Towards transition....student nurse to qualified nurse

Settling back home after my Asian Adventure, I immersed myself back into placement within the UK and indulged in my own studies at university. I must admit perhaps I did not reflect truly on how I felt or adjusted back to life once back in the UK. From experiencing all the cultures and enchanting experiences in Laos, meeting so many wonderful patients and staff members; I realised I had gained friends and memories for life. With the workload increasing at university, I delved straight back into my studies and had an assignment due December time.

This is an aspect I have noticed much more over the past few months, the workload, pressures, stress and feeling low over constant workloads is now more evident than ever. I have worked well on trying to organise myself to keep focused and complete all I needed to do, however it is hard to stay motivated. I am an open, positive and driven individual, however at times I have felt deflated, disengaged and most of all fatigue. This is all before I even qualify...With this in mind, I embarked on my final placement straight after my assignment was submitted, this was hard as I have to appear fresh eyed, bushy tailed and rearing to go...so I took a deep breath and put on a smile...Hello my name is...presenting a fully energised student on the outside, yet feeling totally fatigue and perhaps lost on the inside. 

I know the final few months before qualifying are known to be the toughest, as a student you constantly hear the pressures of the sign-off placement and workload stress. However, my outlook is to always carry-on, perhaps dig in and keep working, learning, developing and growing in every aspect I can. My placement has been most welcoming and I have gained so much experience as a nursing student. My mentor has from day one on placement instilled a sense of taking ownership of my own patients and truly helped me developed my management skills on the ward environment. I feel this support from a mentor is so important, as it enables me to realise on my own accord how to develop my own confidence in delegation and how to manage my own workload. 

I am currently half-way through my final sign-off placement and I continue to feel fatigue but I also now have a feeling of excitement and nervousness as I know the ending of my student nurse journey appears closer. The process of finding and accepting a job can be stressful, therefore with a poorly partner in hospital after a perforated appendix, working my own job and working full-time on placement...I am at my most vulnerable. However, I have a good support network; great family, friends, personal tutor at university and mentor on placement...I know they will all help me through my last few weeks to complete my student nurse journey. Perhaps, I now realise the most important person and only person who can help, is myself. I am strong and I keep reinforcing to myself I need to stay positive, think openly and how all the hard work will pay off. I feel I am slowly gaining my inner smile back and I know I am enjoying life, no matter what it can sometimes throw at you. 

As I move towards the transition into becoming a qualified nurse, I feel excited but also nervous and I think these emotions are shared by many of my fellow student nurses. I feel it is also quite natural to feel this way with this change in my life. I think no matter what people try to do to prepare for the transition to qualified nurse, nothing can really prepare you...I think we just have to embrace the experience, always with an open, positive smile! I have to be mindful to have an awareness of what and who is around me, look towards the future and see the light...the light shining my own nursing journey which is so very soon about to begin.

Looking out towards the light...embracing my future nursing journey