Nurse Gintare

Today I decided to film a vlog about how to study for certain classes. It might be a bit rambly... I just wanted to bring all the information that was in my head across to you in this video. I'm not an expert by any means, but because I've had to adjust my own study habits and methods, I thought it might help someone in a similar situation.
So check it out :)

Xo,
Gintare

Hiya!
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! Here is a video that I recorded last weekend about placement this time around. It's kind of rambly but if you like vlogs (and nursing school vlogs in particular) you might like this one :) Anyway, I welcome comments, questions and constructive criticism so if there's anything you'd like to say/ask/suggest I would love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading and watching,
Gintare xo

While I'm normally an over-packer (an understatement!), I've learned to condense my essentials into a smaller bag for clinical. I love to carry around lots of random stuff for class (you can see for yourself here and here ), that doesn't really work for clinical placement. Most ward areas only have small spaces designated for belongings, so a small bag works better. I've decided to share with you what I carry in my bag. Hopefully you find this interesting and it might inspire you to downsize too!
So here we go:

I'm one of those people that love to be organised and I'm a firm believer that organisation is the key to success in anything I do. In order to remember appointments, assignments, exams etc., I have to write these things down to remember little details. I've always been that way and for years I was searching for the perfect diary/agenda/calendar. When I stumbled across Filofax I was very impressed. I love that I can customise it and change things up if I feel like it. The huge community of Filofax lovers on YouTube, Instagram and blogs is inspiring-there's some really creative people out there! One of the blogs I love is Philofaxy. It's like a treasure trove of different ideas and ways to make your Filofax your own. While browsing away, I decided to post about my own Filofax and how I make it work for me.
I have the personal size Finsbury in Pink, which is a leather organiser and it's the perfect size for me. While it's not as big and spacious as the A5, it fits into every day bag I have (except my clinical bag, but that's another story!). It's buttery soft to touch and the quality is amazing. As far as inserts go, I have the basic inserts, which you will see below.


Here is a random week, which is covered in pink post-it's because my timetable changes sometimes, so I like the fact that I can peel these off and change my day in a few minutes :)

This is the end of the above list, with the finish line clearly marked out hahaha! And at the very end I have written "RGN" (which is also part of the title of this blog!), because that is my ultimate goal.



Here are some of the other dividers that I customised...
This is a pretty picture of a workstation that I really liked. I took this from a magazine, but it was so long ago that I can't even remember which magazine this was.
As part of my New Year's resolutions for 2014 I vowed to be better with my money. I decided to learn how to budget and spend my money wisely. Hence the Ziploc envelope full of coupons. At the front you can see my Tesco clubcard coupons, which are brilliant, and there are lots more. I really like this pouch/envelope, because it holds A LOT of coupons and I can also see it because it's (obviously) clear plastic.
I also have a business card holder, which I don't use for that purpose. Instead, I keep Sellotape dots and sticky tabs in different sections. I find that it helps me keep these little bits more organised and in one place so I can easily find them when I need to.
And finally, I have the very end of my Filofax- the zip pocket, which currently has nothing in it, but usually I put little documents, forms and (sometimes) stickers into.

So this sums up my Filofax and Part 1 of how I keep organised. I hope you've enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading :)

Xo,
Gintare

So as part of semester 2 I'm out on clinical placement again. This time our placement is 6 weeks and I have 2 different sites that I've been placed on. One is an acute surgical facility, and the other is a step-down from acute. So far I'm finished with week 1 and I absolutely love it! The best thing about clinical placement for me is the patient interaction and I feel I really get to make a difference in people's lives. I would never want that to change. The feeling is incredible when you finish your shift and you realise that you may have brightened up someone's day... I've had some hard moments this week, when I felt that I didn't know things and when negative things have happened to my patients. I felt like crying (and have cried) a few times, but by speaking to other student nurses has helped me get to grips with my feelings. I'm not a crier by nature, I find that it takes a lot for me to cry, but these situations kind of catch me off guard at times and then I have to step away for a minute and shed a little tear. I think that that's what happens to a lot of us students when we go out on placement, especially seeing people struggling, because we can't help but imagine "what if that was my mum/dad/brother/grandparent?". It's hard emotionally...On the other hand, the positives far outweigh the negatives. That's part of the reason why I started this blog. I wanted to document these ups and downs and what I've learnt from each experience so that I could look back. And maybe it might help someone else when they're struggling. On the positive side, most (if not all) patients are wonderful and they're very much on board with helping you learn and observing/performing procedures. I find that people are very open and honest and are placing such trust in you that you can't help but give 110% for them. Maybe that's part of the reason that clinical is so exhausting, in that every time I leave the ward I feel like I gave it my all and I hope I can do everything better the following day.
Clinical is such an emotional time and it has a physical/mental impact on you as well. These are the things I've learnt so far:

1. Even though you'll have to work 12 hour shifts a lot, most days you won't even notice the time fly. I swear it's like an alternate reality, where time goes by 3x as fast haha! That's why, even though 12 hour days might seem long and daunting at first, you won't even notice the time go by, so be prepared for that.

2. Make time to study. I don't know about you, but I have to study to get good grades, and obviously I want to be the best nurse I can be. You will find sometimes that you'll have to look things up, because patients will ask you questions that you might not know the answers to. It's good to make it a habit to learn something new everyday, be it the different drugs you see being administered, or the different procedures that patients go through. Or maybe it's the different services that are available for patients in your area, specific to a particular problem. Whatever it may be, you will find yourself wanting to do your very best for your patient, which will involve educating them (and yourself) on different things. It will all help you in the end, and sometimes these things will overlap with your assigned topics in college. For example, I found myself needing to know more about caring for patients with respiratory conditions, and this topic is 10% of one of our modules. So not only did that help me in practice, I also found that once I learnt more about the topic, I now feel more confident about that exam. Win-win, right?

3.Pack a small bag with only just the essentials. Most clinical areas probably won't have the space to accommodate your super-large (suitcase-like) handbag, so it's always good to bring only the essentials, because chances are, you're like me and when you carry a huge handbag you fill it with crap that you don't even use. Packing light is a skill I'm still trying to perfect, but believe me I'm working on it!


4. Do one thing just for yourself every day. OMG this is so important. Whether it's having a glass of wine, phoning a friend you haven't talked to in ages, or even reading a trashy magazine, make time for yourself daily.

5. Try and get organised. This is kind of a broad one, but by that I mean things like having enough laundry done, filling your car with petrol/diesel in advance, having cash for lunch (or packing your lunch the night before), or even having your diary/agenda organised with appointments/events for the week. Just make sure to think ahead, because at 6 am the last thing you'll want to do is search your whole house for your car keys or find out that your fuel tank is empty and there's no petrol station open, or even that you forgot your nursing shoes! Avoid the FML situation and you'll thank yourself later.



6. Get a travel charger/power bank for your phone. I have an iPhone, which is anything but generous in its battery life so this is essential for me. Of course the fact that I'm constantly on Facebook/Instagram/YouTube doesn't help matters much, but this powerbank has saved my ass several times.



7. Wear comfortable clothes to clinical. We have to change into our nursing clothes on-site (for infection control), so we can wear whatever we like beforehand. I usually opt for tracksuit bottoms, hoodie and running shoes because I have to walk about 10 mins from where I park to the changing facility, and I want to be comfortable, especially on long days when I get there at 7 am and leave at 8.30.

I thought about these tips and these are the things I've learnt from experience. I hope they help someone who's in a similar situation :)

Xo,
Gintare

Hiya!
So last night I decided to film a few videos... The first one of the 2 is a "What's in my school/college bag?" video. I've watched so many of these videos over the years! I really enjoy watching these types of videos and seeing as I am now in nursing school, it felt appropriate to film my own. I carry a backpack to college and usually it's packed with a load of stuff, including books, notes, and personal items that make my life a bit easier. So without rambling on for too long, I'm going to post the link to the video here for the world to see.
Oh and please excuse the crazy thumbnail! I promise- I do have a face hahaha!


P.S. the second video I filmed was about my Filofax. I'm going to upload that in the next couple of days and there will be a blogpost to follow.

So today marks the start of the second week of semester 2 in nursing school and let me tell you...it's not as easy as I thought it would be! Semester 1 was difficult and I'm still awaiting my exam results. I'm not expecting them to be great because I was kind of distracted last semester with other commitments and work so I didn't put in as much effort into school as I should have... This semester, however, I have turned over a new leaf haha!I've been spending more time reading and I've started researching the topics for 2 of my assignments. I'm trying to stay as organised as possible and not to lose track. I won't lie, it's not the easiest task. I'm trying to get in shape and improve my fitness levels as well, so I've started working out. So far I'm doing a 60 minute full body workout 6 days a week and my muscles are aching like never before!! I couldn't be happier, though, because that obviously means that it's working! The workouts are tough physically but they take a load off mentally! Exercise truly is the best way to relieve anxiety as I'm finding out lately :).
So in comparison to semester 1, this new semester is like a fresh start. It may not be easy, but I'm feeling stronger physically, mentally and just more ready to take on the harder modules.

Hugs,
Gintare