Student Nurse Review

Loved placement at the hospitals that I was based at. All the staff was amazing and all work very hard with each other in order to provide the best possible care for patients and families within Birmingham. I gained knowledge and experience within my career and field of practice which will enable me to get a better job in the future after graduating.

All the staff within the hospital were amazing and would do anything they could for their patients. For example, the nurses would treat the children as if they were their own and ensure that the child's holistic needs were met. I felt very valued by my colleagues as they always included me as a student and as part of the team.

The university tries to prepare us as student nurses in the best way possible through clinical skills sessions and lectures to help us manage and cope with stressful situations. My mentor would always be very helpful in ensuring that if I was uncomfortable or needed any help then she would provide me with leaflets and sit down to explain things to me even on a busy day.

The ward I was placed on was very busy due to it's high intensity and very poorly patients. This would mean that some nurses would not even get a break due to the fact that they are always running around with a heavy workload. This would impact the nurse's wellbeing and may make them ill and unhappy with their job.

I was treated like a registered nurse to complete all tasks with the responsibility of looking after up to 4-5 patients with a lot of health problems. This was very challenging for me but it was a great experience as it gives me an insight on how to manage my time and prioritise my patients' needs.

I have developed skills which I will need and require in the future. It will help me in my degree studies as some of the assignments ask for following a patients entire journey through the hospital and the nurse's role in taking care of the patient. It will help me after I graduate as this is what it will be like to work in a paediatric ward.

Could be very stressful at times due to the workload, however, the patients and the staff always tried to make it a nice environment to work in by providing staff meetings and regular refreshments which helped to break up the long shifts. Due to it not being an office and being a ward it was easier to get to know all the staff better to provide the best care for the patients.

Very well organised and ensured that all staff was happy with the manager always checking on the staff and having staff meetings which I was a student was able to take part in. The shifts were also given out 1 month in advance, this was good as people were able to plan other things around work.

The hospital as a whole runs student workshops on different things. For example, further development and knowledge on the types of plasters to use for different types of pressure ulcer wounds and for things such as the high flow and CPAP machines. Felt like i was apart of the team and made me feel better as i could ask a professional if i had any questions.

On the way to applying for a job within the trust. Making it easier to get a job on a ward that I enjoyed as placements allow you to get to know the environment and what it required of you as a registered nurse once qualified. Also, allows students to get a better understanding of what interests them.

The staff on wards usually had get together and parties for example for christmas work do's. The other students on the ward were very helpful and very nice from other universities. It made it easier to go into work knowing that other students were in the same position as you and they could at times be more approachable.

Could barely socialise due to the fact that the shift patterns are very unsociable hours and also because the long days of 12/13 hour shifts would make you so tired that on your days off you would need to spend the day in bed to recover. I live close by so made it easier for me to catch a 10 min train journey to work.

Nightlife in Birmingham is great, however, due to the odd shifts sometimes was not able to go out with my friends. This is due to night shifts or doing long hours at work so not able to get home until 9.30pm therefore, being too tired to go out afterward with friends.

In the city as a whole, there is a lot to do and a lot of events on. For example, I was able to attend a vintage fair, food and wine tasting festival, the city centre has a winter wonderland which was very festive. Lots of different activities to get involved in with friends.