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! 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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NB I'm a qualified children's nurse, but as I've only been out of university for 8 months, I feel I can still answer these questions! I'll go through one by one...
1) Yes it is enjoyable, but to enjoy it you have to like working with people, and be willing to do the not so nice jobs.
2) Yes it is incredibly hard work. Nursing is one of the most "Real" and intense degrees out there.
3) You do still get free time although it's far less than other students. If you think you are going to be out partying every weekend, thinj again! Time management is a key skill, not only as a qualified nurse, but as a nursing student. Start essays early, be organised, be time efficient, prioritise your academic workload well based on due date and % grade etc and you will still be able to socialise with friends once to twice a week.
4) It kind of depends where you go, although the national standard is to have 2300 practice hours in order to qualify, universities organise this differently. Some will do block placements, others will do integrated. In integrated your time each week is split between university and placement, whereas a block placement will be full time (37.5 hours) for however many weeks. The hours vary based on the placement. A ward area may do 3 12 hour shifts per week whereas a community area will work hours similar to standard office hours. (Though more and more teams now cover weekends, evenings and even nights too).
5) I really enjoyed all my placements bar one - a children's hospice. I didn't dislike it because of the death aspect, and I still learnt loads, but I know I am much more suited to being an acute nurse.
6) Not a lot really. I'd done work with children aged 5-11, some youth work, St John Ambulance for a few years and a Saturday job at Greggs (Other bakeries are available )
7) There are no university fees for nursing at the moment (Could change in future though, this is currently under scrutiny). You get a non-repayable bursary from the NHS. There are two parts to it - means tested and non means tested. The means tested is worth up to about £4200 per year (If I remember rightly) and considers your circumstances. The non-means tested is given to practically every student and is worth £1000 per year. You can also get a maintenance loan from Student Finance England worth about £2300 per year.
8) It's fairly academic. You have essays and exams, but are also graded on placements. You have to show that you have the theoretical knowledge to back up your practical skills.
9) I got two Cs for Psychology and ICT A Levels and a Distinction for BTEC Applied Science Advanced Subsidiary Diploma.
10) I don't think any UK universities offer anything like an Erasmus type arrangement, but you have the opportunity to do a short elective placement anywhere in the world of your choosing provided you fund it and submit the relevant risk assessments etc to your university.
11) It's very easy for nursing students to get A JOB and many have a job lined up before finishing their degree. What I would say is harder is to get the job you WANT. Jobs in specialist areas/hospitals are usually quite sought after. You won't go unemployed but you may find yourself having to wait 6 months in a job you are not so keen on, for your dream job to come up.
12) As I've already alluded to, I am much more suited to being an acute nurse. Short(er) term I have considered going to Paediatric Intensive Care or on the Critical Care Outreach Team (This would be a Band 6 post though, and I would have to at least do the High Dependency Course first). Another area that has interested me in my recent study days in Pain. We have a Paediatric Pain Team where I work, made up of some doctors and some clinical nurse specialists. Longer term I'd strongly consider doing a Masters degree and have a real interest in nurse education - so maybe a lecturer??

Hope that answers all your questions!
Joel

Thankyou so much! Atm im doing AS level exams in biology history & psychology i think ill get around BCC i hope this is enough
Also i work in a care home for elderly with dementia on weekends, they let me feed some people who have liquid meals, ask people the menu, help them walk to their seats or push wheelchairs, iv done a hygiene & manual handling certificate with them / i have work experience in hospital on the cardiac ward in july, what other experience could i do? how old do you have to be for St johns ambulence volunteering? (im nearly 17)
Also do you do placements in the nearest hospital to the university and do you get to chose the hours? So could i chose to do 3 12 hour shifts or do they get given to you?
Thanks again

Looking at their website I think you have to be over 18 to join SJA but why not get in touch with them and ask.

Universities have specific hospitals they use for placements, you shoukd be able to find out specifics if you go to some open days.

With placement shifts you will be allocated a mentor who you'll have to work with the majority of the time, so your shifts will mirror theirs. You might be able to put a preference in for some shifts, some wards are more flexible than others, but you might not always get to work when you want to.

Thankyou so much! Atm im doing AS level exams in biology history & psychology i think ill get around BCC i hope this is enough
Also i work in a care home for elderly with dementia on weekends, they let me feed some people who have liquid meals, ask people the menu, help them walk to their seats or push wheelchairs, iv done a hygiene & manual handling certificate with them / i have work experience in hospital on the cardiac ward in july, what other experience could i do? how old do you have to be for St johns ambulence volunteering? (im nearly 17)
Also do you do placements in the nearest hospital to the university and do you get to chose the hours? So could i chose to do 3 12 hour shifts or do they get given to you?
Thanks again

St John Ambulance Cadets do "Badgers" from about aged 5! I started in the older groups when I was about 16, and went til I was about 18. You stil get First Aid Certificates and other awards and still provide first aid cover to public events just like the adult section

- 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

- 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.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who found *most* of the academic side of the course easy.... All my peers struggled and I was almost made to feel bad for saying that I had finished an essay a couple of weeks before it was due in, not found it too difficult and that I'd got a good grade for it!

Reactions from my peers ranged from being quite bitter to forcing me to read over all of their essays and correct their referencing (which I actually didn't really mind too much). I do think some people are just more academically-minded than others. It definitely makes me think it would be a waste for me not to pursue a masters or do some sort of research later on.

- 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.

Moonkatt has answered your other questions. For work experience stuff there is a thread on here that I started, directly related to all things work experience. Check it out

- 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

Thankyou! So it is possible to have a job outside of doing a nursing degree to get extra money?

How was the drugs calculation exams? And roughly how many questions do u get? Starting my degree soon and im good at essays and coursework but maths is not really my strongest point especially conversions.