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.

 

nurse

One more pound along the road I go

15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

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

I have been so engrossed in my studies that I haven’t kept my loyal readers up to date with my adventures in fat club land.

In the last 2 weeks I have lost another 3 and a half pounds, I only need to lose another pound and I will have reached my 10% weight loss target.

I think doing my nurse practice hours have really helped me to shift the extra pounds, it’s been quite busy on all the days I’ve worked so far and I’ve walked miles on the unit.

Over the last 7 years during my illness I haven’t been able to do any exercise and didn’t really move around a great deal as it was exhausting. That’s why the pounds piled on and I got lardy!

So not only is the course shaping my nursing career, it’s also helping me to regain my body and once the course is over I’m going to make an effort to get back to exercise. I just haven’t had the energy to do anything else after finishing my shifts.

It’s been a hard slog so far both for the course and the weight loss, but both have been worth it.

Light at the end of the tunnel

10 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

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

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t written in this blog since the end of September. I have been so consumed by the Return to Nurse Practice course, that I haven’t been able to think about anything else. I often read the paper or see something on TV that I could write about and never get round to doing anything about it.

On a positive note though… I have written my assignment and am ready to submit it online, I really need to do that soon to avoid obsessional tweaking. Also I am over half way through my practice hours and will be finished by the end of October.

The course will be officially over 15th November and then I can take a well needed break. I have really enjoyed working back on the unit, many of the staff I worked with before are still there and some days it’s like I’d never left.

Although it has been exhausting going back to nursing, I’m glad that I made the decision to do it.

One step forward and no steps back

27 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Good news on my quest to get an honorary contract to do my nurse practice. My contract offer arrived in the post 2 days ago and today I went to the recruitment centre to hand in my completed paperwork to set the CRB checking machine in motion.

Hopefully it won’t take too long for them to check, for the second time in 4 months, that I don’t have a criminal record.

I don’t understand why recent CRB disclosures aren’t transferable between different organisations. It’s so frustrating for employers and employees to have to do the checks and wait for weeks for the results, even if the applicant has a valid recent CRB disclosure done elsewhere.

I learnt today that there is a part on the form that allows the applicant to get a personal number so they can be tracked in the system, negating the need for repeated checks. Apparently this part of the form is ignored by the CRB agency because the system is not active and never has been activated. One theory is that the agency has cottoned on that they will be missing out on the £43 it costs every time a check is done.

Great eh?

Fingers crossed I won’t wait too long to confirm what I already know.

 

Girl power

03 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

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

I was reading my “Woman and Home” magazine today and there was an article on the importance of friendships for women.

I’m lucky to have many friends, women and men, that I have met through the different areas of my life such as; nursing, guiding, bringing up my boys, travelling, exercise classes etc. But I’m even luckier to have a core group of girl friends who have all, in their special way, been an invaluable support especially over the last few years.

I feel I need to name them all as if I’m making an Oscar acceptance speech because they could be reading this post, well at least I hope they are!

My good friends from work are Jane.B, George and Kate, when we are able we meet up on Fridays to have coffee, catch up on gossip and have a mooch around the shops. They also keep me updated with the news from the unit, which is essential to me now as I will be working there on the Return to nurse practice course.

Living next door is my lovely neighbour and friend Debbie, she is always around for good company and she is also my companion and support at fat club.

My friend Bev has her own health problems that are similar to mine and a very lively grand daughter to run around after, but she always makes time for coffee shop meetings to listen and chat.

Married to my brother, Sharon is fabulous, I consider her a friend and a sister and she lets me kidnap my lovely little nieces very often.

My best and oldest friend is Jane or BB as I affectionately call her, (long and complicated story to the name), we have known each other for about 30 years. We first met through scouting and although initially we didn’t spend a lot of time together, when we started having our children we became inseparable. We have shared many good times and plenty of bad times together. We have been ill for about the same amount of time and both seem to be recovering at he same time too, so we are supporting each other trying to get our lives back on track. Jane is going through her own personal problems at the moment, but we always seem to have a good time and often laugh until we cry.

A good friend listens, doesn’t judge, gives advice if needed, says nothing if that is best, tells the truth even if it might hurt, will give support unconditionally and tell you if your bum looks too big in that skirt!

I know my recovery wouldn’t have happened so well if it wasn’t for my special group of friends and I wouldn’t be without them.