Advice and Tips for Student Nurses - Last Updated 30/01/07

Advice and tips for surviving your nursing training. Some of this is quite general and some specific or applying just to children's nursing. Some of these things may seem obvious but they're still worth pointing out. I'll add to this further as I come up with things, for that reason this list in non-alphabetical so new things can be added to the end. Feel free to comment with suggestions of your own.

Click a link to take you to that section of the page: Shoes, Portfolio, Bad placements, Sickness/Absence, Questions, Bubbles, Tongue Depressors, Urinalysis, Placement Essentials, Handwashing, Textbooks - Edited 30/01, Union Membership, Journals.

Shoes - You don't have to spend a fortune on shoes, but a good pair of shoes will last you throughout your training and it is essential that they comfortable and hard wearing. You will be on your feet a lot of the day and do a lot of walking. Think of them as an investment and don't necessarily go for the cheapest you can find.

Portfolio - do keep this updated as you progress through the course, you will need it later when you come to applying for work and it is something you will develop further when working. Don't make the mistake I did of having to catch it all up at the end. A little time as you go along will save you a lot of time later.

Bad placements - You will have placements you don't like and there will be staff/mentors that you don't get along with but from every bad experience you learn something, even if all you learn is that you don't want to work in that clinical speciality or that you don't want to be like that nurse. If you are having real problems do approach a senior member of staff who will be supportive, your link lecturer or your personal tutor.

Sickness/Absence - You will have to make up any sick time you take, unless it's just a few days, I'm not saying go in when you are unwell because for yourself, the staff and patients it is better that you don't. But I know how tempting it is on a bad placement not to go in and think you will make it up later, it is a lot harder later.

Questions - Ask questions. Yes, I know everyone tells you this but it's really important. If you don't understand something then ask, we have all been new and inexperienced. I'm a few months away from qualifying and I still ask questions I feel like I should know the answer to, but it is the best way to learn and often being given an explanation by a real human being in practice will make more sense that the textbook jargon.

Bubbles - As you may have guessed this is geared towards the children's nurses! Do not underestimate the power of bubbles, they can be a fantastic method of distraction or relaxation, but be mindful of the age/development of the child. Oh, and don't blow them in their faces!

Tongue depressor - This is a convenient place to write down your normal observation values, particularly for the paediatric nurses who will have to learn several. Pop it into your pocket and it's always to hand yet subtle!

Urinalysis - There will be time when you are asked to do a urinalysis on the tiniest amount of urine, as it may also need to be sent to the lab you don't want to use too much of it or contaminate it. Using a 2ml syringe and a needle, draw up a little and drop one droplet onto each of the coloured squares on the test trip, you can then return the remainder to the specimen pot.

Placement essentials - At least 2 black pens, inexpensive as they will be lost/borrowed/stolen regularly. A calculator, important for drug and fluid calculations and you could easily be doing these in your first placement. A watch/fobwatch with a second hand, fobwatch is the best. Scissors, you'll find there are never a pair around when you need them. Lipbalm and hand cream, neither of which should be in a pot/tub for infection control reasons - lipbalm in a stick and hand cream in a tube.

Handwashing - You will be told this a thousand times but handwashing is so important, and so many people do it badly. It is one of the most important things in the fight against infection. I know it's a pain to have to do it, and yes you'll feel like you're doing it constantly but it is important. Alcohol handrub/gel is quicker and more convenient but can dry out your hands.

Textbooks - Textbooks can be very pricey, borrow them from the library for assignemnts, but some are worth having at home for regular use. I bought quite a few when I started training, some were worth it an other's not! Here are some suggestions:

• Marieb - Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology. A good biology text, it's not too in depth but gives as much information as you will need.
  
• Huband and Trigg - Practices in Children's Nursing. this book is a great source of practical information for procedures/care both in hospital and the community, I've used it loads for essays. It now has a new edition out under the same titel but edited my Trigg and Mohammed.
  
• Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children. This was published last year and replaces/updates Whaley and Wong's Children's Nursing. A good all round text, but I prefer the Glasper and Richardson (which is also cheaper!)
  
• Glasper and Richardson - A Textbook of Children's and Young People's Nursing. I have now bought this book and it's great, I'd highly reccomend it and over the Wong text as it is specific to nursing in the UK and relates back to UK practice and legislation constantly.
  

I would definitely invest in a good biology text, and a good all-round text like the Glasper and Richardson. If you aren't sure about which books to buy check them out in your university library first. It is often cheaper to purchase books online.

Union Membership - It is very important that you join a union. You will receive discounted membership at a student. Our university was visited by UNISON and the RCN, I joined both because they were cheap and had good freebies! But I have stuck with RCN because I personally feel they offer the best support to nurses as they are specifically for nurses.

Journals - I've subscribed to two different journals during my training. Nursing Standard and Paediatric Nursing, I know only get Paediatric Nursing but may opt to take out Nursing Standard again. NS offered a good discount for students and is worth getting for that reason alone. I find PN has some very useful articles and current news. You should be able to access these journals in your university library if you don't wish to subscribe to them. The Nursing Standard and Paediatric Nursing are published by the RCN and if you are a member you have access to their online journal versions, including the archive. Even if you choose not to subscribe to any I would recommend reading one on a regular basis.