I thought that when I took this job on a busy hospital ward I would turn into Miss Efficiency – someone who would go about her duties in an effective and productive manner, someone who gives the impression of being in total control. Haha!! How wrong was I? I’ve clearly been watching too many episodes of Casualty if I thought that I wasn’t going to be affected by the people I am caring for –I know in my heart that that’s what makes me a good nurse but I’m not sure that all of my new colleagues ‘get me’ yet or whether they will try to change that?   It all started at the beginning of the week when a new patient was admitted. He reminded me of my late Grandad, only he looked frightened and confused. His slippers looked as though they’d seen better days and he had food debris in his not-so-designer stubble. We’re quite used to patients looking not quite their best when they come to us, but what struck me about this man was the raw fear in his eyes. He wouldn’t le...

 I’ve just completed my first round of shifts and it’s been another of those whirlwind weeks. My first week as Staff Nurse Writingale in the NHS, and I’m not sure just how much I will remember, there’s been so much to take in. I couldn’t believe how quickly my new starter details were processed – I suppose it reflects just how desperate the NHS is for nurses. Before I’d had a chance to say ‘A pint of Old Peculiar and a toffee crisp chaser’, my DBS was through and my references received. All of a sudden, my conditional offer was honoured and I was officially on board. Scary but very exciting!  I’d forgotten how fast paced things were in the ward environment and how many people there are from the MDT who pop in and out. I’m not the best at remembering names so I’m sure I’ll get some things wrong! I won’t forget one of the Registrar’s names though. I was looking at some notes on the computer when he was paged. He picked the phone up and announced ‘ Dyer ‘ere’! I auto...