The BNF, the CQC and the RCN

Nursing is full of acronyms and today I thought, as I have a moment I would tell you about 1 that’s like a bible and 2 that are in the news a lot. The RCN is the Royal College of Nursing and I would say is the main trade union for nurses – why do we need a trade union? Mainly for legal support and insurance actually. We live in a culture where people try to sue for a profit and sadly healthcare is not exempt. By joining the RCN we insure ourselves, get a few nice free things, keep up to date with any nursing news with their publication, get access to a great online library and also free legal advice and representation should we ever need it (although I hope I never do!!). The RCN is very well respected and often in the news telling politicians how it is. And they gave me a free tote bag and nursing dictionary – thanks for that!

Next is the CQC, I thought I would mention this one as I am on placement at the moment and the CQC visited. This is the Care Quality Comission, they visit all healthcare settings to make sure that everything is running ship shape and I am very happy to say that my placement passed with flying colours as working exactly as it should do, so that was good news. The Care Qaulity Comission have the power to shut down healthcare settings that are not performing satisfactorily, they also run enquiries where there have been problems which is why you might see them in the news. Everyone fears the CQC, but really it’s about making things better.

The third is the BNF, the British National Formulary – a bible of all things pharmacological. I mention this because I’ve been studying some parts of it lately and downloaded a little free app for my iPhone (a must for all nursing students with a smart phone!). If you need to give out a drug you don’t recognise? Check the BNF. Concerned about side effects? Check the BNF. Contraindications? Check the BNF. Is that the right dose? BNF.  The BNF is law as far as I’m concerned and so handy to have.

Here’s a look at the free app –

This is the main menu

But it’s split quite helpfully into sections by health topics

And here’s an example of the search

Well worth a look but you will need to sign up for an NHS Athens account beforehand. Happy Friday Readers!

Catch Up

Well chums, I’ve been having a pleasant week (last week that was, this one’s just began). Got another assignment back, my essay, which I’ve passed so I’m really pleased about that, also passed my placement with a high mark so phew – just the portfolio to tweak.

Spring has finally sprung and I enjoyed a doggy viewing, Henry and his lovely lady have just got a new addition to the family (what a cutie!!) so me and my friend, also called Hayley, went round for a doggy viewing/pizza eating/kerplunk and cleudo playing night which was very fun.

Have been working 24 hours a week along side my studies this module as the timetable allows me to fit this in and had a really great shift Saturday and then Sunday the boyfriend and I took a trip to a car boot that I had never been to before we went grocery shopping. Well it was packed!! It was a little bit like a strange museum of the 80s and 90s, well worth a look round. The only things I bought though was a springy butterfly to go in the garden for the cat to play with, and food…. also for the cat. He is a spoilt little boy.

Then after that I went to M&S for a new top and met my lovely chum Kiran for coffee and a chat. The boyfriend ordered me a book (all those who know him will gasp as he is not a reader!) as a surprise but when it got delivered I realised it was to make fun of me! But I shall most definitely be reading it and the joke will be on you all when you see my kick ass shelter building, fire starting and zombie maiming… ok maybe not the last one.

Is That A Hair Piece?

“What?” I’d said, amused.

“Your bun, is it a stick on hair piece?” asked the other healthcare assistant

“Err… no…no, just my hair” I said

“Ohh. You’ve got one of those doughnut thingies, haven’t you” she said eyeing my head suspiciously

Well readers, not quite. You see at hospital you must have you hair off your collar, which means cut short or up, no trailing your hair through patient’s bodily fluids and what not! If I put my hair up in a bun it either falls out or just generally looks a bit messy and those bun doughnuts look like a lot of effort with hair pins and so I buy these from ebay – click here

They’re so easy, you just twist your hair up in them and they look far better than I could ever do with just a hairband for under a few quid. Sorted.

And rest assured I will never, ever be pinning fake hair into my own, eurgh!

Busy Bee

Well, I have been busy these past few weeks. I’m still on placement which is going well (mostly!) that’s 30 hours a week. I’m also doing class or independent learning each week, that’s 7.5 hours a week. I’m working at my HCA job, that’s 12 hours a week. Travel to placement and back on the bus twice a week is 6 hours a week. So that’s 55 hours a week busy. Then on top of that I’ve got 3 big assignments:

 – a 3,000 word communication essay

– a portfolio of my first module’s work

– assessment of practice booklet, review and 3,000 word written evidence

Phew – I need a holiday!

Skullduggery

Question – how do you finish your poster assignment for school when you don’t have Microsoft PowerPoint and you have booked yourself into a couple shifts at work?

Answer – use the library computers at work before your shift!

Question – how did that work out?

Answer – not so good, the damn computer crashed just before it was time for me to start my shift and I had to stay an hour after work!!!

On the bizarre side of life I left the library and noticed in amongst the computers and medical books there was a skull?!

Sir Thomas Browne’s skull to be exact, apparently a notable doctor from Norwich. It was removed from his grave when his coffin was accidentally damaged by workmen, the skull was removed, sold to a surgeon (err?) who in turn left the skull to the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital on his death (as you do) and there it has stayed.

First Year, First Placement, First Day

So…. it went pretty good actually. I had a shift that’s called a long day and that’s 7am – 8pm (a lonnnggg dayyyy). I’m on a ward placement in a hospital for two weeks which means it’s busy busy, everyone coming and going. I woke up about 5.30am, it took me about 5 minutes of fumbling in the dark to realise the annoying sound I kept hearing was my alarm (playing a piano riff apparently). I didn’t have a great nights sleep – under the pillow case my pillow has some sort of plastic covering (which may mysteriously disappear when it meets my nail scissors tonight!) and it was really noisy?!? Someone said oh yes it’s like the pillows patients have… err no it’s not, they have nice fluffy pillows. My noisy pillow and I will most definitely come to blows before I snooze tonight. 3am is not the time for crinkling loudly!

So anyway, the general layout of a ward for those of you who haven’t worked on one or been patients/visitors is that there are bays (usually 4 or 5) of beds each with 6 patients and also side rooms with just one patient in or sometimes two if it’s a long side room. The ward is usually then divided into teams so you know who you’re responsible for. My team had two bays and 4 side rooms which is a nice number to keep busy with but not swamped.

We had hand over where we discuss all the patients and any changes/needs for the day and then I was in the thick of it. I was really glad I’d done HCA work before so I knew all the basic things like obs and personal care, what was used for what. I got to use a drug chart and give out medication (heavily supervised – don’t worry!) and I gave an injection which was exciting. I shadowed some of the physios too which was interesting as I hadn’t seen that side of patient care before.

I met my mentor briefly but she was working the night shift and I think the ward had tried to be kind and not give me a night shift my first two weeks so I’m only with her one day and my associate mentor two days next week. So instead, I spent the day with the charge nurse and a staff nurse in our team, both of whom were really nice and easy to like and let me try new things out.

Now I’m back in the accommodation and have dined on my lovely evening meal of a tuna sandwich and a sprite (the cafe was closed!). Bring on tomorrow eh?

My First Night Shift

I had my first night shift last night as an HCA… I wasn’t really sure how to prepare but I decided I’d stay up late (OK maybe it wasn’t that late, maybe it was 1am!) and then sleep late as I had no classes at university until 2pm only that part didn’t go quite to plan as I woke up at 7am when the boyfriend got up to go to work so so far, not so good. I did get an hours nap though.

The ward was clearly winding down for the day and the hospital got less and less busy and I got an hours break about 2am. Some people try to sleep in this but I decided this would be a very bad plan in case I went to sleep and then couldn’t get myself going again.

So instead I went down to the canteen, it was completely empty!

I felt tired about 5am, even the muddled patients had drifted off to sleep by then so there wasn’t lots to do but as it got closer to home time I got a second win and felt more alert. By the time I got on the bus to go home I didn’t really fancy sleeping (although I thought I’d better) and I saw the boyfriend in his car pass me on the bus as he left for work and I was just getting home! I had a very nice sleep when I got home interrupted only at 1pm by the postman bringing me some books I ordered from Amazon so I tore down the stairs and answered in my PJs. Poor man haha.

Second Week At Uni

This sort of sums up the bus service in my area…. but in fairness it has been much better than last week

All my classes are a bit more interesting than they have been previously, the majority of dull induction stuff is out of the way and we have moved onto a lot of the mandatory training (more manual handling!) in preparation for our first placement which has been conveniently placed either side of my birthday weekend (boo).

So far so good for fitting in my HCA work on weekends, also loan has been paid to me and bursary has been paid but the wrong amount so hopefully that will be sorted out soon. I did meet my lovely friend by chance on one of the wards at work the other day and she was on placement whilst I was working a shift there so it was lovely to bump into her when I wasn’t expecting it and I picked up a few pointers.

I meet my academic advisor that I’ve been paired with for the next three years next week so hopefully we hit it off as a good team. Fingers crossed!

Simple Things

I got a free pen

I’ve played with it all day

Simple things, simple minds…

Chop Chop

I don’t think I’ve ever had my nails this short since… well since I have had fingers.

Very upsetting. In other news, wedding this weekend, hurrah!