Questions for Nursing degree students

- is it enjoyable
- how hard is it
- how much free time do you have/ do you have the same student life experience as other students
- how much time does placements take up & how much time is spent at university, are block placements done everyday of the week even if you're doing 12 hour days!?
- do you enjoy the placements
- how much work experience did you have before university to get onto the course
- Did you get university fee help from the NHS
- how academic is it, E.g. biology or is it alot more bedside care
- what AS grades & A level grades did you get
- is there any Nursing course with a year abroad
- how hard is it to get a job after graduation
- what do you plan to do with your Nursing degree (after the 2/3 years of ward experience needed to get into anything else) such as forensic nurse, aesthetic nurse practitioner??
thanks

Hi, what is the difference between a pre-registration degree and a registration degree ... sounds obvious but how do you get registration?

I'm looking at Cumbria as it only needs 96 points (2017 entry)but only pre-registration degree, and UCLAN. Any opinions?

I got CcDE and am not very academic. Hoping for BCC.

Hi! Previous poster has answered that perfectly for you. Il just say that as from August 2017 there will be no longer an nhs funded bursery. Student loans will have to be taken out. I'm 6 weeks in and loving it. Start my first placement in about 4 weeks I can't wait!! If you are passionate and your heart is really in it youl find the course "easier" than others. No it's not easy at all but if you are passionate youl be driven. I have 2 children aswell so I do struggle to do as much work as I'd like but I am managing at the minute xx


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do you learn biological things in the modules, like pathology, different conditions etc or is it bedside work etc

- is it enjoyable
Yes and no, I love my job and can't see myself doing anything else ever, but of course I have good days and bad days. Nursing is a really rewarding profession, you actually get to make a real difference to people when they're at their most vulnerable but you also have to deal with a lot of crap, and it can be incredibly frustrating when things go wrong.
- how hard is it
I've found the academic side really easy, but I went to a very demanding sixth form with heavy workload. Essay writing and exams have always come naturally to me so it's never been an issue university wise. Placement can be difficult, but once you get more confident in your interactions with patients everything gets a lot easier and feels more natural.
- how much free time do you have/ do you have the same student life experience as other students
I lived with students doing other courses during 2nd year and it was fantastic, I had a great social life, just as good as any other students. Now I'm in 3rd year and most of my friends are either working or away for summer it's not quite so great, but I'm working full time too.
- how much time does placements take up & how much time is spent at university, are block placements done everyday of the week even if you're doing 12 hour days!?
It varies by university so I can't speak for any other than my own but we have blocks of placements between 5 and 10 weeks, and a long 15 week one at the end, which I'm currently doing. When I'm working full time, I do 3 12.5 hour shifts a week, and once a month I do 4 12.5 hour shifts to make my hours add up correctly. Obviously if you do bank/agency work this is additional.
- do you enjoy the placements
I've enjoyed some more than others, some I've known are in areas I'm just not interested in (A&E, respiratory medicine) but a the end of the day you're not there forever and there's always something to learn. I've also had some amazing placements and mentors so you really just need to expect a mix. Placements where the staff respect each other and get along are always more enjoyable, so make sure to stay out of gossip and speak up if you're getting treated badly - I put up with a lot of crap from other staff in my 1st and 2nd years but have now learnt how to address these sorts of issues.
- how much work experience did you have before university to get onto the course
Tons. I've worked with the RSPCA, Foodcycle (organisation that collects food waste to feed homeless people), volunteered with autistic children and I also had two weeks work experience in a hospital and hospice, and a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head.
- Did you get university fee help from the NHS
My fees are paid by the NHS, and I get a non-means tested bursary of around £6500 as I study in Scotland.
- how academic is it, E.g. biology or is it alot more bedside care
The course is 50% theory, 50% placement. As for actual nursing, it's mostly care plans and paperwork haha, but biology knowledge is important as you need to understand your patients' conditions and explain things in plain language to them, but also provide personal care, emotional support etc. In your nursing career you can choose to be more involved in research and academics but it isn't required. You can't avoid guidelines and evidence-based practice so I wouldn't recommend nursing to someone who is not academically minded at all.
- what AS grades & A level grades did you get
ACDbd in English Lit, Biology, Chemistry, Fine Art (photography) and History respectively, which were a bit rubbish since I spent most of my time partying and doing volunteering and stuff.
- is there any Nursing course with a year abroad
Not that I'm aware of as teaching needs to meet NMC standards etc. so it would be too difficult to arrange. Most offer an elective placement although this is organised differently at each university.
- how hard is it to get a job after graduation
It's a lot easier if you're willing to move away. If you have no geographical limits then getting the type of job you want should be reasonably easy. If you want to stay in a certain area, you might find it harder. It's hard to say though, because I've done a lot of extra things while I've been at uni so my CV is pretty full compared to most of my cohort, which has definitely made it much easier for me to get job offers. All I can recommend is to go above and beyond your basic course requirements and get involved in different things whenever you can.
- what do you plan to do with your Nursing degree (after the 2/3 years of ward experience needed to get into anything else) such as forensic nurse, aesthetic nurse practitioner??
I currently have a few job offers but would certainly like to work my way up - I'm not the sort of person who would be happy being a band 5 staff nurse forever. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, my mind has changed quite a lot over the past 3 years. I really enjoy tissue viability so would probably consider that, or being an ANP. Who knows though, one of the things I really like about nursing is that it's reasonably easy to go down a different route.