The Student Nursing Project recently put out a call on Twitter, seeking advice for first-year student nurses that could help with their development and motivation during studies. The tweet resulted in a wide range of feedback.
One of the first responses was from a nursing lecturer, who sent a picture of The Student Nurse Handbook, written by Bethann Silver, and attached the caption “Read this.”
Another user responded by saying: “Try to get to grips with the ‘Why’ of things early. Why do we take time to talk to patients and relatives, why is dignity vital, why is kidney function so important etc. This will set you up for your whole career – from an Old Nurse.”
Other responses mentioned things like the importance of maintaining good mental health and not being afraid to ask questions.
Another person replied to the post, commenting: “Work with the HCA’s, they know everything – get stuck in with patient personal care, you would be surprised what you learn from your patients at the time – looks for opportunities everywhere, it may only be a few discharges on one day but nothing is ever the same.”
Several responses also touched on the resilience that nurses have to show to succeed, with one adding: “No one expects you to know everything. Just be honest, take your time to learn and keep up with reflections! Don’t compare yourself to others, we’re all on our own journey and we’ll all end up in different job roles.”
One reply to the tweet also mentioned the importance of being organised: “Plan and be organised! If online learning continues be strict and don’t give in to easy distractions around the house.”
Tweets included here existed and were correct at the time of writing. The full list of responses can be found here.
