We're nursing students (mental health, adult & child) - ask us your questions here

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Hi @Charlotte49 ! :u:

For me personally, it is how much travel is involved for my placements. I currently live in Sheffield and I am travelling to Barnsley on a daily basis. I'm finding it difficult to budget, fit in sleep and making food for the next day! I overcome these problems by trying my best to be organised, which I find very difficult :s-smilie:

. I find writing down what my NEXT day will include helps a lot as I can sort everything out the day before (which usually fails :frown:

).
Do you have any advice? :colondollar:

I definitely know where you're coming from. I don't have a car so have had to rely on public transport whilst being at uni and working, after between having to wait 30-60 minutes for a bus to arrive after a shift to a 40 minute bus journey and then a 20 minute uphill walk to my flat! It definitely is draining, especially when you're working shifts.

I guess the key thing is to remember that this isn't permanent and that once you qualify, you will be able to choose where you live and work and can make sure that your commute works for you. Realistically, you won't get anything productive done on your commute but you can make it more pleasant. I like to take a coffee or a smoothie, a book or newspaper or take the opportunity to listen to a full album. I even used to watch episodes of TV shows on my phone which would last the length of my commute. There are lots of little things you can do to turn your commute into a relaxing bit of 'me time'.

Meal prep works well, as does making your food in bulk and freezing it, but there is definitely no shame in buying a sandwich and packet of crisps if you're getting home late and going straight onto an early start. Don't be ashamed to take shortcuts if it makes things easier for you. One of the difficult things I learnt during my degree was that your priority should always be to look after yourself. You can't adequately care for anyone when you are burnt out, tired and stressed.

Hope this helps a bit, let me know if there's anything else I can do :smile:

Reply 41

nelfran29

Hi, @Sheffield Hallam University

I am due to start Adult Nursing this September, Can you tell me how you all prepared for your first year, did you do some pre-reading in bioscience for instance? What's it really like being a student nurse, what are the challenges? How do you manage your time effectively? What's it like conducting research and having to write essays that have to be evidence-based? What do you most enjoy about Nursing? Did you buy any textbooks at the start of your course? How can I best prepare myself for what's to come?

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. :smile:

Good luck on your nursing journey.

Reply 42

mel_l218

Hi all student nurses and RNs,
I am a mature student (25) coming to the end of my access course and have two offers for adult nursing this September. I currently work as a bank HCA at a care home and hospital (used to full time at the care home prior to access and used to volunteer in the hospital).
I have a couple of questions:
I have folders from my access course I can use for uni, but would you recommend to get a few notebooks, like one for each lesson (I did this for my access course) or have a lined refil pad? I have been told a small pocket sized notebook is good for placements & of course comfy shoes & a fob watch (I already have these).
Anything else recommended for the course? I thought I'd wait and see what textbooks are recommended and mainly use the library.
I am also a little worried about how I'll cope with the course, I get along well and find it easy to mix with other people, and I would like to think I'm a hard worker, I just lack confidence in myself sometimes and worry about how I'll fit in and perform both academically and on placements. I think it's just a bit of nerves but any advice?
Any other tips will be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 43

nelfran29

QUOTE=mel_l218;72034454]Hi all student nurses and RNs,
I am a mature student (25) coming to the end of my access course and have two offers for adult nursing this September. I currently work as a bank HCA at a care home and hospital (used to full time at the care home prior to access and used to volunteer in the hospital).
I have a couple of questions:
I have folders from my access course I can use for uni, but would you recommend to get a few notebooks, like one for each lesson (I did this for my access course) or have a lined refil pad? I have been told a small pocket sized notebook is good for placements & of course comfy shoes & a fob watch (I already have these).
Anything else recommended for the course? I thought I'd wait and see what textbooks are recommended and mainly use the library
I am also a little worried about how I'll cope with the course, I get along well and find it easy to mix with other people, and I would like to think I'm a hard worker, I just lack confidence in myself sometimes and worry about how I'll fit in and perform both academically and on placements. I think it's just a bit of nerves but any advice?
Any other tips will be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

Hi @mel_l218, couldn't help reading your post, I also did an access course which was difficult but manageable, and I have a place at university this Sept 2017, I chose Adult Nursing, I am so excited yet so nervous about writing essays and conducting research which I'm not great at and achieving the best grades at placement. It's a great starting point to have firsthand experience in the care environment so well done, look forward to hearing their responses at Sheffield Hallam University. Good luck :smile:

Reply 44

abehasx

I want to study Mental Health Nursing and heard it's an intense course that requires me doing shifts at night and mornings. Is it best to live in university for this and will I struggle if I have to travel back a forth, especially if all my university choices are just over a hour away?

Reply 45

nelfran29

@SheffieldHallam hi there, there doesn't seem to be replies from the university and I'm not able to tag them!

Reply 46

ForestCat

Original post by nelfran29

@SheffieldHallam hi there, there doesn't seem to be replies from the university and I'm not able to tag them!

I think this thread was a one off from May. You'd be better off posting in the general nursing threads.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 47

justme13

With a successful APEL I'm set to start the UG Adult Nursing program at Sheffield Hallam in Year 2.

I was wondering how often everyone is in uni (days a week, hours). I understand placements are full time but how much class time do you get?

Reply 48

nelfran29

Original post by ForestCat

I think this thread was a one off from May. You'd be better off posting in the general nursing threads.

Posted from TSR Mobile

It's a great shame maybe this should be closed to stop people posting since we're not getting responses :s-smilie:

Reply 49

Sheffield Hallam University

Official Rep

Original post by abehasx

Hi @abehasx

I've asked your questions to one of our nursing academics and they've helped me answer this for you.

To give you an idea of what will be required of you in terms of commitments, your shifts will be long and can vary in start times. With regards to the Sheffield Hallam placements, early shifts can begin at 7am or earlier and finish at 4pm. Late shifts can start from 12 midday and finish at 9pm or later and long days can last from 12 to 14 hours with the appropriate breaks. Your placement areas can't make any special arrangements for you, so you should make sure you can attend the shifts as documented by your mentor.

Some students do use a car instead of public transport, especially if they commute to university. Depending on where you want to live, it would be worth checking out how regular public transport is - in Sheffield, it's pretty good so students tend to manage without a car most of the time.

Whatever you choose to do, be aware that your working hours will be long and you should account for that in your travel or living arrangements.

Let me know if you have any more questions :smile:

Hannah

Reply 50

Sheffield Hallam University

Official Rep

Spoiler

Original post by justme13

Hi everyone,

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier - we must have missed the notification :frown:

This was a one time event, but I've passed your questions onto an adult nursing lecturer and they've helped me to answer your questions.

To prepare for the start of your course, it's a good idea to read about adult nursing - there are loads of books about this - and it's also worth re-reading around biosciences.

Challenges of being a student nurse are that it can be physically, emotionally and psychologically demanding but also very rewarding. Time management really helps with this - time management is different for everyone, but being organised is key. In terms of the academic side and the time you spend in university, there's lots of support available to help direct your research and assignments.

What people enjoy about nursing is very personal, but usually connected to the reasons they came into nursing. Why do you want to be a nurse? If you think about that, you'll probably be able to understand why it's a career that people enjoy.

The academic who helped answer this has recommended not to buy any textbooks until you start the course, and then have a look at what’s recommended for you once you arrive.

University days vary from week to week - some weeks your timetable will be very full, others quite light. The Nursing and Midwifery Council stipulates that a student nurse must complete 2300 hours of study over three years, but some weeks will be more intense, whilst other weeks give you more time for independent study.

Hope that helps!

Let me know if you have any more questions :smile:

Hannah

Reply 51

nelfran29

Original post by Sheffield Hallam University

Spoiler

Hi everyone,

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier - we must have missed the notification :frown:

Hannah

Hi Hannah thanks so much for your response isn't I will take each point and act accordingly.

Reply 52

hakunaXmatata

Original post by Sheffield Hallam University

Hey! We had a lot of questions about studying nursing before we came to uni. Now we're here, we thought we could answer some of the questions you have - especially with the recent changes to funding and to the NHS.

As it's International Nurses Day on Friday 12 May, we think it’s a great time to talk about our the profession.

Katie - I'm currently in my second year on the BSc (Hons) Child Nursing degree at Sheffield Hallam. I'm originally from Nottingham so moved into halls in my first year. Before this I got lots of experience in places such as pharmacies, nursing homes, schools, nurseries and with paramedics. I took a gap year before starting so gained a job as a support worker on a children's surgical ward which helped me in both my UCAS application and clinical skills. It is an intense and challenging course which requires determination and passion, but helping care for children and their families when a child is ill is very rewarding.

The course has exposed me to many brilliant specialities and I have enjoyed them so much that I can't decide where I would like to go once I am a qualified nurse.

Leah - I'm a BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing student in my second year at Hallam. I am from Sheffield originally and this is why I decided to stay. However, I did move into halls of residence and shared housing despite my parents living in Sheffield as I wanted to make a start on being independent. I wanted to go into mental health as almost everyone in my family has a mental health issue so I have grown up with it. I find it fascinating how the brain can cause such strange and peculiar effects on a person. There is always an opportunity to learn in mental health as there are so many illnesses and disorders to learn about. Each day is different and each person is affected by a condition differently, you never know what you are going to get and it keeps me excited in my role. What I love about my area of nursing is that it throws peoples perception of a nurse, as my role is not the traditional nursing role and does not include much personal care at all and is in fact about assessing, treating, medicating and therapies.

Upon qualifying, I hope to work in community based or specialist services with working age adults and to become a mentor for future students.

Autumn-Rose - I'm on the BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing course at Hallam and I'm in my second year. My experience for the course came from being a young carer at home since the age of 9 and also working as a healthcare assistant. After I've finished university I'd love to work on a busy ward - most probably a general medicine ward.

Start asking us your questions now and come back on Friday 12 May 3 - 7pm when we'll be here to talk to you and answer all your questions.

Katie - Hi, as you're in your 2nd year do you find the workload manageable, do you have much free time? Also, have you found yourself in any difficult situations during placements? I also wanted to ask what made you choose children's nursing specifically :smile:

Sorry for so many questions, I'm interested in doing children's nursing at uni next year :colondollar:

Reply 53

Siobhan Jenkins

@Leahkeegan15 I’ve been offered a place in MH Nursing at Swansea University, starting in September. What have you found the best and worst parts of the course? Do you have any idea what you want to do after qualifying?