Advice needed.

Hi guys.
I currently do nursing and I've been on my first placement and I'm starting to doubt if it's for me. I can't see myself as a nurse anymore. I think in my head I had created this fantasy of what I thought it would be like and it doesn't live up to it all.
I was also pressured into doing stuff I wasn't comfortable with. I genuinely wanted to cry a few hours into the placement as I didn't want to be there and I was looking into a different degree which I was more interested in.
I don't even think it was the staff that much because they were nice, friendly, and understanding but my experience so far has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining and it's only been one day.
For all those who did decide to leave what made you come to that decision, I am struggling and I just don't know what to do.

Hi,
I'm sorry you're finding things tough. Please don't give up just because of 1 placement. Every area is different - if I based my decision off a couple of bad experiences, I wouldn't be here as a RN now!
There are a lot of areas which take time to adapt to and wards aren't easy if you've not had experience. My words to quite aot of our (1st year 1st placement, never worked on a ward before) students on their 1st day tends to be something along the lines of "I don't expect miracles, this 4 weeks is about learning how a ward works". Some people just don't "get" wards and are more suited to areas like nursing homes, district nursing, theatres etc (I know from placement that I have no interest in working in A&E but am perfectly happy on a surgical nurse!)
Please talk to your placement mentor/assessor and to the university. You may find another placement area easier to deal with. If you come to the decision that nursing definitely isn't for you, that's also perfectly fine.

Hi, thank you!
I think it may just be the ward. I have spoken to other RN about this and they did pretty much say what you have said about not every placement being right and I totally understand that. On my first day, I did speak to them about not being comfortable doing everything independently as I don't have any prior experience and it was my first ever placement. It was also agreed with my supervisor that I should pretty much just shadow as I have not actually done any of the skills outside of university training. Despite that, I was forced into doing things I was just not comfortable with despite clearly refusing.
I was having doubts before I even started my placement and now that I have had the experience I am just questioning it more, and I am just unsure about where I stand with nursing.
Is it bad that within the first few hours of my first shift I was already looking at different degrees and careers paths that I am also interested in?

There's a fine balance here between shadowing people and doing things yourself; you can't just shadow and can't go off on your own accord (as a 1st year need to be directly supervised at all times).
What I'd suggest you need to be doing is:
- taking observations under direct supervision of a nurse or HCA
- doing washes under direct supervision or alongside another member of staff
- feeding patients with guidance of/under supervision of other staff
- go round asking "what can I help with?" (It's taken a fair few shifts to get my current student to the stage where she's comfortable asking this on the ward!)
You need to quite literally join yourself to a student friendly HCA - and also need to 1) stand your ground in saying you're not doing something without being supervised 2) get in touch with the university and the practice education team (they may have a different name at the hospital you're at but they're the hospital/community team who are the student support/link to the uni team).

It's a tough career to start in which definitely isn't for everyone. It can be a real shock for people - my first job in healthcare was as a HCA but in the operating department, at first I hated it and I also hated bank shifts as a HCA on the wards but with perseverance I've settled in. It's not the same for everyone and there are people who haven't stayed.
If you were doubting your choice before starting placement, then I'd encourage you even more to start talking to as many people as possible about your options now.

Unfortunately marketing do a good job here. I can assure you it does not get any easier, the only good thing is on completion and a years experience you do not need to stay in the NHS, If the career is not for you.
I suggest not telling them at this stage you have a gift year afterall, and may find it easier to transfer onto another degree next academic year talk to the universty about this. Secondly i would advise joining the bank before leaving that way you will have access to employment when you want it at better pay than mc donalds while you study and is why I don't recommended talking to anyone in the trust about you wanting to leave

Hi guys.
I currently do nursing and I've been on my first placement and I'm starting to doubt if it's for me. I can't see myself as a nurse anymore. I think in my head I had created this fantasy of what I thought it would be like and it doesn't live up to it all.
I was also pressured into doing stuff I wasn't comfortable with. I genuinely wanted to cry a few hours into the placement as I didn't want to be there and I was looking into a different degree which I was more interested in.
I don't even think it was the staff that much because they were nice, friendly, and understanding but my experience so far has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining and it's only been one day.
For all those who did decide to leave what made you come to that decision, I am struggling and I just don't know what to do.

if you really do not like it let the supervisor know there's no harm in being honest.

thank you I have talked to the appropriate people with regards to that.
I am really starting to explore my options. I don't want to drop out and regret it and I don't want to stay on and regret it either. I do want to finish off my placement though.

Have a think about what has made you want to study nursing. What’s your “why”? Where did you imagine yourself ending up?

You’ve already had some brilliant advice in this thread, it’s worth trying to persevere for now and see how it goes. I hated some of my placement environments when I was a student back in the dark ages, others were amazing and have set the scene for my career.

You can Pm me in confidence if you’d like to talk about things in more detail

Hi guys.
I currently do nursing and I've been on my first placement and I'm starting to doubt if it's for me. I can't see myself as a nurse anymore. I think in my head I had created this fantasy of what I thought it would be like and it doesn't live up to it all.
I was also pressured into doing stuff I wasn't comfortable with. I genuinely wanted to cry a few hours into the placement as I didn't want to be there and I was looking into a different degree which I was more interested in.
I don't even think it was the staff that much because they were nice, friendly, and understanding but my experience so far has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining and it's only been one day.
For all those who did decide to leave what made you come to that decision, I am struggling and I just don't know what to do.

Hi guys.
I currently do nursing and I've been on my first placement and I'm starting to doubt if it's for me. I can't see myself as a nurse anymore. I think in my head I had created this fantasy of what I thought it would be like and it doesn't live up to it all.
I was also pressured into doing stuff I wasn't comfortable with. I genuinely wanted to cry a few hours into the placement as I didn't want to be there and I was looking into a different degree which I was more interested in.
I don't even think it was the staff that much because they were nice, friendly, and understanding but my experience so far has been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining and it's only been one day.
For all those who did decide to leave what made you come to that decision, I am struggling and I just don't know what to do.

Hi,
I'm sorry you're finding things tough. Please don't give up just because of 1 placement. Every area is different - if I based my decision off a couple of bad experiences, I wouldn't be here as a RN now!
There are a lot of areas which take time to adapt to and wards aren't easy if you've not had experience. My words to quite aot of our (1st year 1st placement, never worked on a ward before) students on their 1st day tends to be something along the lines of "I don't expect miracles, this 4 weeks is about learning how a ward works". Some people just don't "get" wards and are more suited to areas like nursing homes, district nursing, theatres etc (I know from placement that I have no interest in working in A&E but am perfectly happy on a surgical nurse!)
Please talk to your placement mentor/assessor and to the university. You may find another placement area easier to deal with. If you come to the decision that nursing definitely isn't for you, that's also perfectly fine.

Hi

Like few said on there placements you get good and bad ones everywhere okay.
Personally I would stick with it and once this placement over you'll be back at university then you'll be looking forward to your next one which could be absolutely fantastic and you'll think back at what you said on this and say to yourself what was all the fuss about,

All students will have moments like you with crying or don't want to go to it but it's part of life that we get on with things and DON'T let anyone let put you down.

As Emily said on things on basing any decisions on a bad placement then she wouldn't be a registered adult nurse and likewise myself as a registered midwife as been there as well with a bad placement ( was actually one nurse who took things to far but it didn't put me of as unfortunately I landed back there in late my second year and was similar again but I dealt with it - won't say how ).

You should talk to your course leader at university if it would help you for advise and maybe your placement supervisor ?


Don't give up as in time you'll make a good nurse okay xx

Thank you i am planning to stick with it at least through this placement!

when you say join the bank what do you mean? like bank shifts? I don't intend to tell the people at my placement that I want to leave as that may make them behave differently making me miss out on developing skills. I have let my personal tutor know though so that way I can talk through the appropriate teams and get the support that way and explore my options.
I do agree that it is marketed in a specific way because it is not what I thought it was! it almost sells you a dream which it is but it has taken a lot out of me mentally and physically. I do love the patient interactions and getting to know them, putting a smile on their face, and just helping them and making them feel better and more comfortable but it does impact me as well and I don't want to end up disliking my job and having a negative attitude towards it. I have noticed a lot of the HCAs and nurses where I am do feel like that and I don't want to be like that