I got a letter this morning from Uni with my computer username and password! I was so happy because it means they haven't forgot me! Anyway, tried all day to sign in, but it says my password isn't recognised. There is also a little not saying if I can't log on and enroll online, not to worry as they'll help me do it on my first day. As it's the Christmas holidays there is nobody at Uni to ring up and get help from so I'll have to wait until January. Never mind, at least I've heard something positive!
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, eats lots, drink more and have fun! xxx
Monday 22 December 2008
Friday 19 December 2008
Bit of a MAJOR STRESS!!!
I really hate filling out forms. I always cock them up but asking for two would make me look a bit special. I need to fill out the Bursary one then the CRB one when I get it.
I start 12th Jan and I still haven't heard anything, so I decided to try and be pro-active. I rang the NHS Bursary place to see what my student number is, which I need in order to complete the form, it's all filled in apart from this one bit. So calling them up and I find out they don't even have me on record, then they suggested I call the Uni to make sure I definately have a place!
*major massive panic*
The nice lady at Uni says they've not sent the list of people who are doing my course, which is why the Bursary people don't have a clue who I am. Was a bit relieved, but after I put the phone down I thought I should have asked if she could double check my name was on their list, as I get myself stressed easily (What if they didn't get my confirmation that I'd take the place? What if they don't have enough people on the course so they don't run it this year? What if I'll be too late to get my bursary?...) Like I say I stress myself out! So basically I'm no further forward, and I wish it wasn't all so last minute! Actually no, scrap that, I wish it was further forward, say, middle of January so I'd have started, got my stuff sorted and be getting stuck in!
I start 12th Jan and I still haven't heard anything, so I decided to try and be pro-active. I rang the NHS Bursary place to see what my student number is, which I need in order to complete the form, it's all filled in apart from this one bit. So calling them up and I find out they don't even have me on record, then they suggested I call the Uni to make sure I definately have a place!
*major massive panic*
The nice lady at Uni says they've not sent the list of people who are doing my course, which is why the Bursary people don't have a clue who I am. Was a bit relieved, but after I put the phone down I thought I should have asked if she could double check my name was on their list, as I get myself stressed easily (What if they didn't get my confirmation that I'd take the place? What if they don't have enough people on the course so they don't run it this year? What if I'll be too late to get my bursary?...) Like I say I stress myself out! So basically I'm no further forward, and I wish it wasn't all so last minute! Actually no, scrap that, I wish it was further forward, say, middle of January so I'd have started, got my stuff sorted and be getting stuck in!
Friday 12 December 2008
Occupation Health Woes
When I was sent my offer, I had a load of forms to fill out, one of which was the Occ Health form. Anyway I sent it of the next day and this morning I got a letter saying I needed to ring them. I was worried, as always haha, I’m convinced something is going to go wrong with this and I will end up not being a nurse! I rang them up and they said that as I didn’t have a record of having a BCG I either had to provide evidence or have a test. After asking my Mam, she said I had the ‘stamp’ thing done when I was little and the reaction meant I didn’t need to BCG. Thing is, I had no actual proof that this happened, and I needed some! So, I rang round everyone (doctors, old school health dept, old doctors, everyone!) Eventually the receptionist at my doctors surgery said she’d get my file and go through it, which she did and was very helpful, however there was no records of this test. Back on the phone to occ.health who told me I needed to come and see them and get a Mantoux test done, which would clear all this up. Appointment is 5th Jan, I start on the 12th! Nothing like cutting it fine, ey?!
Friday 5 December 2008
Just Wanted To Say...
I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!
Woo! I just want to get stuck in SO much! COME ON JANUARY! Hurry Up!
Woo! I just want to get stuck in SO much! COME ON JANUARY! Hurry Up!
Sunday 30 November 2008
Double Checking
Ok so I emailed the confirmation last night and I rang up this morning (just to be sure, they might have made a mistake!) and I'm all good to go!
I didn't drink my champagne in the end, but I still woke up this morning thinking...'Me, a nurse...can't believe it!' I am still so ridiculously excited, I want to tell everyone but I'm so scared they've made a mistake! I won't be totally relaxed that I've got a place til I'm sitting in the lecture hall on 12th January!
OMG, that's not long, I have so many things to sort out!
I didn't drink my champagne in the end, but I still woke up this morning thinking...'Me, a nurse...can't believe it!' I am still so ridiculously excited, I want to tell everyone but I'm so scared they've made a mistake! I won't be totally relaxed that I've got a place til I'm sitting in the lecture hall on 12th January!
OMG, that's not long, I have so many things to sort out!
Saturday 29 November 2008
WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
OMG I am so ridiculously happy! I. GOT. A. PLACE!!! Wooo!
Ok, and breathe.
I can't believe I got a place on the course! I think this is probably one of the best days in my life!
I'll talk you through the whole interview and everything up until right now!
First off, my interview was 19th November in UNN at Newcastle. I managed to find the place ok (ish - I'm so rubbish at directions so I just chatted to some girl on the metro who so happened to be be a student there already and then we walked together) I was there early so I got a drink in the cafe in a hopeless attempt to steady my nerves. Anyway, found the room ok, and was asked to sit down with three other ladies who were applying. It was quite nice to chat as I thinked it calmed us all down, and we could ask each other questions about what we'd heard about the Uni and the course. This year is the first year that UNN has done a post grad diploma in Child Nursing. I had previously applied to do both the adult and mental health courses since I graduated in 2006 and I was getting pretty desperate to be a nurse! I actually got an offer last year for the Mental Health course but if I’m entirely honest, it just didn’t ‘feel right’ and I always follow my heart over my head, so I deferred it. It wasn’t until late this year I saw that the Child Nursing course was starting, and, do you ever get it when you think ‘This is really it’? I can’t explain it, I just knew that the child course was the one I really wanted (needed!) to do. I rang up the Uni straight away and asked if I could apply, they said they’d pass my previous application on then a week or so later, when I thought it must have been a ‘no’ I got an interview letter. I was over the moon! All I needed to do now was try my best not to screw up the interview, easier said than done when you’re me!
So, back to the interview. After we had been chatting for a bit we were called in to meet the staff that had devised the course and would be teaching it too. It didn’t feel like an interview as they were lovely, really friendly and chatty, nonetheless I still felt my tummy knotting up! We had discussions about the various issues in todays nursing, how we could overcome them, our thoughts on such things, and it was really interesting. The only bad thing was when they said there were only ten places availiable - I literally felt my tummy drop. Not. A. Chance. Then it was time for the individual interviews and I volunteered to go first, not just to ‘get it out of the way’ but I knew I’d be even more nervous if I had to wait! The first question was ‘Why Child and not Mental Health Nursing’ which I was kind of expecting, but I explained how I felt and it must have worked! I was then asked a few other questions ‘Why would you make a good nurse?’, ‘If we asked people to tell us about you what would they say?’ etc, these are the ones I find most difficult as I always find it near impossible to sell myself!
The interview came to an end and I was told where the lessons took place and I was allowed to have a look round, so I did and it was amazing! Everything is brand new, but that’s not why it’s amazing! It’s just that, there are little cubicles with all the machines (I will learn the right terminology!) and it looks so real, I could see straight away that it would be such a good place to learn everything. I chatted to a student already there and she confirmed it was a fab place to study nursing, which got me even more excited. But, even all this being good, I felt that I’d messed up the interview and tried not to get my hopes up. I came away in a good mood because I had FINALLY found the career that I wanted and listening to the placements and the lesson topics, I had not a single doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted. I felt a bit sad because I *knew* that I wouldn’t get a place, so when I went home I went on the internet and looked up all the Uni’s which did this course and worked out how I could apply for next year – I was that sure I wasn’t going to get a place.
Cue forward to today, when I’ve come home from a long day in a crappy job which I absolutely detest…and I have a letter from the Uni offering me a place! I really can’t believe it, there has to be some mistake! Unfortunately I was on a late shift so I can’t ring up to confirm my acceptance til tomorrow, but I will not sleep tonight!Anyway, what a loooooong blog, I don’t think the others will ever be this long (or this boring!) but it’s my first of many! I just went into the interview details in case someone hoping to apply for nursing can see the format of interviews and it might help them!
Right I’d better be off, I have some celebrating to do! I have a bottle of champagne which I’ve kept in the fridge since my 21st Birthday (ages ago, well 4 years!) and I was saving it for a special occasion, and whilst I love champers, I can’t afford it (!) and I think this is the moment to open in! Yay!
Ok, and breathe.
I can't believe I got a place on the course! I think this is probably one of the best days in my life!
I'll talk you through the whole interview and everything up until right now!
First off, my interview was 19th November in UNN at Newcastle. I managed to find the place ok (ish - I'm so rubbish at directions so I just chatted to some girl on the metro who so happened to be be a student there already and then we walked together) I was there early so I got a drink in the cafe in a hopeless attempt to steady my nerves. Anyway, found the room ok, and was asked to sit down with three other ladies who were applying. It was quite nice to chat as I thinked it calmed us all down, and we could ask each other questions about what we'd heard about the Uni and the course. This year is the first year that UNN has done a post grad diploma in Child Nursing. I had previously applied to do both the adult and mental health courses since I graduated in 2006 and I was getting pretty desperate to be a nurse! I actually got an offer last year for the Mental Health course but if I’m entirely honest, it just didn’t ‘feel right’ and I always follow my heart over my head, so I deferred it. It wasn’t until late this year I saw that the Child Nursing course was starting, and, do you ever get it when you think ‘This is really it’? I can’t explain it, I just knew that the child course was the one I really wanted (needed!) to do. I rang up the Uni straight away and asked if I could apply, they said they’d pass my previous application on then a week or so later, when I thought it must have been a ‘no’ I got an interview letter. I was over the moon! All I needed to do now was try my best not to screw up the interview, easier said than done when you’re me!
So, back to the interview. After we had been chatting for a bit we were called in to meet the staff that had devised the course and would be teaching it too. It didn’t feel like an interview as they were lovely, really friendly and chatty, nonetheless I still felt my tummy knotting up! We had discussions about the various issues in todays nursing, how we could overcome them, our thoughts on such things, and it was really interesting. The only bad thing was when they said there were only ten places availiable - I literally felt my tummy drop. Not. A. Chance. Then it was time for the individual interviews and I volunteered to go first, not just to ‘get it out of the way’ but I knew I’d be even more nervous if I had to wait! The first question was ‘Why Child and not Mental Health Nursing’ which I was kind of expecting, but I explained how I felt and it must have worked! I was then asked a few other questions ‘Why would you make a good nurse?’, ‘If we asked people to tell us about you what would they say?’ etc, these are the ones I find most difficult as I always find it near impossible to sell myself!
The interview came to an end and I was told where the lessons took place and I was allowed to have a look round, so I did and it was amazing! Everything is brand new, but that’s not why it’s amazing! It’s just that, there are little cubicles with all the machines (I will learn the right terminology!) and it looks so real, I could see straight away that it would be such a good place to learn everything. I chatted to a student already there and she confirmed it was a fab place to study nursing, which got me even more excited. But, even all this being good, I felt that I’d messed up the interview and tried not to get my hopes up. I came away in a good mood because I had FINALLY found the career that I wanted and listening to the placements and the lesson topics, I had not a single doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted. I felt a bit sad because I *knew* that I wouldn’t get a place, so when I went home I went on the internet and looked up all the Uni’s which did this course and worked out how I could apply for next year – I was that sure I wasn’t going to get a place.
Cue forward to today, when I’ve come home from a long day in a crappy job which I absolutely detest…and I have a letter from the Uni offering me a place! I really can’t believe it, there has to be some mistake! Unfortunately I was on a late shift so I can’t ring up to confirm my acceptance til tomorrow, but I will not sleep tonight!Anyway, what a loooooong blog, I don’t think the others will ever be this long (or this boring!) but it’s my first of many! I just went into the interview details in case someone hoping to apply for nursing can see the format of interviews and it might help them!
Right I’d better be off, I have some celebrating to do! I have a bottle of champagne which I’ve kept in the fridge since my 21st Birthday (ages ago, well 4 years!) and I was saving it for a special occasion, and whilst I love champers, I can’t afford it (!) and I think this is the moment to open in! Yay!
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