Saturday 31 March 2007

Pre-registration delays?

Brilliant! Just when there were loads of problems such as trust freezes, slashed recruitment and the ever present worry that I would end up as a shelf stacker at Tesco*, the university have now decided that they also wish to weigh in along with the NMC. Before, back in the days when I was a first year, you only had to make up time at the end of your training if you had three weeks or more off during your training. Now, the powers that be have decided that all time off can has to be made up at the end of training. This is alledged to be "fair" for those who have turned in all the time. Yeah right. I was off over a 2 1/2 week period (Missed days though only recorded for seminar days n=11) in second year following a unexpected death of my families new arrial after just 10 days. During the flu season I caught a humdinger of the flu, and was off for two days. There are some in my cohort (I will not name names) who decided that certian modules were boring and did not turn in. Others were just lazy.

I was off because I was genuinly depressed and upset following a death, and the second time because I was too ill to attend. But now, despite filling in forms, applying for MITS on essays, playing catch up with work and informing the university on all that happened, despite having all good reasons for the time away, I am now lumped with the lazy idle students who did not want to turn in.

And can I make up some time while on Management and internship and count them as extra days? No, it all has to be at the end of the traning. All of it. That means that assuming I have to attend for 34.5 hours per week (or 36 hours on 3X 12 hours shifts), I have to now wait over a month to register. But the biggest gripe I have is the issue of timing. The statement is that days are to be made up, not the hours lost. This would mean that unless the time itself as opposed to registered days is worked, in effect for missing a 2 1/2 hour seminar, the suggestion is I have to therfor work a 12 hour shift. That means I would have in effect worked 9 1/2 hours more (less lunch breaks) on a ward then then time missed.

"Caring and supportive of students"? Yeah right.

*Tesco, on the basis they do seem like the state within a state these days. Of course, they could just be a supermarket.

Friday 30 March 2007

Mindless Violence

The animal instinct to attack when its territory is invaded is one which you can almost forgive in terms of natural selection. However, when the human animal begins to fight for no reason other then a lot of beer looking for a fight and the rest of the body being prepared to go along with it, usually people end up injured.

Go to any club or pub, and I am sure they have a scoring system based on the number of hospitalised punters there are. Mostly, after being thrown out, and given a few calming kicks by the bouncers, they make their way to A&E. Do they act calm and polite? Do they heck. Reports of Nurses and Doctors being attacked (appart from being the lowest form of low) are nothing new, but looking at some figures, it seems the brainless nerks now seem to think Hi-Jacking ambulances are a good way to proceed as well.

There are many problems which workers in the NHS face at the moment, but what manner of man (or woman) sees it fit to attack the very people who are trying to help them? One wonders with the upcomming management placement and internship just how safe I will be when I hit the wards again.

The first post


So, after lord knows how many years of there being blogs, I have finally lumbered into the world of blogging. I am always prepared to jump onto bandwaggons, even those from 2004. Who will be reading this? Well, you for a start.
So, for a quick recap, who am I? Well, as is a tradition for blogs associated with the majority of health workers, I will remain nameless for now. What my occupation is, you may have guessed is a student nurse, who is in his third year now of a adult branch training.

So, hello.