The University Diaries

I think that academic year 2018/19 sounds really exciting! I am currently going into Year 2 of my Paramedic Science BSc with other plans and ventures in mind. Here are some rambles from me which may motivate you to be a better you in the coming academic year. My Degree Plans   So Year 2 is where is gets serious. All of your grades count and second year is considerably harder than first year! I have been told by my lecturer to start revising for my pharmacology exam over the summer as there is lots to learn, so I need to start that soon. I also plan to be far more organised when it comes to essay writing as all of my essays in first year were completed unnecessarily stressfully and I know that I could easily start and finish them earlier, probably producing work of a better quality. I plan to go to all of my lectures (I missed one or two last year from being ill) and to try to fully absorb the information by reducing my distractions (talking, playing on my phone etc). I am al...

I am the definition of a poor student (without a maintenance loan oops) so I have established some handy ways to save money. Let me know if I have missed anything and I'll include it in my next version! Enjoy! Student Amazon Prime (for free) I use Amazon Prime for all my stationery, household items and gifts. I am the Queen of forgetting people's Birthdays (at least I am honest!). I always use (student) Amazon Prime to get reduced price items with free next day delivery. This means I can forget a Birthday until the night before and buy something to give to them the following night. If you use this code then you can receive 6 months free then have a massive reduction to less than £4 a month for a subscription. This also includes films, music and discounts on textbooks. I find it really handy to use as I can decide I want something at 10pm and have it at my door the following day without having to go out and get it. The best part of student amazon prime is that you can can...

I have been lifeguarding since I was 16. I qualified from a six day course with an assessment nearly four years ago, and it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made! I have made lots of money from it (as you are skilled you are on a higher wage), you have a highly valuable skill and it looks really impressive to universities and on a CV. Lifeguarding definitely helped me for my application onto a Paramedic Science degree. What does it involve? The time I turned the pool water pink/purple The initial National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) covers lifesaving, first aid and theory. The course is usually six days with the exam at the end. The course is not difficult, although does require focus to pass. You are taught lifesaving: tows, spinal preservation and rescue, defensive blocks within the water, first aid: similar to a First Aid at Work Level 3 Qualification, with a variety of skills, such as bandaging, recognising seizures and hypoglycemic events and basic l...

Firstly, before you read the rest of this post, sign up here . Yes this is a link attached to my page, however it will give you £30 to get started. Secondly, this is a page that makes you as much money as the effort you put in. Your skill set will increase with practice, and you can decide what you want to specialise in. It is not just for uni students, but this is many people's full time job. Use this knowledge wisely and I am sure you will do just fine! What is it? It is a company where freelance workers can apply for jobs and advertise their expertise to people needing work done. You can also ask for help, but you will have to pay for this! What can I offer? Anything! But do remember that this site mainly focuses on online jobs so you ought to be handy with a computer. If you are good at image editing, transcription, translation, blog post writing and social media endorsing then looking for jobs is really easy. The search bar means you can look specifically for what you w...

So in the first term of the first year at my university, we are required to complete a Skills Passport as part of our Preparation for Clinical Practice module. This was a pass/fail document which was required to pass for you to be able to pass the module alongside an essay and presentation. I do not know if every university completes this module in the same way, but feel free to comment below either way as it is interesting for me and other people! So the passport included various basic skills assessed by peers, such as taking temperatures, manual blood pressures, blood glucose readings (BM) and various manual handling techniques. It also comprised of slightly more serious basic skills assessed by tutors, such as adult and paediatric airways, c-spine immobilisation and basic life support and automated external defibrillator (BLS and AED). There were also requirements to complete the online training modules for areas such as safeguarding and data protection. There were lots of oppor...

Placement is such a hectic place! Due to my shift schedule I am five weeks in but have done 4 blocks due to the four days on, five days off schedule. Somehow I am currently working almost full time over the placement block. I will finish at 6.30am on my last night shift, come home and head to sleep until 12pm, wake up and head to work. This is a great way for me to be able to afford placement, but I don't have a life! It is very difficult acting this way, especially as I am either on placement or asleep the rest of the time. Fortunately due to the crews I am working with, I am enjoying the shifts so much it feels less like a job and more like a lifestyle. Update on my First Five Weeks I have had such a variety of shifts. I am placed on the border of London, but as we do not respond to London Ambulance Service (LAS) calls, we can only head out in one direction, which means we regularly finish (very) late. On the plus side, you must have 11 hours between shifts, so usually if yo...

My placement schedule is usually 2 days, 2 nights, 5 days off (which is really good). One in every 4 shifts there is an extra day shift in there as this is the pattern my mentor has on her line, which I follow. With this placement I have been really lucky to get a mentor who is on a line at a station as this means that my shifts are set (basically a year in advance) and I only have one mentor (unless I have to make up any shifts as I cannot do them). On placement, I am one of the lucky ones! Lots of people have multiple mentors and stations, and I am very lucky that I have been given consistency as I do get quite anxious at not being in control of the situation and not knowing what the outcome will be. This week went from being a long, 3 days and 2 nights, week, to a 3 days and 1 night. I have had a shift moved, which my mentor kindly discussed when we could both do this shift as she had to change it due to her mentoring course (to mentor me). Some mentors are willing to be flexibl...

My First Week Experiences I was terrified before my first day on placement (which was clear if you have read my last post). I got up at 4am to get to the station at 6am (as you always ought to get to station at least 15 minutes early). I met my mentor who was lovely (and probably nearly as nervous as I was) and the shift begun! My mentor and I discussed what I felt comfortable with and what I wanted to do. I was her first student as she was a mentor in training so we were both in the same position to start off with. I chose to take a back step to begin with, but quickly she encouraged and helped me to get more involved. My main concern is doing things wrong, however in the service there are plenty of ways to do things - all paramedics do things differently - so it is important to have a go so long that it is safe. All mentors are different, but communication is key. I found that everyone I encountered was helpful and friendly to me. People were happy to show me what to do and guid...

'Twas night before placement when all through the house, I worried and I packed, fluttering nervously like a mouse. Kit bag was packed by the front door with care, Waiting for 5am when I would be leaving there. (adaption from 'Twas the night before Christmas') Tomorrow, bright and breezy I start my placement. I am very nervous obviously. I have never been on an ambulance before and having not been at uni for the past 5 weeks, I feel as if I know nothing! I am excited though! This is what I am expecting for tomorrow: 4am ~ Wakey wakey rise and shine! Breakfast time and time to get ready. 5am ~ Leaving the house, sat nav and coffee at the ready. 6am ~ Arrive at the station with enough time to get myself sorted out. 6.30am ~ Shift starts! Beginning with a station induction for approximately 1 hour then off on the road. 6.30pm ~ (Hopefully) shift finishes on time and off on my way home I go! Obviously this depends on if we are on a call or not. My pockets content...

Textbooks can be very expensive, however they can be really valuable if you have the correct ones! In my first term, we completed two modules: Preparation for Clinical Practice (Prep for Prac) and Skills for Study. I only bought textbooks for Prep for Prac, and if I had bought them early I could really have got ahead of the game. Obviously some universities use different textbooks, however I found these the most useful in my first term. JRCALC Clinical Practice Guidelines 2017 Pocket Book This is probably the most important book you will ever buy, lecturers say it is your bible... It is! And it is so incredibly important that you have this! It fits perfectly in your trouser pocket (when you have your uniform) and loves your annotations and dog ear marks. They update every year around October time (but you will probably want it before then), and do not worry about having an old version if the new one is not out yet. You will find the list of updates online and it is usually only one...