Healthcare Workers Unite - All nurses, HCA's, Students, Midwifes etc WELCOME

[orange-sox]

Hi all,

I have recently noticed there are a lot of ladies in the medical profession on the forum, so I thought I'd create a forum for us all to have a chat about everything and anything to do with your job.

Maybe you're struggling with some course work? Or your charge nurse has pissed you off? Perhaps you've had an awesome day at work, and you want to tell us all about it!

Anywho, I suppose I best introduce myself - get the ball rolling and all that!

I'm a nursing assistant on a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, one of four units in the private hospital that I work in, and I'm awaiting the end of my NVQ3 so I can haul myself off to university to qualify as a Registered Nurse - Mental Health. No two days are the same on my ward, or indeed in the hospital but I absolutely love my job (well most of the time lol).

Can't wait to hear from some others so I don't look like too much of a lemon

 

[orange-sox]

Anyone? No one?

 

[notquitesure]

Me !!!... District Nurse and stressed out of my mind at the moment ggggggrrrrrrrrr....

Hi

 

[babybear]

Scrub nurse. . .currently having to hide from all the bad rays in theatre

 

[luvbunsazzle]

Me Me Me

Im a HCA, working on a medicine ward but specialising in Stroke & High Dependecy.
Not been doing the HCA job long, but have been working in this sort of profession for awhile. Want to complete my NVQ's so i can do my nursing though. x

 

[faille]

I've been trying for months to get into a HCA position but no luck as yet

Oh well, will keep trying and will probably be lurking this thread

 

[Sushai]

Hi there

Im a student EEN (Endorsed Enrolled Nurse or Division 2 Nurse). I just started my course this year and have just completed my first week in the clinical setting. Im hoping to go to Uni at the completion of this course and study Midwifery.

So far no complaints, except sore feet from being on them all day. I'll get used to that right?

Hope to get to know some of you ladies.

 

[Sushai]

Me Me Me

Im a HCA, working on a medicine ward but specialising in Stroke & High Dependecy.
Not been doing the HCA job long, but have been working in this sort of profession for awhile. Want to complete my NVQ's so i can do my nursing though. x

Ok, now this might sound like a really stupid question but what is HCA and NVQ? Im in Australia so maybe the titles are different.

 

[Kooky]

I'm Kirsty, am currently in my second year of a Midwifery degree. It's really really hard work but we keep getting told this year is the worst and the third year isn't so bad. I have exams coming up at the end of June One of which is a drug exam which we need 100% to pass, scaryyyyyy!

Also waiting on the results of two essays we have just handed in. It's really stressful but being on placement makes it so worthwhile

I'll no doubt be around for a moan if that's ok, great idea for a thread

 

[Kooky]

Are you allowed to wear Crocs? I know they are quite ugly but they save my feet completely, they hardly ache even after running around for 12 hours

 

[faille]

Me Me Me

Im a HCA, working on a medicine ward but specialising in Stroke & High Dependecy.
Not been doing the HCA job long, but have been working in this sort of profession for awhile. Want to complete my NVQ's so i can do my nursing though. x

Ok, now this might sound like a really stupid question but what is HCA and NVQ? Im in Australia so maybe the titles are different.

Health Care Assistant and NVQ stands for National Vocational Qualifications

 

[Sushai]

Ooohhh.

Thanks darl. Here the equivalent is AQF which is the Australian Qualifications Framework. I think that covers the Assistant in Nursing which is like a cert 3 and the EN/EEN/Division2 (all the same thing just different name, in different states) which is a cert4/ diploma /advanced diploma.

Then theres the RN (Registered Nurse) which is a Undergrad Bachelors degree at uni.

Pretty kool to know the different systems. Im currently on a scholarship with Ramsay Health Care. Ramsay has hospitals here in Australia, Indonesia, the UK and I think they've opened one in France now, im not sure though.

Thanks again.

 

[topazicatzbet]

hey girls, im a nurse, before mat leave i worked on a 4 bedded renal hdu but while i ve been off they have had a shift around so god knows what i ll be doing when i go back. im dreading it.

 

[orange-sox]

Morning all, just got into bed after my 12.5 hour night shift! Can't believe I am missing all this beautiful weather - gutted.

Last night was so insane, incidents all over the place, my feet didn't touch the floor, nevermind having the chance to sit down!

 

[babybear]

I'm Kirsty, am currently in my second year of a Midwifery degree. It's really really hard work but we keep getting told this year is the worst and the third year isn't so bad. I have exams coming up at the end of June One of which is a drug exam which we need 100% to pass, scaryyyyyy!

Also waiting on the results of two essays we have just handed in. It's really stressful but being on placement makes it so worthwhile

I'll no doubt be around for a moan if that's ok, great idea for a thread

I was in my second year of nursing when I got pregnant with my son (went on maternity just before I was due to go in to my 3rd year). i know just how hard it can be to try and concentrate. I found 3rd year was easier in som eways but harder in others as I had to return to my course when my son was 15 weeks old.
its well worth it in the end I promise.

 

[babybear]

Me Me Me

Im a HCA, working on a medicine ward but specialising in Stroke & High Dependecy.
Not been doing the HCA job long, but have been working in this sort of profession for awhile. Want to complete my NVQ's so i can do my nursing though. x

Ok, now this might sound like a really stupid question but what is HCA and NVQ? Im in Australia so maybe the titles are different.

HCA: health care assistant basically they are the ones who tend to do most of the hands on nursing while the nurses are fighting through a pile of paperwork and management.

NVQ: National Vocational Qualification: there are (correct me if I'm wrong) 3 levels of qualification they are hands on evidence based qualifications rather than exam and essay based. Very much job specific too.

 

[luvbunsazzle]

Hey girls

So what sort of hours/shifts do you all tend to work, ive been lucky, since having the job, i work Mon to Fri 8am till 2pm.

Which is loverly. But definartly grateful for a weekend at the end of it, so tiring being on your feet constantly, it's a 20 bedded side, but in total 40 bedded unit, males one side and females the other. But 4 beds aside for the HDU.

 

[Kooky]

We do 12.5 hour shifts when on placement and get 30 mins break per shift. We do three a week but they aren't set days. It is a long day but i prefer doing 3 long shifts rather than working every day

 

[Sushai]

At placement we do wed-fri from 7am-3.30pm. Up on my ward, we get 14/15 beds to a team, which consists of the RN, EEN, and AIN(or HCA as you guys call them) and maybe 1 or 2 students. Its quite tiring. We do a bit of d/c in the morning but we start getting new admissions straight from theater at about 1100 so always busy.

Our ward is a bit of a mixture, we've got oncology, nuerology and plastics. What wards are you guys on?

BTW, thanks babybear for answering my question. Its all clear to me now

 

[orange-sox]

I do 12.5 hour shifts, with the intention of a 1 hour break in there somewhere, but breaks are like gold dust on my ward, contracted for 160 hours per
month, usually end up doing somewhere in the region of 230ish.

We're a 15 bed plus seclusion suite psychiatric I tensive care unit, staffing can range from 1RMN + 2 NA's right upto about 3 RMN's and about 20 NA's depending on the patients, their risk to themselves and or others. It took a long time to get into the shifts, they are physically and mentally exhausting but I still go back every shift!