No two days are the same for student nurse Alex Collyer who used to work for the ambulance service. Photograph: University of SouthamptonLife as a student nurse means that no two days are the same, whether it's clinical placements, lectures, presentations or simulated practice. It's varied and challenging but that's why I enjoy it.
I am currently studying for a bachelor degree in child and adult nursing at the University of Southampton. I have just finished my first year and I am about to begin a placement in the neonatal unit at the Princess Anne hospital. This is the start of my nursing adventure, after four years in the ambulance service.
My first placement was at the children's assessment unit (CAU) at Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth, which deals with children referred by GPs, ambulance crews, community nurses and has open access for families with children who suffer from long-term conditions.
It is a 24/7 unit with nurses and doctors on 12-hour shifts starting at 7.30am. My day on CAU started with the night team bringing us up to speed with those patients already in the unit. The mornings there could be a bit of a whirlwind – assessing, treating, playing, talking to families, observing and dispensing medication – as we attempted to get as many children as possible to the point where they could be safely discharged home. For the children who were not well enough to go home, we arranged for them to be admitted to either a medical or surgical ward. And, seriously ill children were stabilised before being transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit at Southampton general hospital.
Working in a children's unit was fast paced and you deal with the full spectrum of medical conditions. It was also rewarding as children tend to bounce back quite fast and you see their personalities return. I also had a placement in the community working with a health visiting team where I had the opportunity to study child development.
I have been lucky enough to get a place on the National Junior Leadership Academy (NJLA), a pilot project set up by Stacy Johnson, a lecturer at the University of Nottingham, to identify nurse leaders at an early stage. So far we have spent three days in Nottingham discussing what change could mean in healthcare and how to lead that change. All the NJLA students have now returned to their local areas to try and create improvements in their healthcare localities and we meet again in December.
It is opportunities like this, and going on placement, that ensure nursing students are learning from the people who are delivering healthcare, as well as academics and researchers at universities. Both aspects allow nursing students to have a well rounded training programme that prepares us for life in healthcare.
The nursing degree offers 50% clinical placement time and 50% university study and I have been able to take what I have learnt in the classroom on to the wards. During the next few years, my placements will rotate around the various wards and departments in different NHS organisations to gain a wide range of clinical experience. After qualifying, I am hoping to start in an intensive care unit or an emergency department to build on my experience with the ambulance service.
Student nursing is time intensive, we work nights and weekends and, when we're not on the wards, we have essays to write and pharmacology and anatomy exams to get ready for. Due to the nature of the course, student nurses rapidly form a close community. We all have a common goal of helping others and caring for those in need.
When I'm not in hospital or at the university, I am a combat medical technician in the Territorial Army and I have previously served in Iraq. To de-stress I go running with the University of Southampton athletics team, which is my only break from healthcare.
Before drifting off to sleep I normally have a slight moment of apprehension when I realise I have to be up in five hours to get back to the ward. But I don't mind; there is nothing else I would rather be doing. Working in healthcare can be relentless but you're constantly motivated by your colleagues and the interactions with patients to provide the very best care the public deserves.
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