Starting a nursing degree? Read Bucks student Katherine's story of her first year

Hi,

I'm Katherine, and I'm going in to my third year of BSc (Hons) Nursing (Children's) at Bucks. With the next cohort of nursing students joining this month, I thought I'd post about my experience of my first year, to give you an idea of what to expect.



Before starting university I was unsure whether it was even going to be right for me. I balanced the pros and cons with my teachers in Sixth Form and although we came up with more positives than negatives I still wasn't sure about making a decision.

I attended countless university open days, travelling from the South of England all the way up to the North, even having to stay in a hotel for some events! I applied to uni still unsure on my final decision, but I remember logging on to UCAS and seeing I had an interview for Nursing at Bucks. I couldn’t contain my excitement, and I went running to my Sixth Form support manager explaining what I had just read. The interview day came around, and I got up extra early and was shaking with nerves . I remember arriving at the Uxbridge campus and sitting my English and Maths tests, and then having my interviews. When I found out I got accepted I was over the moon, and the shopping for uni started straight away.


Move in day…

I had turned 18 less than a month before starting, and I was moving away from home for the first time ever. I was so used to having my mum doing my cooking and cleaning for me, and now it was time for me to move out and become independent. I didn’t feel ready for that, but I had to be. I remember packing up my car with all my stuff, we drove to the halls of residence where I would be staying for my first year and began to unpack the car into my room. I was the first one from my flat to move in, and then slowly people started to arrive, but I was so nervous and just stayed with my mum. After moving in and saying hi to my flatmates I went into town with my mum to grab some lunch. It was time for my mum to leave. We both shed a couple of tears (maybe a few more) and then left one another as I went to collect my Freshers wristband. I walked back to my flat and met one of my flatmates, also a nursing student, who I had been talking to on Facebook prior to move in day, and I’m happy to say we got along so well straight away. We’re still living with each other now in year 3! We both stuck together as we got to know our flatmates, and went out to meet everyone else.


My first day in Uni…

As I was living in the High Wycombe halls, I had to travel to the Uxbridge campus where the Bucks nursing courses are based. I remember getting up early on my first day, having already packed my bag and made my lunch the night before. I met my flatmate and we walked to the bus stop together. There we met a Fresher’s Helper who we had a chat with, and they made us feel less nervous about our first day. When we arrived on campus we went to the lecture theatre where we were split into our personal tutor groups. I was so happy that I was in the same group as my flatmate, at least I already knew someone in my group. We then started talking to someone else in our group, only to realise she was living in the flat above us! The three of us stuck together as we were enrolled on to the course, and still to this day we are 'the 3 musketeers' and still going strong.


Uni life in my first year…

I’d never cooked a proper meal by myself before coming to uni, and now I was cooking every evening, and I absolutely loved it! I was such a fussy eater “oh I don’t like green stuff’, and “ewww I’m not eating that”, but now I’ll try almost anything. There were days when we would cook as a flat, and when it came to Christmas time we cooked a massive Christmas meal for at least 12 of us (and none of us had food poisoning!).

I became a Student Ambassador in my first year, and this allowed me to work part time, earning a bit of extra money whilst representing the University at different events.

My first term up until Christmas was in University learning the theory side of Nursing, and basic nursing skills. I absolutely loved the Biology side of nursing, it’s so complex, and amazing how the body works. It even still baffles me now!

I managed to pass all of my assignments in my first year, and then exam time fast approached in January. I hate exams so much, and I was so nervous. I remember on the morning of our exam, my flatmate and I got up early and made breakfast together and sat in the kitchen testing each other’s knowledge (this isn’t always the best thing to do on the morning of an exam though to be honest!). After our exam, we went out for a meal, celebrating getting through first year theory.

After the Christmas break and after my exam, it was time for me to begin my placement, and the nerves were slowly building up. I’d never worked in a hospital before, and now I would be on placement for the next six months, potentially saving children’s lives. My first placement was in a local children’s ward, and all of the staff there were so welcoming. I couldn’t have had a better first placement, it was amazing! I learnt so much, even going down to theatre to watch an appendectomy (gross I know), but it was such a great learning experience. I really enjoyed all of my first year placements, and to be honest, I couldn’t have had them any better.



So now I’m heading into my third year, and being a qualified nurse seems so close for me now. If you’re thinking about a career as a nurse, and have any questions or anything you want to know, just ask me!


Katherine

None of that is relevant to a nursing degree at all. All she's said is she moved in, cooked for herself, passed her assignments and went to some placements. It gives no insight into being a student nurse at all, the content of the assignments is never mentioned and neither is what she actually did the placements, just that she went. The whole account offers no useful information to people starting a nursing course, as your thread title suggests.