Back where I belong

14 Mar 2013 2 Comments

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

At long last my nursing registration has been renewed. I checked the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC), register online today and saw the magic words and PIN number on screen.

I am so ecstatic about the news because now I am officially a ‘proper nurse’ again. For the last month I have been working at a band lower than I should be as a registered nurse on my unit and now I can be changed to the higher band, where I belong. It has been a very frustrating time because as a non registered nurse I couldn’t give any medicines at work and therefore couldn’t be completely responsible for all my patients’ care. On the unit drug therapy is a massive part of the nursing care and I’ve had to ask my colleagues to do this for me.  I found this very annoying as I’m a very experienced nurse in this specialty, I worked on this unit for 15 years before my illness.

I’m so proud of myself for getting to this point in my life, this time 2 years ago I was in a completely different place; despondent, desperate and doubting whether I had a future in work at all. It’s been a hard slog but it’s definitely been worth the mammoth effort.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends and family for all their fantastic support over the last year, especially to my mum for letting me invade her home and to my husband Hasan for coping without me and for all the love, support and encourage he gives everyday from Turkey.

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Can only get better

20 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve nearly finished my first 2 weeks in my new job on my old unit and I must say I’ve coped really well. Although after each 12 hour shift I’ve felt very tired, once I’d had a good nights sleep I felt refreshed. I was worried that I would feel dreadful the following day but so far that’s not been the case.

I have however been finding my first few weeks very frustrating. I finished the Return to Nurse Practice course in November but our results have only just gone to the external awards board and we don’t get our registration numbers, (PIN), until sometime in March. This means that at the moment I am not allowed to check and give any medicines and be responsible for all my patients’ care until I receive my PIN. Before I became ill I worked on this unit as a senior staff nurse and I just want to be a fully functioning member of staff as I used to be.

I’m hoping that any day now my letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC), will drop on my doormat with all the paperwork I need to complete to get my PIN.  I don’t like doing anything half-baked, but I know there’s nothing I can do at the moment but wait…….that’s another thing I don’t like.

 

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