Ask A Band 6 RN!!!!
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Original post by ButterflyRN
Yeah, it doesn't really matter what university you go to. Employers look at the person, their qualities and their interest of the clinical area that they are applying for rather than what university you went to. I would definitely do some research on the universities and the hospitals that provide the clinical placements to see where you get the better feel and where you feel would benefit you the most.
Okay that's good to know. The overall opinion I seem to get is that I shouldn't worry about that side of things and just go for what feels right for me as wherever I go as long as its a good uni, I will stand the same chance. Thank you very much
Original post by amyc123
I trained in Leeds. I'd hands down recommend the Leeds hospitals for training. So many specialist centres.
That's so good to hear! It's easy to forget with nursing that its not just about the uni but the hospital there! Did you study at Leeds University?
Original post by Emm982
That's so good to hear! It's easy to forget with nursing that its not just about the uni but the hospital there! Did you study at Leeds University?
Yes.
I'd much rather be somewhere with big specialist hospitals.
Original post by ButterflyRN
Well I have worked on the same ward since I qualified. As I grew more confident in my role I took on more responsibilities and did additional training. I also stepped up to help the ward out when it was struggling, working extra shifts and supporting staff. I think this helped, and the fact that I am quite dedicated to care of the elderly and dementia care. This is what helped me, but I also know of other sisters who have worked in multiple areas to gain all sorts of experience and skills which can also be appealing.
If you don't mind me asking, how much is the pay?
I know I can search this up but the answer is not clear because it varies where you work and in London is the pay not higher?
heya
I'm about to start a nursing degree this September- and was wondering if you think its a good idea to get a car?
obviously im a bit worried about the cost of it, but would it help with getting to placements? i know unis take into account whether or not you have your own transport when they decide where your placements will be- as I'm hoping to become a district nurse would having a car give me a better experience of this maybe?
thanks for your help! I havent driven for 3 years so Im a bit concerned about the whole situation! :,)
I'm about to start a nursing degree this September- and was wondering if you think its a good idea to get a car?
obviously im a bit worried about the cost of it, but would it help with getting to placements? i know unis take into account whether or not you have your own transport when they decide where your placements will be- as I'm hoping to become a district nurse would having a car give me a better experience of this maybe?
thanks for your help! I havent driven for 3 years so Im a bit concerned about the whole situation! :,)
Original post by ButterflyRN
Hello Hope you are well today!!!
For me, I always knew I wanted to care for people. When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor, but as I went through school and certain hardships I realised I wanted to be more hands on and look after people and care for them properly. I originally wanted to work in ICU/A&E before I started my training but as I reached the end of my 2nd year I absolutely fell in love with my elderly patients and thought about ways of improving care for dementia patients. And after doing my A&E placement, I actually didn't enjoy it that much with the exception of resus and minors. I ended up writing my dissertation on alternative therapies for dementia patients in the acute setting and now I am a Sister in Medicine for the Elderly!!
I know of fellow nurses who I trained with who wanted to work in palliative care after losing relatives to cancer. Some had experiences of relatives being in ICU and wanted to become ICU nurses. So I don't think it would harm you in stating your own experiences with your daughter that has prompted you to want to undertake nursing. Many nurses already have an idea that they want to end up in care, but sometimes their own personal experiences of themselves or family being in hospital often gives them that final push to go for it!
What branch of nursing have you applied for? And when is your interview??
Hope you are well today!!!For me, I always knew I wanted to care for people. When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor, but as I went through school and certain hardships I realised I wanted to be more hands on and look after people and care for them properly. I originally wanted to work in ICU/A&E before I started my training but as I reached the end of my 2nd year I absolutely fell in love with my elderly patients and thought about ways of improving care for dementia patients. And after doing my A&E placement, I actually didn't enjoy it that much with the exception of resus and minors. I ended up writing my dissertation on alternative therapies for dementia patients in the acute setting and now I am a Sister in Medicine for the Elderly!!
I know of fellow nurses who I trained with who wanted to work in palliative care after losing relatives to cancer. Some had experiences of relatives being in ICU and wanted to become ICU nurses. So I don't think it would harm you in stating your own experiences with your daughter that has prompted you to want to undertake nursing. Many nurses already have an idea that they want to end up in care, but sometimes their own personal experiences of themselves or family being in hospital often gives them that final push to go for it!
What branch of nursing have you applied for? And when is your interview??
Sorry only just got round to replying! I had Salford yesterday and have Manchester on Wednesday. It went well- I think 😁
They said we'll hear by the end of the month! I'm just in two minds as to whether I should finish my psychology degree with the ou and then do the postgraduate entry to nursing or if I should just do the bsc nursing way? I'm unsure if there are more benefits to doing the postgrad way long term xx
Original post by Blackstarr
If you don't mind me asking, how much is the pay?
I know I can search this up but the answer is not clear because it varies where you work and in London is the pay not higher?
I know I can search this up but the answer is not clear because it varies where you work and in London is the pay not higher?
Starting pay as a Band 6 is about £26k which in the grand scheme of things isn't particularly great considering I was on £25k as a Staff Nurse and you have all that added responsibility. Pay in London will be higher to cover the costs of living but elsewhere in the country it is the same.
Original post by physiology
heya
I'm about to start a nursing degree this September- and was wondering if you think its a good idea to get a car?
obviously im a bit worried about the cost of it, but would it help with getting to placements? i know unis take into account whether or not you have your own transport when they decide where your placements will be- as I'm hoping to become a district nurse would having a car give me a better experience of this maybe?
thanks for your help! I havent driven for 3 years so Im a bit concerned about the whole situation! :,)
I'm about to start a nursing degree this September- and was wondering if you think its a good idea to get a car?
obviously im a bit worried about the cost of it, but would it help with getting to placements? i know unis take into account whether or not you have your own transport when they decide where your placements will be- as I'm hoping to become a district nurse would having a car give me a better experience of this maybe?
thanks for your help! I havent driven for 3 years so Im a bit concerned about the whole situation! :,)
Having a car is certainly more convenient. When I was training to be a nurse I hadn't passed my driving test so I relied on public transport to get to uni and placement. But I relied on my parents heavily to drive me to work whilst I was on placement because if I was on an early, there was no bus that would get me to placement on time and when I was on a late I wasn't finishing until 9 and to get a bus home would have meant I'd not have been getting home until 11pm which is not what you want on placement! I never got sent anywhere too far away, but I did get sent to places that on paper were nearer to me, but harder to get to because I needed to get several buses. The cost of running a car is definitely worth it if not for convenience only!
If you want to be a district nurse then you will need your own car as you will be visiting several patients houses and you will need to carry equipment in the back of your car like dressings and sterile packs, glove packs, sharps bins etc. I don't think having a car will make you any more like to get a district nurse placement though.
Original post by SparklyToes
Sorry only just got round to replying! I had Salford yesterday and have Manchester on Wednesday. It went well- I think 😁
They said we'll hear by the end of the month! I'm just in two minds as to whether I should finish my psychology degree with the ou and then do the postgraduate entry to nursing or if I should just do the bsc nursing way? I'm unsure if there are more benefits to doing the postgrad way long term xx
They said we'll hear by the end of the month! I'm just in two minds as to whether I should finish my psychology degree with the ou and then do the postgraduate entry to nursing or if I should just do the bsc nursing way? I'm unsure if there are more benefits to doing the postgrad way long term xx
Good luck and I will have my fingers crossed for you! I think it really depends on the type of experience you want to have when you are training. From what I can see the pgdip is very crammed so if you don't have a health related degree or experience I think people can struggle. It doesn't make any difference to an employer when you qualify whether you have a pgdip, BSc or MSc so don't let that put you under pressure
Original post by ButterflyRN
Starting pay as a Band 6 is about £26k which in the grand scheme of things isn't particularly great considering I was on £25k as a Staff Nurse and you have all that added responsibility. Pay in London will be higher to cover the costs of living but elsewhere in the country it is the same.
Okay, but do you know how much is the take home pay, roughly after tax, national insurance etc if you live in London.
Also, is your trust in London?
Original post by Blackstarr
Okay, but do you know how much is the take home pay, roughly after tax, national insurance etc if you live in London.
Also, is your trust in London?
Also, is your trust in London?
No, my trust isn't in London. On my last pay packet as a Staff Nurse with no weekends or night duty my basic pay after tax, pension and NI was about £1500
Original post by ButterflyRN
No, my trust isn't in London. On my last pay packet as a Staff Nurse with no weekends or night duty my basic pay after tax, pension and NI was about £1500
Cool.
Thanks for your replies.
Original post by ButterflyRN
Congratulations!!!!! I bet it's a massive relief to know that you have a job offer lined up! It was for me too! Stroke would be a great first job. It's busy and it's very heavy and it's very hard work but very interesting with a lot of skills to learn. Our Stroke unit has it's own HDU where the nurses thrombolise patients and they even go down to A&E to commence this treatment. There are so many learning opportunities and will be a great first ward to learn from, even if it's not really your thing and you want to move on to something else. It will definitely set you up!
Thank you!!
Yeah it is a huge relief! I feel like I can just relax now, get on with my dissertation and then prepare for my management placement (eep).
Oh wow that sounds good. I've done some agency shifts on stroke wards and I found it really interesting. It is heavy but also very rewarding
I've been told if you can work in stroke, HCOP etc then you can work anywhere!
I'll probably apply to my local trust as a plan B too!
Thanks for your help ^.^
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Original post by Mummyzizo
Hello ButterflyRN,
I am due to start my placement in 3 weeks. I am so petrified asi have no skills what so ever. What am I to expect? Do I need to list out what my objectives are to the mentor? How do I start off?
I am due to start my placement in 3 weeks. I am so petrified asi have no skills what so ever. What am I to expect? Do I need to list out what my objectives are to the mentor? How do I start off?
Hi there!! Welcome to nursing!!
On your first placement you will be building up your basic skills and learning the fundamentals of basic nursing care. This will include washing, toileting and feeding patients whilst also learning how to take patient observations and what they mean. You will probably spend a good portion of your first placement building up these skills and learning how the ward works. Depending on what ward your placement is on, you may find that for the first couple of weeks you will be shadowing and assisting HCA's. There will be plenty of interesting and exciting things to shadow your mentor doing also depending on the area you are working in, such as wound dressings, IV preparations, catheterisations and any area specific treatments etc. You can also pop off the ward with patients to go to x-ray, CT scans, ultrasound scans, MRI scans, endoscopy and other departments where a patient may require diagnostics and procedures.
Your mentor will probably have an idea of what action plan they have in mind for you, but these are a few I set for first year students, particularly if they have no prior care experience:
-Learn the importance of washing a patient and pressure area care. Learn how to accurately assess and document pressure areas and act upon findings. (This will include learning about Waterlow/Braden scales and ordering the correct pressure relieving equipment, setting repositioning times etc)
-Learn the importance of nutrition and hydration. Learn how to fill in food and fluid charts accurately and learn about MUST score assessments and act upon these (commencing food charts, referring to the dietician etc). Learn about swallowing problems and how to refer to SALT.
-Learn how to take patient observations and blood sugars and learn normal and abnormal ranges and escalate these as appropriate. (You will pick up things on what to do when a patient has abnormal readings from shadowing your mentor).
Then you may want to add something that is specific to the area that you will be going to.
I think they are very achievable and realistic learning outcomes that combines basic care with nursing assessments and my students find it interesting to be able to get stuck in and feel like they are learning something rather than just wiping a patients bottom or feeding them. It's great for them to see what all this basic care means and how important it is to get it right.
I hope this helps!
Original post by WeirdLittleO
Thank you!!
Yeah it is a huge relief! I feel like I can just relax now, get on with my dissertation and then prepare for my management placement (eep).
Oh wow that sounds good. I've done some agency shifts on stroke wards and I found it really interesting. It is heavy but also very rewarding
I've been told if you can work in stroke, HCOP etc then you can work anywhere!
I'll probably apply to my local trust as a plan B too!
Thanks for your help ^.^
Posted from TSR Mobile
Yeah it is a huge relief! I feel like I can just relax now, get on with my dissertation and then prepare for my management placement (eep).
Oh wow that sounds good. I've done some agency shifts on stroke wards and I found it really interesting. It is heavy but also very rewarding
I've been told if you can work in stroke, HCOP etc then you can work anywhere!
I'll probably apply to my local trust as a plan B too!
Thanks for your help ^.^
Posted from TSR Mobile
Yes, stroke and elderly care definitely set you up for life. I think if I left care of the elderly now to work somewhere else I would find it a breeze lol. Lots of colleagues who have left my ward to work in other areas all say that their new wards/areas are so much easier. Challenging in their own right but they say that the workload isn't nearly as heavy or demanding. But I enjoy it because it is so varied. We get a combination of everything from cardiology, respiratory, gastro, vascular, endocrine, neurology, general medicine and even surgical from time to time. And there are plenty of different skills to learn. In a lot of cases, if the patients weren't frail and elderly they would be headed to HDU/ICU which shows how acutely unwell our patients can be. Most people think care of the elderly is just falls and social sorts, but it's so much more than that. It is all of the above with the added complications of dementia, co-morbidities, decreased mobility and then you have their social situations in mind.
I have on occasion had to go to other wards when they were short staffed and have been twiddling my thumbs a bit because I've done all my work lol.
Good luck for your management placement! Do you know where you are going yet? Have you chosen a topic for your dissertation???
How many drugs calculation exam do you have each year at uni?
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Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Zainab96
All uni's are different and I trained a while ago now, but I did one in each year of my training.
Original post by Zainab96
I also had one per year.
Original post by jolly81
I've applied for childrens nursing- not because I don't want to do adult nursing but I'm just fascinated by the young'uns and their development. My son was on nicu a few years ago for a week and that was when I just knew that was exactly what I wanted to do, I've been waiting for the right time (now have 2 babies) to apply and I'm so excited I'm at this point, but so nervous I won't even get an interview! It's a completely different direction career wise and at 34 I'm starting from scratch which is totally terrifying!
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Hey - I am also 34 and have a little boy who is currently 20 months. I have applied to do Children's Nursing (only at 1 Uni as it's close to me) and have received an email today offering me a place. How is your application going? x
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