How to succeed: Year 1
Advice and Guidance from the 2021 Nursing Cohorts
The academic year 2021 saw continued Covid related disruption to our lives and families, to our work and education. In these challenging circumstances, the 2021 Adult and Mental Health Nursing cohorts made the brave decision to begin their degree programmes while we were still teaching and learning online These was a challenging academic year for everyone; however, Essex students are motivated, resilient, and determined to succeed!
As this cohort approached the end of their first year as University of Essex nursing students, we asked them to draw on their experiences to bring you this great collection of advice, guidance, and tips. We hope that these will help you as you begin your own learning journey at the University of Essex.
Links and Guidance
Top tips for starting a
Soneika Atkinson, 2021 Mental Health Cohort, Published in Nursing Times (2022)
Starting a new term at University
Soneika Atkinson, 2021 Mental Health Cohort, Published in Essex Blogs (2022)
Preparing for placements: a lecturer’s perspective (Thomas Currid, Head of Nursing Division, Nursing Times, 2011)
Support and
Planning and Managing Your Learning
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The most important thing I have learnt in my first year of studies that I want to share with any new students is that do not feel you have to compare yourself or compete with anyone at university; the only person you need to impress upon and improve is yourself. You have earned your place at university; you have achieved the entry requirements and impressed the interviewer who has offered you a place. You have just as much right to be there as anyone else. There may be students who may have more knowledge than you; perhaps some have worked in healthcare before and will be very vocal in lectures, do not be intimidated by anyone; you may have information that they do not know and by sharing your experiences and understanding of a subject, may be valuable to a lot of students. The majority of your learning is self directed. You will listen to the lectures on various subjects, but it will be up to you as an individual to put the work in and research on your own to find a deeper understanding of the basics which you will learn during your classes. University learning is very different to a college education. There is no hand holding. You are treated as an adult learner which means you will need to be responsible for your own learning. You will get out of it what you put into it!
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For you to gain success in anything in life, you need to have a good plan towards achieving that. University education is not an exception. For you to succeed, you need to have a good plan in executing of all your activities with allocated time and you must work strictly towards it. Try to get yourself into self studying. This helps you to read widely and know things that are not said in the lecture room. Class lectures are a guide. As a university undergraduate, it is always imperative that you go back to study by yourself and note the authorities behind your findings for referencing.
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Preparation is the key to everything both for assignments and placements. Make a timetable and try to stick to it. If you are also looking after a household whilst at university, I found that planning a month in advance is really helpful, even down to which meals I would be making when on placement (get a slow cooker it is a lifesaver!) By writing your placement dates on the
calendar you can see at a glance where you need to arrange childcare or appointments and also days to study.
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If you are new to university study improving your self directed learning, being proactive and asking questions is essential to maximise your personal development. It may feel daunting and overwhelming when you start but you will adapt and evolve, and most people feel like that. There will be highs and lows and some wobbles along the way and that is ok, you are not alone. Importantly, don’t forget to reach out and seek help from the variety of extra academic and support services there is, they are there to help and remember you are a student, so are not supposed to have all the answers. The university has many support services and facilities available so utilise them. Ultimately this is your learning experience, so make the most of it and do not be afraid to ask questions.
Modules & Lectures
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Get organised. You will have approximately three modules per week. Make a folder on your desktop or a physical folder for each module. This enables you to put your hand straight on the info you need rather than scrolling through Moodle or flicking through your notepads
As you start your new journey, my advice to you all is to always stay focused, because “if you can't focus effectively, you can't think effectively Attend lessons and always ask questions if you don't get the topic.
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Welcome to you all. Whenever you miss lectures or think you didn’t understand what has been taught, the availability of recorded lectures on ‘Listen Again’ will make it easier for you. You will be supported
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From day one, please be committed; know that you have started a profession that needs more of your time. Be punctual in your lessons. Prepare yourself the day before by reading over your lecture notes. Familiarise yourself with Pocket Moodle as you will get to know where to find everything that you need for the course.
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Attending lectures and participating in sessions are very important. Use all the tools and materials {Module Guides and Reading List) provided for you, they will be of immense help during your studies.
Assignments
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Do not take things for granted especially when attending lectures, revision of subjects and research. These will be the tools to help you with your assignments and essays ”
“Always submit your formative assessments. They may be optional but are an incredible insight to making sure you are on the right track with your summative assignments. Don't be disheartened if you receive negative feedback, I did terrible on my first formative but this helped me get the summative right.
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Start your assignments as early as possible, do not leave them to the last minute, and start taking notes as soon as your lectures are arranged. At the time they may not seem relevant, but everything you are shown is done for a reason. You may remember a quote or a reference from one lecture in your first week that you can use in one of your essays for another module.”
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Start your research early on your assignments, when you have been given your assignments, it may seem like you have loads of time to complete it, but before you know it, they will be due in. Start the research for your assignments as soon as you get them, doing it in chunks, this is far manageable and less stressful than cramming an entire assignment over a weekend your grades will reflect how much time you put into your work.”
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Don't think you have plenty of time to start your assignments. You are given ample time to complete them but start your research early. Starting the week before, staying up through the night and submitting with hours to spare does reflect on your final grade, trust me I have proved this to myself. Starting early allows
you to produce a strongly researched and well constructed essay with minimal stress, reduced panic and better sleep.
Learning Resources & Support
At first, I was scared with the challenges that I know I will face along the way, but with all honesty the year passed by quick! I could not believe that I am now on my second year! My advice conquer your fear it will be alright as support is available in writing essays, learning health numeracy and drug calculations. The resources we need are all available online and in the library (if you prefer printed ones!). As a student, we just need to do our part by reading more and planning ahead each task Welcome to your first year in university!
“University study is definitely more reliant on self directed learning and being proactive in your own development, which can be hard to adapt to or truthfully, some days find enthusiasm for. But it also allows you to achieve more for yourself than being thrown information, but seeking it out and doing your own learning. I find this more time consuming, as for me it takes me more time to find the right information to further my learning, so dedicating enough time is important.
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What I can share as a piece of advice with the upcoming student is based on my experience as I looked back on my first year. Firstly, use your time wisely, as crazy as it sounds, the first year will go fast and it requires time management skills. Make sure to prioritize what is essential and not procrastinate too much. Do not take things for granted especially when attending lectures, revision of subjects and research. These will be the tools to help you with your assignment and essays. Secondly, always remember that everything is a process. Do not be afraid that you will make mistakes. If you fail in one area you still have a chance to fix it. You have a good support group at the university that will help you. Do not let anyone and especially you self bring you down. Lastly, whatever challenges, hardships, and experiences that
you encounter learn to be confident and embrace them all. This is the reason you enter university to learn how to attain a degree for your future.
Good luck to all first year students.
Placements
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During placements absorb as much as you can. This is your learning so make use of the spoke placements and ask to shadow anyone new that comes on the ward, for example, the trauma team, the heart failure nurses, and even the phlebotomy team. Use www.clinicalskills.net to enhance your learning. Ask questions, and do not be afraid to learn. No question is a silly question if you do not know the answer. Try and integrate yourself as part of the team where you are placed; it will give you a better feeling of what it would be like to work in that particular setting. One thing that I started to do during my second placement after I had written my reflection of that day was to research the medication that I had given to patients and make flashcards describing what they were, the use, why we gave them, the amounts, the contraindications etc so I can start to build my own knowledge on pharmaceuticals.”
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Although this may feel lonely at times it is important to remember that you are not alone, during placement you will always have someone to talk to, whether it is your personal tutor, PEF team (at the hospital), or course friends. On my very first placement I thought I was going to be allocated to loads of other health professionals to learn from, this is where you have to be proactive and take control of your learning. It is up to you to seek your learning opportunities, make use of all health professionals and specialist nurses to work with, if there is a specific interest ask to spend time with that specialist. For example, I have a huge interest in Wound care, so during my second placement of first year I worked with and observed wound care specialist nurse's and anytime a patient was receiving wound care I asked to go and observe. Although this may feel lonely at times it is important to remember that you are not alone, during placement you will always have someone to talk to, whether it is your personal tutor, PEF team (at the hospital), or course friends. On my very first
placement I thought I was going to be allocated to loads of other health professionals to learn from, this is where you have to be proactive and take control of your learning. It is up to you to seek your learning opportunities, make use of all health professionals and specialist nurses to work with, if there is a specific interest ask to spend time with that specialist. For example, I have a huge interest in Wound care, so during my second placement of first year I worked with and observed wound care specialist nurse's and anytime a patient was receiving wound care I asked to go and observe.”
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The first thing I thought that I wish I knew to do before starting my first placement is… get to know your Practice Assessment Document (PAD)
Before my first placement I didn’t fully understand everything outlined within the PAD. I made the mistake of assuming the people at my placement would be well acquainted with it and guide me, but many people I worked with had no knowledge of it at all.
I hadn’t really considered how difficult it might be to know which bits needed completing at which times, by who and so on. I kind of got to know the PAD as I went, which meant in my 1st placement I was chasing practice supervisors for signatures and my practice assessor for missing bits and pieces!
So my advice is to go through your PAD with a fine tooth comb, make a list of pages you are able to complete solo, pages that require signatures and pages that need actual input from professionals you will be working with, including page numbers and a short description. I did this for my 2nd placement and my mentor commented that she found it really useful and it meant to could sit down together and know exactly which pages we were working on and what was needed of each of us!
Additionally, read your proficiencies and ensure you understand what you need to achieve before you begin your placement. If you are still unsure, talk with your mentor to get their insight. It’s much easier to then plan your journey into getting them signed off, as some will be achieved naturally but others you will need to actively seek out opportunities to be able to complete them!”
Wellbeing & Self Care
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If I could go back in time and give myself some advice it would be to keep going. Some days you will feel like quitting (a lot of days actually) you will have days when you are so happy and on top of everything and some days you will cry. You will feel alone and depleted. You have to take some time out to regather your thoughts and remember why you are doing this. These are temporary emotions and each day is a new day to learn and adapt. Whatever your dream or goal remember why you started and keep looking forward. University is hard, if it was easy everyone would have a degree. You got this.
“I know you want to succeed, and as a starter may be scared of the journey ahead. We were the same as you at the beginning. Now, we are here in year 2. You too will be like us soon. All it takes is the conviction, that you must succeed and make yourself available to study and learn. There is the motivation, enthusiasm, strong staff base and good resources to support you. Good luck and welcome.”
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I found it really important to get a good balance between work/home life and university, as I know I'm less productive if I'm tired or I haven't had the opportunity to have down time. Having down time is just as important, in order to put the best effort in.”
I've definitely learnt and I still am, to not be so hard on myself. I am my own worst critic and being at University is about learning, no matter how much experience you may have, you never stop learning and you will never know everything either.”
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Finally! Don't ever doubt yourself! There will be struggles and questionable times but this is where you deserve to be, you are more than good enough! Of all the applicants you stood out as a future nurse.”