Now Ye're Talking - to a mature student nurse

I'm a student nurse, AMA · 12-08-2018 9:49pm

Nokia6230i wrote: »

There's something I've always wondered and it relates to a recent appt. I had with "my" Nurse.

The good lady Nurse based on signs, symptoms & diagnosis (much prodding & poking involved) issued her prescription/s to me; however she'd to go to Dr. in his (normally it's a her but found out this GP sits in of a Friday) office to okay 'em, get them signed off on.

This an insurance issue or something to do with a Nurse not being permitted to issue prescriptions?

I'd've'd zero issues with prescription coming straight from Nurse; I trust her with my life like.

Just feel it undermines a Nurse in a Dr. Surgery; so is this normal or.........?

The nurse in question may be training to be a nurse prescriber(a nurse who can prescribe medication) and they have to have anything checked and countersigned. It could also be practice policy where the GP double checks. It's such a specialised role, that I don't know a huge amount about it. However it wouldn't come across to me as undermining as there must be an underlying reason as to why it is necessary.

Ordinary nurses can't prescribe but specialist nurse prescribers can. Sorry I can't be much help - it's a role that I haven't thought about or researched a whole lot.

Creative83 · 13-08-2018 11:40am

I was always curious as to why student nurses are paid a set rate for their work experience but in other sectors most people get paid little or nothing.

I asked a nurse about this before and she said "it's because we save lives" and that their line of work wasn't comparable to those in Business or IT courses etc doing work experience. Therefore they are more entitled to it then anyone else

What is your view?

I'm a student nurse, AMA · 13-08-2018 12:41pm

Creative83 wrote: »

I was always curious as to why student nurses are paid a set rate for their work experience but in other sectors most people get paid little or nothing.

I asked a nurse about this before and she said "it's because we save lives" and that their line of work wasn't comparable to those in Business or IT courses etc doing work experience. Therefore they are more entitled to it then anyone else

What is your view?

I want to clarify something, up until we do our internship in 4th year student nurses are not paid for their work experience. We do get some travel and accomodation expenses back(not much and we have to wait a long time to receive it).

That aside, when we do get paid for our internship(36 weeks) its purely because it's very difficult to keep a part time job alongside the internship schedule as we are expected to work hours similar to a fully qualified staff member(so we could be doing nights, long days etc.) and have a lot of responsibility compared to a 1st year student nurse.

In short the sole reason why we get paid(for 36 weeks) is due to the impracticality of working a seperate job while on internship due to the hours and nothing to do with the fact that we save lives.

ETA: If anyone is on a course that requires them to work hours that prevent them getting a part time job e.g. long hours or whatever then they should also be paid something for doing it - whether its IT or business or whatever.

Creative83 · 13-08-2018 1:53pm

I'm a student nurse, AMA wrote: »

I want to clarify something, up until we do our internship in 4th year student nurses are not paid for their work experience. We do get some travel and accomodation expenses back(not much and we have to wait a long time to receive it).

That aside, when we do get paid for our internship(36 weeks) its purely because it's very difficult to keep a part time job alongside the internship schedule as we are expected to work hours similar to a fully qualified staff member(so we could be doing nights, long days etc.) and have a lot of responsibility compared to a 1st year student nurse.

In short the sole reason why we get paid(for 36 weeks) is due to the impracticality of working a seperate job while on internship due to the hours and nothing to do with the fact that we save lives.

ETA: If anyone is on a course that requires them to work hours that prevent them getting a part time job e.g. long hours or whatever then they should also be paid something for doing it - whether its IT or business or whatever.

Thanks for the response. Makes sense.

jodaw · 15-08-2018 3:04pm

What advise would you give to someone looking to get a place in 2019 as a mature student. What should be done now in advance to prepare?

What are the steps to making an application? and what are the timelines in applying?

Is the course harder or easier than you expected?

mickmac76 · 15-08-2018 4:10pm

Well done on returning to college and working towards your degree I hope you succeed. I agree with your comments about making more places available for mature students. Since I was diagnosed with motor neuron disease 3 years ago I've met and interacted with a mind boggling number of nurses and other health care professionals like doctors physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Have you ever considered a different role in health care apart from nursing. Some of the nurses I've met also have roles that I would never have thought of like being in charge of clinical trials the mnd nurse who works with me and spends a lot of time on the road and coordinating with other health care providers and the palliative care nurses whom I would have thought have a job that could be very hard at times but they seem to enjoy their work hugely when I went in for a few days of respite for the first time last week. Anyways I just wanted to thank you for the job you and people like you are doing as I'd be all at sea with out the guidance and support I've received in the last few years. And good luck with your future choices there's an awful lot of them to choose from.

I'm a student nurse, AMA · 16-08-2018 4:51am

jodaw wrote: »

What advise would you give to someone looking to get a place in 2019 as a mature student. What should be done now in advance to prepare?

What are the steps to making an application? and what are the timelines in applying?

Is the course harder or easier than you expected?

The first thing I'd recommend is to look into grant eligibility, fees etc. before applying. I know 1 or 2 were caught out and 1 is paying fees while the other had to drop out. This is so there are no nasty surprises should you then apply.

The next thing I would recommend is to consider doing a fetac healthcare support or prenursing feta courses. These will help you in a few ways, the first is to ensure whether you'd be up for that line of work - some people have an idea of what nursing is while the reality is different. The second is it will prepare you for college, as you'll learn referencing, get used to assignments and also will help you when it comes to first year and the 1st placements (if for general nursing). Finally it will help in securing part time work as a hca should you need it when you are a student.

Finally I would also keep an eye out for the aptitude test dates and apply as soon as you are able to. Alongside this pick up any practice books on aptitude tests(libraries usually have copies) and do them regularly. I can't recommend a book of the top of my head but most have similar content.

As for steps, this link should cover how to apply
https://www.nmbi.ie/Careers-in-Nursing-Midwifery/How-to-apply/Mature-Applicants

As for the course, it's a mixed bag to be honest. The nursing subjects are difficult to do well in unless you have covered every base(which makes sense because that's how you need to be as a nurse), but all in all I like it. I will say thought that 1st years starting from this year onwards will be doing a different course to me. The new curriculum aims to promote community care as opposed to hospital care, health promotion and prioritised care of the elderly. In all honesty I am kind of jealous of the new first years as I would rather be doing that course instead of the old curriculum.

I'm a student nurse, AMA · 16-08-2018 5:10am

mickmac76 wrote: »

Well done on returning to college and working towards your degree I hope you succeed. I agree with your comments about making more places available for mature students. Since I was diagnosed with motor neuron disease 3 years ago I've met and interacted with a mind boggling number of nurses and other health care professionals like doctors physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Have you ever considered a different role in health care apart from nursing. Some of the nurses I've met also have roles that I would never have thought of like being in charge of clinical trials the mnd nurse who works with me and spends a lot of time on the road and coordinating with other health care providers and the palliative care nurses whom I would have thought have a job that could be very hard at times but they seem to enjoy their work hugely when I went in for a few days of respite for the first time last week. Anyways I just wanted to thank you for the job you and people like you are doing as I'd be all at sea with out the guidance and support I've received in the last few years. And good luck with your future choices there's an awful lot of them to choose from.

Thank you so much for your kind words!
If I hadn't a child or if I had a bigger income than what I do atm, I'd have loved to do graduate entry medical school(obviously that would be based off a good Gamsat aptitude test score and a good degree) and become a Dr. I have also recently been thinking about possibly doing a masters in occupational therapy as that is an area of healthcare that I think is important and also interesting. I'm not 100% on what I want to do but I'm hoping that once I've qualified and have been on the wards for a bit I'll figure out exactly what I want to do.

It's crazy though in the past 10 years how much the role of the nurse has changed, even now as I progress through the course I hear from lecturers all the time, about how nursing is favouring x thing or y course or z speciality. I think it's a good thing for nursing as there is still this attitude out there that nurses just dole out medicine and get people washed and dressed etc. (Which is 100% important) when in fact we do a bit more than that.

19-08-2018 6:54pm

I'm a student nurse, AMA wrote: »

I wish it paid better in all honesty, I know the pay increases with each year but still. That's why nurses leave and it feels like noone is listening, be it the minister for health or in the HSE.

But how much extra should be paid, given the limited resources in Health?

Throwing more money at staff is not a solution, as we saw during the boom years.

Nurses also get allowances (which I don't see mentioned in this thread) based on shift work and for working in specific departments. These extras are never mentioned by nurses and nurses unions.

For those living and working in Dublin, what they are paid is nowhere near enough and targeted living allowances should be given to them IMO.

But for the nurses outside Dublin and working in the regions, the salary should be plenty adequate.

I think the problems with nurses emigrating runs much more than salaries alone.

funkey_monkey · 22-08-2018 10:51pm

It must be embarrassing for patients to be naked and/or having issues with bodily functions in front of nurses. How do you handle these situations? It must be difficult not to chat with a colleague about something you seen during work. Is there a rule (unwritten or otherwise) about how much you discuss?
I know there must be chats in the wards, but how likely are people to go home and chat to the partner/spouse about something that happened at work that day - anonymously or otherwise. "How was your day?" "Well, there was a young guy came in with xyz stuck up his urethra, Mary Kate had to burst a cyst on Johnny McGuires hole and got covered in pus. Dr. Flannagan was caught in the morgue with two of the students and Father Ralph de Bricassart came in to give last rites to a woman who got her head stuck in a car window."

What is the most difficult part of the job for you?

Have you ever witnessed a patient dying? How did it affect you?

How do you feel about having people dependent on you for their well-being? Is it a burden or something you are proud of?

Is the job pressure/stressful due to the amount of tasks to complete or the difficulty of the tasks?

Do the staff tend to work at different paces? i.e. in most work environments there are quick workers and slow workers. Do you see some staff being quicker than other and if so what prevents rushed tasks being done haphazardly?

Are there rules on make-up, perfume etc?

Have you ever seen anything that disturbed you? i.e. a very sick child, family at the passing of loved one, or someone just in severe pain. If so, can you say?

Boards.ie: Niamh · 24-08-2018 3:19pm

Since OP hasn't posted in over a week, I'm going to close this one now. Thanks for all of the questions and to out guest for the insights into the busy life of a student nurse.

Now Ye're Talking - to a mature student nurse

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