Confidentiality disclaimer: To ensure the NMC’s guidelines on confidentiality are adhered to, no personal or identifying information will be in this blog. All names used will be pseudonyms and no place, staff or patient details will be used.
This week I am giving a special mention and review to Hash Blondies East London! I was kindly gifted some Blondies and Brownies from the lovely Hash who created Hash Blondies!
A bit about Hash the Baker:
Hash is a Masters student based in East London who started up a small bakery from home, called Hash Blondies. This is after a year of caramel making and baking at the famous Hummingbird Bakery!
The White Chocolate Biscoff Blondies
The Blondies had a perfect springy and chewy texture. They had a charmingly shortbready flavour, lovely and buttery and they were topped with Biscoff pieces. For people who opt more for blondies instead of brownies, these are the perfect choice for a lighter treat!
The Roasted Pecan Brownies
The brownies were the highlight for me. They were gooey, chewy and sticky. The Caramel was salted, the brownie was moist and the Pecans were crunchy. Overall it was rich and chocolatey without being too sickly sweet because of the fabulously made salty caramel topping!
Hash Blondies East London, delivered the Blondies. The service he is currently running is £10 per box of four and includes free delivery in East London!
If you are local to East London, I would thoroughly recommend supporting your local businesses and making an order by contacting Hash on Instagram!
Today I am going to talk through some Student Nurse Placement Hairstyles.
Being stuck in a starchy baggy uniform for 12 hours in a day really didn’t do wonders for my self confidence when I was a student. I often found myself feeling frustrated by the lack of individuality the dress code of being a nurse allows.
I still think it is an ongoing issue how nurses are confined to a stiff uniform but doctors aren’t. You can read about the inequality and historical significance of the dress codes between Doctors and NursesHere.
Expressing individuality as a nurse is more difficult than a regular job with a Smart dress code! The only 2 things you can really choose to style whilst still adhering to uniform are shoes and hair. Read about my opinion on the Best Nursing Shoes for Placements Here.
This brings me to the point of this post, which is 5 of the Best Student Nurse Placement Hairstyles.
All of these hairstyles keep your hair off the collar which is what most Nursing uniform dress codes require.
The Stylish Low Bun with Symmetrical Clips
Couple the hair style with the small pair of hoop earrings (I would remove the large earrings that are pictured here).
This hair style is one of my favourites and definitely the hairstyle I wear most often to work.
The low bun gives you an air of chic and I think it’s quite a utilitarian modern working woman look.
The symmetrical clips suit this the best and couple with a pair of tiny hoop earrings (so you don’t obviously violate any uniform guidelines).
The reason I like this look is because it doesn’t matter how greasy your hair is- it is always pull offable and it’s so quick and easy.
The High Pony.
Again, another easy hair style.
This one is good for when I want to instill confidence. It looks put together and quite preppy.
Pair it with a delicate hair band to go with and style some bits of hair around your face.
The Low Space Buns
Even though going to actual festivals seem like a distant memory, with this work-place-adaptation on the fabulous festival favourite you’ll at least be remembering the good times whilst you suffer at work 🙂
To achieve this look simply part your hair in two and tie them in seperate low buns. As they don’t have to hold the same tension that top of the head buns hold, you can use any style of bun. I tied mine in a simple loop through.
Tip: tie the buns close to your head to achieve a hold that will keep for longer.
The Not-Too Messy Bun
The next option on the student nurse placement hair style list is easy, practical and is perfect for low effort days.
This is the Not-too-messy Bun. There are many ways to achieve the perfectly imperfect messy bun. I find the easiest and most effective way to do it is as follows:
Collect your hair in one hand, whether this is by brushing it back in a slicked back look or keeping the parting of your hair and collecting it at the back.
Twist your hair until it circles around itself.
Tie with a bobble and add a scrunchie! You can then pull out a few strands.
Double French Plaits
This is a more time consuming hair style, however I would recommend it for when you have 2 shifts in a row because I am of the opinion that you can sleep with them in.
It also means that when you do take them out, your hair is very voluminously wavy.
Wondering which shoes are the best for Student Nurse Placements? Read the articlehere!
Today I will address arguably one of the hottest topics in healthcare: What are the best student nurse placement shoes?
Are you a student nurse preparing for your first placements? or have you just started a nursing course and want to have everything ready for nursing school? Preparing for placements is daunting, you have to consider what shoes to wear, what books to buy and what nursing essentials you need with you.
Student Nurse Placement Shoes
Whilst it seems like a lot to think about at first, you’ve come to the right place. This post will help you decide what student nurse placement shoes will work best for you. Allowing you to start your first placement with the confidence of knowing that you look smart in the right outfit for the job. Shoes will be ranked out of 5 for comfort, value for price and look.
Uniform Policies
Nurse shoes need to be black, closed toe and wipeable. All of the shoes mentioned here will fit into these categories.Therefore, they most likely will fit the uniform specification for all University Nursing courses and Nursing jobs.
I cannot tell you how often I heard the word ‘unloops’ whilst I was at Uni. For some reason, in my cohort of nursing students, unloops were THE shoes. It felt like everyone in my year had them. I blame this on the nursing Facebook group we were all a part of which was responsible for the biggest spread of misinformation in the entire degree. Anyway, the shoes. Clarks Unloops are comfy and very, very durable. My shoes lasted 4 years which now that I think about it I’m slightly embarrassed to admit I kept these eye sores for so long. They are also Leather which definitely adds to the durability and wipeableness of them. However if you do not use leather there are definitely other options.
Dr Martens Maccy II Patent Leather Mary Janes. These are the first of two options from Dr Martens that feature in this post. These specific shoes are actually in the kids section but they go up to a size 5 1/2 so will be suitable for lots of nurses! My lovely friend who works in a different A&E took this photo. She says these are better for shifts where she is triaging whereas for when she needs to run around, the Sketchers (below) are better suited.
As they are from the childrens section these shoes are available at a great price and therefore definitely worth the money. The bows are a nice touch and I think they are probably the cutest nursing shoes out there.
Overall Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The next shoes are also docs!
Dr Martens 1461 Mono Smooth Leather Shoes £119
Comfort
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Value
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Look
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Dr Martens Polley Smooth Leather Mary Janes. A few of my friends have these shoes. They are long lasting will withstand a lot of wear. I think they are very neutral so they look good however they also look very professional. They are 100% leather as well. One of the more expensive options however they are 100% leather and they are a high quality shoe. They are described as “Edgy school girl rebellion” on the Dr MArtens website so make of that what you will.
Overall Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Reebok Classics
Reebok Classics £64.95
Comfort
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Value
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Look
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
These Black reebok classic trainers are very comfy, very reasonably priced, a just a classic trainer. These are my current work shoes and I find they are very bouncy and keep my feet very well supported during a 12 hour shift. Not much more to say apart from they are just an all round favourite! On the Reebok website you can also personalise them by adding your name to them if thats your thing! Reebok also do 20% off when you sign up to their mailing list!
Overall Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
If you would like more Nurse resources, check out the Nurse Hub!
Starting a new student Nurse placement is always daunting! On top of worrying about if you will like it, if they will like you and ‘will it be too hard?’; You also have content with travelling times, worrying about what will be asked of you and if your mentor will be friendly! If you’re feeling nervous and want to know how to prepare for student nurse placements, you’ve come across the right post!
Switching between placements is a constantly test of your adaptability. Its rare to find another job where you are similarly thrown into different work settings and expected to learn and thrive. This is especially difficult when the locations are clinical nursing placements as many health care settings are continuously faced with many other pressures!
This being said, when you finish your last day of your final placement the sense of achievement you will feel will be second to none! The time will absolutely fly by so its really important to make the most out of your placements whilst you have the time to learn as a student. The best way to do this it to prepare, so keep reading to find out how to prepare for Nursing placements so you can start your new rotation with confidence!
5 Ways to Prepare for Student Nurse Placements
1. Practice the Route
When you find out your next placement allocation, use Google Maps or City Mapper to figure out the route. Use the apps to calculate a route that ensures you arrive at least 10 minutes before the shift starts. Shifts can start as early as 07:00! It may sound obvious but make sure you look into how this would work on weekends too, as public transport will be less frequent on these days.
Once you’ve figured out the route it is a good idea to do a ‘test run’ to travel to your placement and figure out where the exact location of your placement is. This is especially helpful if you’re based in a large hospital so that you know exactly where to go on your first day. If you don’t know the area at all and are looking at long travel times, try to think of it as widening your geographical knowledge of the area. The placement will be over before you know it!
You could also ask around to see if anyone else in your cohort has the same placement, so you could do the journey together.
2. Research Topics Relevant to the Clinical Setting
I have worked as a Nurse for 2 years now and yet this is something I wish I had done more of as a student! Researching can involve a quick google of the area of care the placement involves.
Brush up on keywords and go over your Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) notes that you have for that area. It absolutely won’t take as long as you think it will.
A little bit of pre reading will give you so much more preparedness for what you will encounter on the placement. For example, knowing the common Cardiac drugs, their uses and contra indications will mean the meds rounds on a Cardiac ward will easy! It will also help with revision of your A&P/Pharmacology subjects for future exams and your future job!
3. Bring the Right Equipment
Its important to have the right equipment with you, on the day, to prepare for student Nurse placements.
Bring at least 2 Black Pens with you.
A Fob Watch is also a necessity for counting respirations accurately whilst recording observations. (An important job as a student nurse, as no one else does it).
Important for counting respirations!
A Small Notepad is also a very useful item to have on you. This is helpful for when you need to write down a name or contact detail in a rush or want to make notes on something you want to research later.
A Pen torch is also important for recording Neuro Observations and a pair of scissors (preferably trauma scissors) are also invaluable in some situations.
A Reusable Hot Drinks Cup is a must if you are travelling by public transport to work and need caffeine on the way
Necessary for morning commutes
A Water Bottle is necessary to stay hydrated throughout the day. I recommend buying a larger one as you may not have time to fill it up often.
This app is by far the fastest and most reliable way to quickly check the contra indications and normal dosage for a drug when you’re at work. It’s also free and works quite well without a connection to wifi or data, which sometimes happens in certain areas of hospitals.
5. Make sure you have the Right Shoes
One of the most important things to sort to prepare for student nurse placements is shoes! Shoes for Nursing placements need to be closed-toed and black. They often benefit from being wipeable if you are in a clinical setting with bodily fluids around such as on a hospital ward. Its also important you choose shoes that are comfy as you will be on your feet for a long time.
If you’re currently doing A Levels and are thinking about applying to University, I’m here to give you 5 Reasons to Study Nursing in 2020.
It is undoubtably a very uncertain time in the healthcare field, and the NHS has never featured more in the news than it has in 2020. There have been Nurses heralded as heroes, Nurses protesting and Nurses dying. This definitely makes considering a career in Nursing a daunting prospect.
Additionally, when talking though your University options at college or sixth form, many people struggle to understand why anybody would want to study to be a Nurse! Especially to work in the NHS at the moment. If you’ve found this page because you’re unsure wether nursing is right for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Hopefully reading this list will help inspire you, restore your confidence in pursuing a career you know in your heart you want to do! Here is why studying Nursing in 2020 is still a good idea.
5 Reasons to Study Nursing in 2020
Its Reliable
To say 2020 has been a difficult year would be an understatement. Covid-19 has not only caused tragedies, it has also left us with many uncertainties about the future. Many people working across a broad spectrum of industries are facing job insecurity in addition to economic uncertainty.
However, Nurses never struggle to find work! You can confidently stay assured that whatever place you are at in your life and whatever situation you are in, you will always be able to find a job. This goes for the state of the world and economy too. It is one of the few roles that are absolutely essential to life and society. Your job security is always guaranteed as Nurses.
It’s Broad
I am an A&E nurse who is also a blogger. I also volunteer with Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity as part of the digital marketing team. The options of where Nursing can take you, are quite literally endless. If you finish University and never want to go into a hospital ever again? You don’t have to! You could work in a private clinic! Ever thought of starting your own business? Many Nurses train in Aesthetics! Additionally, you could work in an edgy IV bar in Shoreditch! You could be a District Nurse! You can be the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse!
Whatever interests you hold in your personal life, there is no doubt you could find a job within Nursing that inspires you every day. (Think Sepsis Nurses, Palliative Care Nurses, Cruise Ship Nurses, GP Clinic Nurses etc etc etc I could go on forever!).
It’s Rewarding
No one would try to claim that being a nurse is easy. However, in terms of making a difference you can’t really top it. The job is challenging, especially when you have to juggle many priorities at the same time. However, as you gain experience, you will feel your confidence growing. There will be some days when you just KNOW you’ve smashed it?! and that’s a great feeling.
Travel
You have freedom to travel anywhere in the world. This point ties in with the first point. However I thought it deserved a special mention. If you train in the UK, the Registration is internationally recognised as one of the best Nursing qualifications in the world! This means if you want to move to Australia and earn £60,000 a year? The job. Is in. The bag.
Progression
Many people go into nursing with the immediate intention of progression. The starting salary of a band 5 RN in the UK is now £24,907. If you are willing to dedicate a few years to your career there are many progression opportunities within nursing, allowing you to increase your salary if thats one of your aims! Due to staff shortages many jobs offer guaranteed progression pathways within 1-2 years as an incentive to retain staff. I myself know people who are motivated and exceptionally good at their job who become Managers and specialist Nurses within a few years of qualifying.
Student Nurse? Check out the Nursing Hub for more Nursing resources!
On the 8th August myself and hundreds of other health care workers engaged in an NHS London Nursing Protest. the March took place from St James’s Park and walked to Number 10 Downing Street. The purpose of the march was mainly securing a 15% pay rise for Nurses within the NHS.
A pay rise been an issue in the front of Nurses and healthcare workers mind’s since it was announced that hundreds of pubic sector workers were getting a payrise. However, nurses were left out of this post Covid ‘Thank you’, leaving many nurses feeling like we had been ‘stabbed in the back’.
In the spirit of protesting, many issues affecting the NHS were addressed. This included many recent tragedies such as the death of NHS workers and PPE shortages. Other things mentioned were NHS cuts, staff shortages and difficult working conditions. I myself was carrying a banner with my friend and colleague saying “Overworked Underpaid”. Half of the banner appears in headline news stories.
Messages
“Torys Lied, Nurses Died”
A chant heard on the day
One of the popular chants heard in the march included “Torys Lied, Nurses Died, Now its Time to Turn the Tide”.
The protest was very powerful, many nurses and healthcare professionals turned up in scrubs. I unfortuately did not plan ahead enough to collect scrubs for the occasion. Thankfully, many of the nurses there today had clearly been planning ahead for the day. When I arrived at my hospital to join the other nurses, the lead gave everyone a sheet with the words to the chants to learn and use
My favourite to chant was “1,2,3,4,5 Keep our NHS alive”. The main chant of the day was “What do we want? 15%! When do we want it? Now!”. Chanting was an important factor in the NHS London Nursing Protest.
Strikes?
A not so surprising factor of the day was the mention of nursing strikes in the future. Strikes were mentioned in some of the chants. In Particular, “What do we want? Pay rise. How do we get it? Strike!”. As I don’t hold any further information on this I can’t comment on any further plans of action and I don’t wish to perpetrate rumours.
If Nurses were to strike?
It wouldn’t be the first time members of the NHS have gone on strike. In 2016 Junior Doctors held a strike to oppose the imposition of new contracts, which reclassified the ‘working week’ to include weekend and late evening working. This was preceded by a protest 3 months prior.
Union Representation
There was strong representation present from Unite and from Unison. However I did not see or feel as though there was much RCN representation present. This could have been from where I was standing though as I was near the front.
Im ironically having to rush writing this as I have a 12 hour shift tomorrow (third in 4 days). It really drives home how important it is to fight for these issues facing our workforce.
Previously, I have been running the Instagram page @survivingnurse. This is with the intention of connecting with other Nurses and Healthcare Professionals in an online community. Additionally, I understand running a connected Instagram also increases the reach of the blog.
Transferring Skills
After running the Instagram page for 4 months I began to think about how I could transfer the blogging skills I had learned. Especially since the pandemic began to wane from the News headlines. This is when I had the idea to apply my skills to support a charity that is very close to my heart. This lead me to contact Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity. I applied for a voluntary role of running and content creating for the @YorkshireBTC Instagram page.
Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity is very meaningful to me. This is because in 2017 my stepdad, Dean was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During this time, the support groups and community offered by Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity was invaluable. My Mum, Hilary especially found great support from the group meetings. She has since volunteered regularly and become an Ambassador for the charity. Dean passed away in 2018 and since then, Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity has continued to be a charity I feel very strongly about promoting. I hope to help raise money for this charity. This is because I understand, first hand, the vital work they do.
What I Aim to Achieve
What I aim to achieve in volunteering for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity is assisting in promoting the charity. I hope to do this by increasing the reach of the Instagram account and supporting Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity Community. This is so they can continue to offer their wonderful support to people and their families, in Yorkshire, who have been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Would you like to donate to support the invaluable work they do? Text INSTAGRAM followed by the amount you wish to donate (for example INSTAGRAM 3 to donate £3) to 70085
Texts cost your donation, plus one standard rate message. You will be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text INSTAGRAMNOINFO with the amount your wish to donate to 70085. For example Text INSTAGRAMNOINFO 3 to 70085 to donate £3
Today marks the start of July! From July 4th there will be new liberties such as pubs and hairdressers being open in the UK! As July has so much change and excitement to offer I would like to share some of the purchases, including masks, fashion and art, that I have enjoyed recently and (in my opinion) are worth investing in for the coming month! These are my July Must-haves!
Must-haves: Fashion
To begin, my first July Must-have is the face covering I have bought from Etsy. After researching online for a cotton face mask I found the delivery times for most masks are delayed. Most of them stating they will be take over 10 days to be delivered. As we all know it is now mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport so I didn’t have long to wait. This option from Aliciasgiftstore on Etsy came through perfectly.
Next, is a t-shirt generously sent to me by Fezshirts. The soft white tees are comfy and perfect for chilling summer vibes. I like this tee because it also recognises and thanks key workers who can often by overlooked whilst NHS staff see more of the appreciation. Here is a photo of myself in the tee
Must-haves: Art
Moving onto Art, this month I have particularly enjoyed a print I purchased from Drawfor.
Drawfor is a non profit platform which raises money for a selection of causes by producing limited editions of prints that artists have drawn for various causes. I bought this print to support their #ThankyouNHS campaign, where 100% of the profits go to NHS charities together.
#ThankyouNHS print by Daisy Bernard
Their latest campaign focuses on Equality and has a gorgeous selection of prints where the profits will support Stand up to Racism.
This is one of my favourite prints in support of Stand up to Racism (Artist Marco Oggian) and I think will be my next purchase.
The final item in my July Must-haves is a plant mister. As we get into summer, a mister is a great way to moisten the leaves and the soil of a plant which does not require very frequent watering, such as succulents, cacti, rubber plants etc.
A few weeks back myself and my housemates were finding ourselves bored, unispired and creatively stifled. As there hadn’t been any reason to look pretty in a while, we were finding we had unworn clothes in the wardrobe and our daily routines had become mundane and lacking creativity. I had seen some posts on Instagram showing content produced over facetime such as this amazing shot from @flashbachphotos and I was #shook. I decided to write this post to help anyone who wanted to know how to do a homeshoot!
A post shared by Bach Nguyen (@flashbachphotos) on
This prompted me to message my friend Polina who is a photographer temporarily living in france. I asked if she would be up to collaborating on a home shoot together and she was on board immediately. We soon set up and started laying the plans for the shoot. I didnt know how to do a homeshoot, however Polina took a directors role with Kandys help and we ended up producing wholesome quarantine content we were very happy with. Here is the process in case anyone wanted to know how to do a home shoot!
Here is a step by step guide to ensure you produce the best home shoot content.
Set up your team. contact the people who you want to involve in the content producing process. This includes deciding on the models, photographer and who is going to edit the content. If you live with other people you can also swap into the role of photographer/model.
Get creative! Have a think and discussion about the type of content you want to produce. what props do you want to use/what outfits and acccessories do you want to feature to style the shoot and what ultimate content do you want to end up creating. In this shoot my housemate Kandy took on the role of stylist and worked with Polina to coordinate the outfits with the shots. Have a look at other home shoot examples by using the #homeshoot tag on instagram and pintrest. Due to Covid 19 and the necessary social distancing measures, many brands (such as ASOS, seen below) who usually produce professional editorials in a studio, are now resorting to homeshot content. Thus setting the trend for some time to come on how most editorials will likely be styled.
In the absence of professional equipment, use the phone with the highest quality camera availabe in your house and set this up to facetime or skype the designated photograher. As the photographer involved for my shoot had use of professional equipment Polina was able to take photos of her laptop screen.
Photo captured by facetime screenshot function.
Vary the way you capture photos. Try using self timer on a phone with assistance and direction of your housemates and photographer on a FaceTime call. As a result of using FaceTime, you can also use the photo taking function in facetime to capture live photos on an Iphone.
Photo taken of her laptop by Polina with a camera
5. Go for some outfit changes to switch up the content
Props!
6. Use household props to capture that staying at home vibe!
7. Have fun and create something you will remember! As soon as pubs, bars and restaurants are open again and you have more excuses to get out of the house you probably wont be rushing to create home content, so use this opportunity to create something to remind you of the good times had during this strange time.
In conclusion, I hope this helps anyone who wants to know how to do a homeshoot!
Dragging your body to a shift on less than 6 hours sleep that you really wish you didn’t have to go to? Been there. Here are the top 10 motivational songs your journey to work that I would recommend listening to if you need a real moral-boosting-you-got-this feeling to tackle the next 12 hours. To summarise, the songs are arranged to start with gentle motivation and slowly progress until you’ll be so pumped off adrenalin you’ll be ready to face the next Karen who tries to have a go at you. Spotify link to this playlist here:
The Playlist
The Songs
I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
To gently ease you into a motivated mindset I recommend I Won’t Back Down as the first song on your commute.
It’s My Life – Dr. Alban
Slightly more upbeat – a strong second track on the commute. This song perks me up, it’s very useful for when someone asks you why you didn’t train to be a doctor instead.
One Way or Another – Blondie
This song really puts me in the ‘I can achieve anything and i’m fabulous ??? mood’
Paper Planes – M.I.A.
Moving onto the next track- This song by M.I.A. is just an all round banger tbh, its not too adrenalin stimulating but still upbeat enough to perk you up for work.
Galvanize – The Chemical Brothers
Next, we have one of the more relaxing Chemical Brothers songs. However, it works to slowly increase the energy levels as the playlist develops
Savage – Megan Thee Stallion
Perfect for the pre-work confidence boost!
Survivor – Destiny’s Child
This song should remind you that you can survive anything the shift has to throw at you!
212 Azealia Banks ft Lazy Jay
Upbeat, fast-paced – Just like your 12 hour nursing shift!
9. Pump It – Black Eyed Peas
Clue is in the name, really just a great song to pump you up!
Lastly, we move onto the Kanye song. Above all, this song has a certain focused energy, perfect for the start of a shift.
10. POWER – Kanye West
If this song doesn’t make you feel like you can do anything – what will?
Hope you enjoy these top 10 Motivational Songs for your journey to work and feel like you can face whatever work throws at you after listening to this power playlist!
