds of things I would have liked to have known when I started my course—and also what happens to us during our studies. Are we born nurses, or do we become nurses during our degree? If you carry out an internet search for ‘becoming a nurse’, it lists a variety of sites where you can find out about the different paths into nursing, what requirements are needed to access degree courses, and the ways you can do this. However, I feel it takes much more than getting accepted onto a course, completing it, and receiving your pin number to make you a nurse. Whether you feel you were born to nurse and had a calling, or whether, like me, you took a more ‘scenic route’ into nursing with forays into outreach, marketing and health-improvement work along the way, there is a process we must go through to become nurses. Not only is the process a challenge, one that requires commitment and dedication, but there’s also a need for a certain set of values that complement the knowledge and skills that we acquire during our studies and placements. Although degree-level nursing is still a hotly debated topic, by doing a degree we learn the practical and clinical skills needed to nurse and get the opportunity to think about what we are doing. Through this, we critically analyse what we see and read, which helps us provide quality care to our patients. After all, it is possible to care by thinking, too. These skills help us to gain the confidence to question what we see around us. Not only does this help us to advocate for our patients and improve the care we provide for them, but it also means we can stand up for and protect the important services we provide. In
British Journal of Nursing, 2015, Vol 24, No 13
this way, we are preparing to be nurses—not only to do nursing. This process of learning, changing and growing is what makes us better nurses. No two nurses will have the same experiences, but perhaps there are some things it would be good for everyone to know at the beginning of the first year.
We are preparing to be nurses, not only to do nursing A quick straw poll of some of my student colleagues provided some interesting comments about what they would tell their first-year selves, which may or may not be influenced by the fact we are currently working on our dissertations! There were calls to start your dissertation early (along with your UCAS application in one case); others pointed out how important coffee and chocolate had become. On a more serious note, there were reminders to stand up for yourself and your patients, to swallow your fears and remember to ask questions on placement. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way that I would have liked to have been told on day one: ■■ The fear you feel is okay. You are allowed to be scared; being a nurse is a huge responsibility. Learning to manage your fear, and using your knowledge and skills to care for your patients, is what matters. A little bit of fear means you are not complacent and shows you care. ■■ You are much stronger than you think. You will have moments when you wonder why you are doing this, especially after a tough shift. Then you will have a breakthrough with one of your patients. Helping them will remind you that you’re doing the
right thing by becoming a nurse. You will surprise yourself, you will stretch yourself, and you will be able to do it! ■■ Nurture your friends and family. Make new friends. Your support network is vital in helping you keep going. I know I wouldn’t be doing this today if it wasn’t for the amazing support of my friends and family. ■■ You might not think you have time, but take time out.You need to recharge your batteries whether that is during a shift or after a long week. Olympic athletes have rest time. So should we! ■■ Speaking out is part of your job. Asking questions is part of being a nurse. It can be scary at the time, but knowing that you are doing so for the benefit of patients and colleagues means you can acknowledge your fear and still do it. ■■ Find a technique to switch off mentally and emotionally after a shift. The first thing I do when I get home is put my uniform on to wash—once it’s in the washing machine, the shift is over! It’s taken me an enormous amount of hard work and dedication to get to this point; I may be tired and emotional, but I’m also itching to get my first job. I am not sure I will ever feel fully prepared. The point is, I am going through this process, I am becoming a nurse, and once I have my first job, I will strive to push myself continuously to keep learning in order to provide even better care for my patients. I’m also certain that a few years down the line there will be advice I would have liked to give BJN myself when starting that first job! Thank you to the Oxford Brookes Adult Nursing January 2013 cohort for their comments.
Emma Blakey
Third year student, Adult Nursing Oxford Brookes University 679
British Journal of Nursing. Downloaded from magonlinelibrary.com by 137.189.170.231 on November 23, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. . All rights reserved.
