This blog is going to be your collaborative task for Module 3 in the course "Scientific and Technical English".
When you add a post or make a comment in the blog, it should be related to one of these topics:
- Education and training
- Issues with the English language
- Work
- Funny anecdotes
Your first entry in the blog is easy, just introduce yourself! Remember:
You should keep your real name (I need that in order to evaluate your work), but you have to imagine that you are a nurse who has been sent abroad to do some work experience at Barnsley Hospital, in Yorkshire, England. Have a look at their website to get an idea of where you are.
If you have doubts about how to post a message or a comment in the blog, please write a message in the course forum.
I hope you enjoy the activity!
Patricia Ventura
Hi everyone, my name is Ana Rodríguez and I have been working as an NICU nurse at the Barnsley Hospital for the last year.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone applied for the ICU course this year? I´m planning on applying next year and I have heard that the interview is quite tough as there is a lot of competition to get the funding for that course.
Hi, Ana! I am sorry, I have no idea abut the ICU course because this is my first year working at the Hospital.
DeleteMaybe some of the other workers can help you.
It is so nice to meet you!
Hello Ana! I was talking to my colleagues this morning after some practice and they told me you could ask them about the ICU course! They are all nurses and two of them are rookies just as me! But the rest have been working at the Hospital for several years, maybe they can give you information about the courses you were interested in! I wish you all the luck.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Idaira Serrano and this is my first year studying abroad to be a registered nurse so I can get some experience. I have been offered a training programme that includes a full 12-month preceptorship programme. My contact here is Dr Shanaghey, in General and Specialist Surgery, do you know him?
I hope we all can meet, and some of you can even show me around!
Hi Idaira,
ReplyDeleteIt´s nice to have another Spanish nurse in the hospital. I am more than happy to meet for a coffee and show you around.
What year of college are you in? Which wards will you be rotating in? Are you in paediatrics or adults?
Hi Ana,
DeleteIt would be nice meeting for a coffee, thank you so much!
This is my last year in college, that's why I was offered the nursing programme here. I'm now nursing in Adults General Surgery and I would love to start the sub specialization next year on breast surgery nursing care.
Have you already met the rest of the nurses here? Do you like working at the Barnsley Hospital?
Hi Idaira,
ReplyDeleteI´m off on Wednesday and Thursday if you are up for a coffee one of those days.
There are a few Spanish and Portuguese nurses working in NICU and AICU, not many on the wards. I´m quite surprised that you decided to come to the UK for 12 months. As a student (as you have probably realised by now) you are not allowed to do absolutely anything, not even draw up IV medication. If by any chance you are "caught" by one of your mentors doing anything you can be banned from nursing for life. I can give you a long list of real life examples of nurses that haven´t finished their degree because of that. Please be very careful with what you do.
I would recommend that you try to change your placement from the ward to AICU, theatres or recovery (y think they call it POSU here). In those units you´ll find many more foreigners and they usually are more relaxed than in the wards. You´ll also be able to see more procedures and learn more theory than where you are now.
By the way, where are you staying? Did you get a room in the hospital´s accommodation or did you rent a room on your own?
Hi again, Ana!
ReplyDeleteGreat, I'll talk to my supervisor at the Hospital so I can have some time and meet you.
Thank you so much for the advice, I'll try not to do anything I'm not allowed to. I think I will consider your idea of changing to ICU or POSU, I still have one month until my supervisor back in Spain sends out my dossier.
I'm staying in the Ramada Encore Hotel right now, I still have to look for a shared appartment near to the Hospital. Did it take you long back then when you were looking for an appartment? I'm trying to use the mornings for that, since I have all the evenings at the Hospital right now.
I had been thinking about taking some theory lessons in the Sheffield Hallam University, but I will ask about these lessons in POSU and ICU, as you say I can learn more theory there than in the wards.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI am a nurse auxiliary. I have accepted to work in this hospital because I think it is a good practice and because I am very interested in learning English. I live in the city but I am not happy with my landlord. Can anyone help me to find a new place? I have been hired to do clerical work. No patient care, no checking temperatures, no checking pulse rates or blood pressures, no giving injections, no removing sutures but paperwork. My job consists of working with the medical histories of the hospital, in order to generate statistics. I think this is a perfect job for me because I can improve my English before working with real patients. I am looking forward to meet people. You can find me in the 1st floor, by the restaurant, in the administrative department. I wait for you.
Hi Manuel, it is so nice to meet another nurse here!
DeleteTry this website for finding a new place, it is the one I am using and I am about to move next month finally! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Barnsley/flats.html
Maybe we could try and get together some time, we can even learn English together, are you going to any school for that? If that is so, I would be very interested, if not we can maybe do some conversation classes about vocabulary and expressions we will need to use here at the Hospital!
Hi, Manuel
DeleteThe pharmacy department is on the first floor, too. I’ll try to go and see you next week.
Regards
María
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI have found some websites that offer for free some practice and exercises of English for nurses. I hope you enjoy them.
https://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/medical.htm
https://quizlet.com/6049607/funamentals-of-nursing-337-vocabulary-words-flash-cards/
https://es.slideshare.net/vandaeva2/english-for-the-professional-nurse
http://www.englishmed.com/nurses/
http://www.onestopenglish.com/esp/nursing/pain-assessment/
Thank you so much, Manuel!
DeleteI have been trying to do some exercises from those websites, too! They are very helpful.
Cheers!
Manuel,
Deletethank you for the websites, they are very useful.
Regards
Thanks Manuel
DeleteI find the links very interesting, especially because they are specific for nurses. Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
María
Hi.
ReplyDeleteI met some medical practitioners today and I are very pleased with the experience. In this hospital you can find general practitioners as well as clinicians. Nevertheless, most of the doctors I am going to deal with are researchers. In our hospital there are on many investigation programs. This is the reason why the hospital needs someone (me) who helps the researchers to do statistics. I have been told that there are two other nurses that will work with me. One of them comes from France and the other from Germany. The hospital needs people from different countries because they need people who can understand several languages. I am working in a real international team! I have been told that I will need to work with very complicated statistical software. I will work with tables, trends, figures, lines graphs, etc. The results of these statistics are very important. All the hospitals belonging to the NHS compare their figures. This a way to know what is working well in each of the hospitals and also the way of discovering what should be improved. The government works with averages of all the hospitals of the country. As a consequence of these data, researchers have discovered serious inefficiencies in some hospitals, which occasionally ended in huge public health scandals. So, my work is not purely red tape as you superficially could think. Furthermore, I will help researchers that work in investigation programs with scientific purposes. The doctors I met today say that this hospital is one of the most reputed centres of investigation in the UK.
Hi again,
DeleteYour job looks so amazing, Manuel! I think it is really hard to have such a responsibility but I really like the way you put it, you seem to love doing this kind of job!
My supervisor back in Spain wanted me to start doing some nursing practice, that is why I am already giving injections. I actually never wanted to learn from some surgeon, my the whole team wanted me to start in this department... turns out I really like what I am doing now. Dr Shanaghey is really good at his job and it is also kind of fun learning from him!
By the way, let me know how you do with the apartment thing! Maybe I can look for another website... good luck!!
Hi, Manuel!
DeleteHow interesting is your work!
I have come to Barnsley Hospital to observe and learn about their medication control system. The quality system they use is highly recognized and it will possibly be implanted in the hospital where I usually work. I will be here only for two months so I will have to work hard because everything will be quite new to me.
I hope we can find some free time for a cup of coffee.
Regards,
María
Hi Idaira,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind answers.
I am now just accommodating myself in the hospital and in my place. I have not yet decided if I am going to look for some school of English. I think, nevertheless, that maybe I will not have time to do class. Please come to see me at work: I would be delighted to have a coffee with you. I am very happy with my job here. I have worked for just a week, but I think that everything is going to be alright. What I think I have to improve is my current accommodation. My flat is so ugly and uncomfortable! I made a mistake before coming here. I took an apartment without seeing it previously. Now I am paying the consequences. My landlord is a horrible man. I paid in advance for a month and from the first day on I can see that he is not very helpful with me. I have had a lot of problems with the apartment and he is not helping at all. From the first day I took the decision of moving away. But I want not only to leave the apartment, but the neighbourhood also. People here are simply rabble. My neighbours are always fighting and shouting. I am scared in these streets. This is now my first worry.
Idaira, what time do you finish at work tomorrow? Do you think we could have a coffee or a beer afterwards?
Manuel
Hi Manuel,
DeleteI completely feel your pain with you problem renting a flat.
I might be able to give you a few tips for renting.
As you are working for the NHS you have the option of using the hospital accommodation, you can apply in HR and a room is usually around 400 to 500 pounds a month (compared to a normal rent it is very cheap).
As a NHS worker you are also eligible to apply for a Key workers flat, these are flats that are only rented out for NHS workers with a cheaper rent than you would find in the market (there´s usually a long waiting list for these flats), again HR can tell you the key worker buildings that you can apply for in this area.
Another option is renting through an agency (this will always be very expensive) the best websites are (as Idaira said) rightmove and zoopla.
An the last option (in my opinion the best) is rent directly through the landlord, it usually is cheaper and the websites I have found useful are SpareRoom and Gumtree.
Let me know what you think. If I hear of anyone searching for a flatmate I´ll let you know.
Ana
Hi, Manuel
DeleteI am sorry that you have problems with your landlord and that you are not comfortable in the area. I have to say that I have had great luck with the accommodation because I stay in a house near the hospital, with a family whose little daughter lived a year in my home when she was studying at university. The food is fabulous and they are very kind with me. I guess it will be very difficult for me to have such good luck again!
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share what has been the worst thing for me in terms of speaking and vocabulary when I first started.
Before I started working in Barnsley Hospital I thought I had a very good level of English, I thought I was going to fit straight in the unit without a problem, on the same level as a local person. What was my surprise when I started working and I didn´t understand a word anyone was saying! Nobody had prepared me that in a hospital professionals speak with abbreviations! They abbreviate absolutely everything. I had to carry around for the first few months a paper with all abbreviations that one of my mentors kindly created for me. I didn´t understand a word, it was pretty embarrassing.
Hi, Ana
DeleteThe idea of the paper seems great! Although I think I know the names of the medicines, I'm sure I'll find problems of the same kind. I have been encouraged to maintain a portfolio containing pieces of evidence of my continuing personal development so I feel that a large part of the portfolio will be filled with a similar list with new abbreviations.
Hello, everyone
ReplyDeleteI'm María A. Barnés and I have just arrived in Barnsley to spend two months in the hospital pharmacy department. I will be in the nurse training system for the administration of medicines.
It is a very effective system with a great recognition at an international level, which was presented at the last Nursing Congress held in Oviedo. The director of Nursing and Quality of the hospital where I work will arrive in two weeks, so I hope to be installed by that date. It would be nice to contact other Spanish nurses. Greetings.
Hi, everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name's David Lóbez and I am really excited to share my day-to-day experiences through this blog! Read you!
Me again, David!
ReplyDeleteFirst day was great, but I found a really hard time with the least expected thing. Everything went great with patients, new workmates and all things syringe, but I just couldn't manage to find the way to start a new entry in this blog, so I guess it is heavy commenting section time.
Read you!
Oh, boy, oh boy, oh boy!
ReplyDeleteI really screwed it up today at the outpatients' room. I mistook one of the patients' chart with the next one. Everything's been sorted out, but I gave patient A's syrup to patient B, and the other way round with patient B's lozenges. There would be no problem at all, if patient B didn't have a serious case of constipation and patient A didn't have such a terrible episode of violent cough outbursts. As I said, everything's alrighty by now, I hope I don't mess any more.
Read you!
Hi, y'all!
ReplyDeletePretty standard day, today, a prescription here, the usual antidote there and just everyday's usual frenzy around the ER. I hope tomorrow's a little bit less heavy on the workside, this is killing me!
Read you!
First of all, I must reassure you by saying everything's looking dandy by now, but I must tell you food poisoning is no joke. I always have an extra set of scrubs just in case (after all, working in a hospital is no walk in the park), but I had never thought the consequences of a full school of scout boys and girls having out-of-date canned peaches could have.
ReplyDeleteI need a full week of rest, and a good, long bath, and maybe forget about having anything to eat for the rest of my life.
Read you!
Kids these days...
ReplyDeleteThey have access to any kind of information known to man and receive all kind of Sex-Ed in order to avoid STDs, yet... At least, they have the excuse they are young and impulsive, but the worst is the adults and the poor excuses they make to explain what happens when they...
Oh, here I go again. I need another bath.
Hi, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm undergoing a severe case of hypoglycemia. My vision is blurry, my limbs do not answer, my reaction time is way too slow... I could go on and on with the symptoms, or maybe I should just see a doctor to check if it's just me being really tired. I don't know, what do you think?
Read you!
My life as a human mop, part II.
ReplyDeleteStill exhausted, I don't know how I manage to get up every single day, I guess caffeine is my superpower. What I know is that I work in a hospital and there's all kinds of diseases floating around. I should have some drugs prescribed by one of my doctor colleagues but, can I make a confession? I. Do. Not. Like. Medicines. I love Medicine, but I hate taking any kind of tablet, pill, lozenge or whatever remedy for any kind of ailment. That's just me. Do not hate.
Read you!
Relief, at last!
ReplyDeleteI have been transferred to ICU, where things are simpler and time goes more slowly. I think I was suffering a case of exhaustion and was just two steps away from burning out. My older fellow nurses tell me it is business as usual, taking things too seriously at the beginning, and it is not that strange to see people losing their health while taking care of other people's. It is something I have learned and that's great, I just hope I don't start taking my job not seriously as I do.
Read you!
Dear online diary.
ReplyDeleteI think this is my last entry. For now, at least. The stress of starting a new job, trying to make not mistake, punishing myself when that happened and keeping up with this blog has taken a toll on me. If there is one thing I should do without, it is not the dream of becoming an internet superstar, but the dream of becoming the best nurse I can get, so I need less uptime and more me-time. It's been a pleasure to share my thoughts and insights with you, but this is goodbye.
Read you!
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteI am Antonio Martinez and I have arrived in Barnsley Hospital today.
All visits are now suspended by coronavirus and here am I, an authentic novice
in a big hospital, where all the wards are closed and there are only opened a few rooms
for patients recovering from the virus.
So, let's see how it goes.
Greetings.
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteAs I said in my previous post, I arrived yesterday and I am still settling down.
I was living in London with some colleagues when the lockdown came to us.
We were confined, and we chiefly passed the time reviewing issues about our work.
We all are nurses and we had to begin with our practices last April, but they were
delayed until the end of confinement.
Luckily, we have been able to join them this week.
The Hospital Burnley has seemed very huge, but the silence surrounded us has been a bit sinister.
I'm starting my practices in a while.
Write you in a few minutes.
Bye!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello again,
ReplyDeleteI have been assigned to the pharmacy for inpatients.
It seems the best place to do my practices.
The hospital is divided into four main zones,
(blue, purple, orange and red), to make it easier
for you find your way around.
The pharmacy is in the grey zone, in the level one.
It would appear that my job will consist of distributing all medicines
that the hospital needs.
My co-workers were great and I got a lot of support from them.
Now we are going to have dinner.
Bye!
Hi. My name is César Oriza and I’m currently working at Barnsley Hospital, in Yorkshire, England, doing a training course, as a nurse.
ReplyDeleteI am working in all the units, to have a complete training in any circumstances that can happen in the everyday life of a hospital.
Maybe the most emotional experience I have lived up to now was in the Maternity Unit, helping in childbirth. It was emotional because of the experience, and because it was completely unexpected for me, because that day, according to my practice schedule, I had to work in another unit. But, another Spanish nurse got ill and, when this emergency appeared, they needed someone to replace her, and I was “the Chosen One”.
DeleteI couldn’t describe with words what was seeing (and helping) firsthand the birth of such a small creature. I followed all the instructions of the midwife, giving her the necessary (surgical) instruments the quickest possible. She noticed my nervousness, because I wasn’t ready at all to assist in such an important emergency. My training and practice in the Maternity Unit was planned for the last days of the course, so you can imagine how I was feeling.
DeleteBut she was really really nice, she encouraged me, and with her kind/loving words she helped me to feel reassured to help her, the mother and the child who was arriving.
DeleteThe mother must have understood something, because just when the baby was going to come, she asked me to come and hold her hand, to give me the force and the courage she was showing during all the “process” of childbirth.
DeleteAnd then the moment came...And seeing it from the place I was at that moment, next to the mum, was really emotive. I was just watching that small child, being held with her hands by the midwife and hearing him crying with such strength...The midwife had to take me out of that enchanting moment, by nearly shouting at me: “Give me that, to cut his umbilical cord”. She cut it with the suitable instrument, took him to another part of the delivery room, and cleaned the small baby.
DeleteThen, the second emotive moment came. She ordered me to come where she was. I was a bit scared, because I was thinking that maybe it was happening something wrong with the child. But, when I approached her, I took a look and saw that the child was smiling at me with that beautiful small face of his...She told me to hold and rock him, and take him to his mum’s arms. It was very very nice to have the opportunity to give her her child so that she could hold him for the first time in the baby’s life.
DeleteAfter it all finished, when the mum was leaving the hospital, I saw her coming through a corridor to hug me and thank me for all the help in the delivery room. And the child, in 2-3 days, had changed a lot. It’s surprising how a little child can change in such a small period of time.
DeleteHave you had experiences like this in your training?
DeleteHope to read about them...
DeleteKind regards
César
Very nice, César.
DeleteIt must have been marvellous to help to bring a new life into the world.
For the time being, I content myself with the work inside the pharmacy.
I have to help to distribute medicines around the hospital.
Good luck with the training course, César.
Hi again, César,
DeleteI was thinking about being transferred to CCU.
What do you think?
Do you believe it would be a great idea to talk with my supervisor?
Working in pharmacy is a bit tedious and I think that I could develop
my potencial as nurse in another unit.
Thanks for reading, César.
Could we talk some day after the work?
See you!
Hi,Antonio
DeleteIt's a good idea. In my training, I am working in different units, and I'm learning a lot of words,and having a lot of different experiences.
We can meet whenever you can,provided I don't have to work,because the shifts in the units change each week, one week I work in the morning, another in the afternoon... But it will be good to talk with another Spanish nurse...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone,
ReplyDeleteWe have gone to the Collier restaurant.
In fact, there are only a little coffee shop, which were closed,
and the Colliers restaurant. The restaurant is between the grey
and the orange zone, in the level one, very close to the pharmacy.
Now it is only available to staff as a consequence of the coronavirus
situation.
We have been served typical hospital meals, tasteless and flavourless.
I hope that meals improve next days. However, I do not harbour any illusions.
After that, I have gone to my apartment, which is about fifteen minutes' walk
from the hospital.
Tomorrow will be my first full day in pharmacy.
I will write you in detail how it goes.
Bye!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteWith the coronavirus the visitors have to follow a lot of rules.
They have to use hand gels, and to wear masks. Furthermore, the hospital
is now limiting visitors to a maximum of one per patient, and children
are currently not allowed to visit the hospital.
There only open about twenty rooms with patients of coronavirus.
Working in the pharmacy is a bit harder than usual because we have to wear
mask and wash our hands every few seconds.
You become accustomed soon.
Bye!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI have to confess you that I have trouble with abbreviations.
Every morning when I started to work, I received a list of
medicines and doses that I have to put together.
With the invaluable help of my mates I am going to look for
through the shelves and let them over a wheeled tray.
When I follow the list, I do not have any problem, but if someone
turns up asking for something I have problems deciphering
the oral abbreviations.
However, the rest is very simple and I'm feeling helpful but I sometimes think
that I could do my best in another place. I have some doubts about
changing my workplace. It is no clear whether the hospital will allow
me the change.
I will tell you something.
Bye!
Hi Antonio,
DeleteI definitely feel you, abbreviations are a pain in the a**! I got a nice list that I basically learnt by heart long ago, it might be useful for you! There you go:
Abd - Abdomen
A&D - Admission and discharge
ADL - Activities of daily living
Amb - Ambulatory, able to walk
Amt - Amount
AP - Appendectomy
Cath - Catheter
CBC - Complete blood count
CCU - Cardiac care unit/ coronary care unit
CBR - Complete bed rest
C/O - Complaint of
CVA - Cerebrovascular accident or stroke
CPR - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
DC or d/c - Discontinue
DX - Diagnosis
ECG - Electrocardiogram
EEG - Electroencephalogram
FBS - Fasting blood sugar
FF - Forced feeding or forced fluids
Fx - Fracture
GI - Gastrointestinal
Gtt - Glucose tolerance test
Gyn - Gynecology
HOB - Head of bed
ICU - Intensive care unit
I&O - Intake and output
Isol - Isolation
IV - Intravenous
Noct - At night
NPO - Nothing by mouth
PAR - Postanesthesia room
PO - By mouth
Post op spec - After surgery urine specimen
PT - Patient, pint
ROM - Range of motion
SOB - Shortness of breath
Stat - At once, immediately
TPR - Temperature, pulse, respiration
U/A - Urinalysis
VS - Vital signs
W/C - Wheel chair
Hope it helps!
José
Hello,
ReplyDeleteAfter two weeks working in the pharmacy, I have decided to move me to another unit. I think that I’m not improving my English in an overwhelming way. And moreover, my main purpose coming here was the implementation of the theorical knowledge I have learned in Spain. Due to all this, I consider that a change to the Coronary Care Unit will be really more useful for my future. Therefore, I have talked with my supervisor this morning and I have been informed that I could be transferred to CCU yet. I firmly convinced that this new unit will be an opportunity to be in contact with people and to develop as a nurse.
I will inform you.
Bye!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI think this is my last entry. I have spent the last two weeks in the CCU unit. I have had the opportunity of meeting many wonderful people. The work has been exhausting and satisfying at the same time. Certainly, I have felt the fulfilment of working in which you have been trained. I return home very delighted and I look forward to working here in the future.
It has been a pleasure to read your posts. See you soon!
Happy to see that you have had a good experience after changing the unit where you worked...
DeleteSorry to hear that you return home... I must stay here in Barnsley for some weeks...
Hope we can meet again in Spain
See you!!!
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Cristina Valero. As some of you, I have just arrived to England to work as a nurse at the Care of the Elderly department at Barnsley Hospital.
I am very glad of sharing this blog with you. I'm sure you have passed through very similar experiences to mine, so your opinion and advice will be of great help.
I am looking forward to start my life here and of course, to meet you through this blog.
Have a good day.
Hello Cristina! It is a pleasure to meet other "Spaniards" in the hospital. I am looking forward to talking to you and to helping each other in this adventure!
DeleteHello everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Inas Ananou Ibrahim and a couple of months ago I moved to England to work as a nurse at Barnsley Hospital.
Since my arrival I have learned a lot about this job, experienced some tough times and grown up as nurse!
I recently joined this blog to share with you a little bit of my daily life with you and to communicate with people that are in the same position as me.
Nice to meet you all!
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteAs you may have guessed, I recently got my nursery degree in Spain and working at Barnsley Hospital has been one of my first working experiences.
Entering the medical field during COVID-19 and in a huge hospital was scary at first, but I got used to it. Although I have been working really hard, mostly doing emergency shifts.
Working with COVID patients hasn't been easy and I recently started wondering if it was actually the best idea to start my working life in these conditions.
That's why I am writing this post to ask you if you think that it is better to start your nursery career at a smaller and clamer service or to do the opposite?
Have a nice week!
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI am writing this post because as most of you English is not my native language and I need some help to improve my language skills.
Before moving to England I though that my English level was fine, but since I got here I have realized that my vocabulary is not that good. Specially when it involves medical jargon, as I usually confuse words as "service" and "unit".
Have you been on the same situation as me? Would you advise me some English material for nurses?
PS: Here is the link to a video that has been useful to me and that I hope it would be for you too ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSmLn7zIijw )
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteIn this post I am going to share with you something that happened to me and that was kind of "surrealistic".
Today, I was working at the Children's Physiotherapy Service when my mother's patient ( who was only 2 years-old)went into labor. So we brought her to the Birthing Centre. The problem is that I didn't know what to do with the child, so I took her with me all day long until her father came ( which took him almost two. hours).
I haven0t been long in the hospital and I was wondering if there is a unit or people in charge of children while their parents need to work or in these "particular" situations?
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI just got invited to a nursery seminar in Chicago and I am so happy about it. The problem is I have never attended to these kind of programs. I am not sure about how to announce it to my boss and if it is possible to ask for holidays for this aim as my unit has been saturated during the past weeks. Do you know any tips on how to justify my absence?
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteToday I had a bittersweet experience at the hospital. I was at the oncological unit checking on my patients when I noticed that the husband's of one of them was crying. I asked him what was wrong and he answered that the chemotherapy was not working anymore for his wife. He claimed she just wanted to go back home to enjoy her last moments around her family.
His story touched me, so I decided to talk about it to her oncologist. Surprisingly, he didn't appreciate my gesture and alleged that the treatment was being effective as the metastasized area was reducing. The doctor added that I was a nurse and not a therapist.
I highly disagree with his opinion! Aren't nurses also friends, therapists and even family for their patients?
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hi Inas,
DeleteI agree with you to some extent. While I believe that nurses should be as supportive as possible when it comes to emotional and caring support, we are certainly not therapists. Therefore, it is not our job to phycologically assist our patients as it can actually have negative effects on their mental health that we intentionally wouldn't mean. Also, there are some boundaries that we shouldn't overstep, such as questioning other professionals' jobs. What do you think about this?
Best,
José
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy today's post is a little bit different. I just wanted to share with you a video related to International Nurses Day that has been posted ont he Hospital's youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYtfW9Wgkw
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to writ about my concerns about how the hospital is removing anti Covid measures " too fast" from my point of view. Although I admit that there is already a big part of the city's population that has been vaccinated I believe it is too early to move completely forward. The other day I saw a doctor without his face mask and outpatients rarely respect the 2 meters of distance rule.
Am I the only one who hasn't forgot about the dramatic situation the our ICU was living only a few weeks ago?
Have a nice week,
Inas
Hi Inas,
DeleteI totally agree with you. It's still early days to remove Covid-19 measures, especially when cases are raising exponentially in the UK. The area where our hospital is is not increasing the number of cases too fast, however it is a matter of time that ICUs will collapse again. I believe patients should continue to wear face masks, just as we should as key workers. As fof the 2-meter social distancing rule... it's just a bit tricky when the units are crowded with patients... don't you think?
José
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI am writing this post as a good bye ( or maybe a see you later). U have decided to quit my job at Barnsley Hospital and to come back to Spain. I would like to thank all of the staff from all of the units I have been to ( emergency, oncology, childcare,...) and that have allowed me to grow up as a profesional but I think that my experience here is over. It has been a pleasure to meet people in the same case as me.
See you soon,
Inas
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI am posting a bit later than expected since I have not been able to catch up with work ever since I arrived in the UK. My name is Jose and I'll be working as a Senior nurse at the Antenatal Clinic. The hospital is huge, so much bigger than the one I used to work with in Spain, so I get lost pretty much all day. I can't wait to meet other colleagues at the other departments. See you around!
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to share a beautiful experience I have had today at work. So, as you know, I work at the Antenatal Clinic. A lady who was pregnant came in to the hospital through the A&E (accident and emergency) area. She was due just in a week, but she had a car accident today and her child's birth came ahead in time. She was perfectly fine, but the stress of the situation made her water break. I treated her until she entered the delivery room, which is when other nurses take over. She called her husband several times, but he wouldn't pick up the phone as he was in business meeting. She was really upset, and she asked me to make her company during the labour. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my professional career so far. Can you comment on any similar experiences?
Best,
José
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI am coming round to recommend you a very good book on English for Nursing that I have been working on to improve my level of English. Here is the link:
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/cambridge-english-for-nursing-intermediate-plus-students-book-with-audio-cds-2/virginia-allum/patricia-mcgarr/mixed-media/9780521715409.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3f6HBhDHARIsAD_i3D9tBUDHKWH2mBp5CdvaaVQ3emQcUuBq980rxLQ_wWlioJ8BywvO6gIaAh7WEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
You can buy at WHSmith, but I am sure you can find a second hand version on Amazon. Hope it helps!
Best,
José
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI have been researching about English language tests for nurses. Apparently, many hospitals recommend non-native English speakers like us to the take the OET (English Language Test for Healthcare Professionals) exam as it would enhance the chances of getting a job at a British hospital. I have been looking at exam samples and it doesn't look too difficult, but there are some areas that I would definitely have to work on. Have you found any other recommended English language test we could take?
Best,
José
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteIn case you don't know what a Nursing English lesson looks like, I found a demo class on Youtube that I quite enjoyed. I hope you do to!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2NvMdTW_NY
Best,
José
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteI have read the news about the pay rise for nurses, I have confirmed this by reading on the governmnents website. NHS staff will receive 3% pay rise for nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nhs-staff-to-receive-3-pay-rise
However, this a bit disheartening considering what healthcare professionals have been through this whole year following the pandemic outbreak. Do you think just a 3% pay rise it a fair deal? I want to know your opinions.
Best,
José
Hi!
ReplyDeleteThis interesting website is for those of you who are unsure about a nursing career in the UK. The website provides information on the nursing pathways and how to qualify to become a nurse in the UK. I hope it helps!
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/nursing/studying-nursing
Best,
José