My first few months as a newly qualified nurse!

Hi! This is just a quick update of what I have been up to with my career:


I finished University and became a registered mental health nurse in October 2012 and stated working on an acute assessment unit in Hull, which means we have patients brought in by the police and our Crisis team, who may be drunk, under the influence of drugs, and suffering from psychosis or any other acute mental illness. Many may feel suicidal and it can be a worry having them on the unit, as they are considered quite risky.

It has been ever so interesting and I love spending time with my patients, talking to them and trying to work out with them a pattern of trigger events in their lives, or to identify ways in which they can go back to living at home with their families.

We often get patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act or "sectioned" and this can be a real challenge, as they often want to leave and I have to tell them why they can't.

The most challenging thing I have been faced with was being told by my manager that I had to organise a restraint on one of our male patients who had a lighter on him which we needed to remove (he had history of arson) and we needed to medicate him with an injection that he had been refusing. As he was under a section we had to force the medication upon him. I was shaking so much as I chose the members of staff to restrain the male patient, then I had to place myself on the "legs" to make sure he did not kick the person injecting him! In the end, we did not need to restrain as he decided to hand over the lighter and accept the medication without being restrained, but just the thought of restraining a large adult made me tremble! I will have to get used to these experiences as on our unit we have aggressive patients, and I do feel a bit more prepared for next time!

Anyway, I am going to Barcelona this weekend and I need to go and pack!

I will try and post more often, as what is the point of me having a blog that I don't use!

Later xxxxx

First shift, first day, head is like scrambled egg!

Today was my first shift at my new and LAST EVER placement for my nurse training! I have already posted about what kind of placement it is, so I'll just summarise my day!

Patients were lovely - felt threatened by one, but let's forget that for now - and the staff made me feel ever so welcome. They are all fantastic, the Consultant is funny and kind, and I really think I'll get on well there.

I have a lot to learn over the next 12 weeks but it is an amazing opportunity, I will be doing the medication rounds in a few weeks, leading the multidisciplinary team meetings and becoming keyworker for certain appropriate patients! I can't wait!

I always feel conscious that I am "in the way" on placements sometimes, especially when staff are busy, so I always try and keep as busy as possible. Spent some time with a patient in the art room, helped with a very tricky Simpsons puzzle (I am rubbish at puzzles!) and sat in the garden with a few patients and the other student nurse and had a laugh with a few other patients. I really like spending time on the ward and am definitely not one to sit myself in the nursing office and do nothing!

Had a blood pressure training presentation this afternoon and I stayed behind with the lecturer so she could show me how to confidently take them manually. I have only had one other inpatient placement which was 2 years ago so am not as confident with them as I should be, but I feel much better now! She showed me some good tips, like trying to find the exact location of the pulse in the arm before placing the stethoscope, and pumping the cuff up without the stethoscope first to guess the systolic range until you feel the pulse disappear with your fingers, then you know how tightly to pump up the poor persons arm!

Doing an early shift tomorrow, 7am til 3pm, and the same on Friday, then weekend off! I'll update my blog accordingly :)

Last Week of Placement!

Next week is my last week on placement with a Community Mental Health Team and I have absolutely loved it. I'm now trying to get all my written work ready to be signed off! My mentors have been excellent with me and the team as a whole have been very welcoming and supportive.

The things I have achieved on this placement:

Three initial assessments
Initial assessment paperwork
SARN care clustering
GRIST risk assessments
Physical health analysis
Tested several elderly patient's cognitive functioning via the Addenbrookes Cognitive Examination
Been involved in the Consultant's weekly clinic
Discussed patients at two multidisciplinary team meetings
Discharge procedure + paperwork

I think this has been one of the most beneficial placements I have had to date and I will be very sad to leave, I would love to work for them right now!

I have my last placement this summer and I am not sure where it will be!