Paddy’s Day in the Pandemic

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Today, I was supposed to represent my midwifery department in meeting our President to celebrate the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Instead I am in my bedroom, juggling my academic work and representing students to the Irish Nursing and Midwives Organisation as well as working with the Midwives Association of Ireland. The academic work ball is dropped momentarily, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is my last real academic semester of the training.

But it’s hard to ignore the endless messages popping up on my phone. Students from first year to internship, from my own college and from colleges around the country and even abroad. My amazing Midwives Association committee is working tirelessly to provide information to pregnant people and to professionals when there is so much misinformation and fear in the world. My lecturers have been as good as they can be, and so have the union officers I’ve been in contact with. I’m being sustained by these groups and the pure love coming from them. But I’m also tired already trying to keep everyone else going as well as myself. It’s the balancing act that we in healthcare must perform regardless of whatever diseases are around us.

Instead of seeing our lovely wee leader and his amazing wife Sabina (and their soft fur babies, seen above), I watched his Patrick’s Day address while I ate Chinese takeout (watch it here). He talks about solidarity, looking out for the vulnerable, and coming together. And that’s exactly what needs to happen now. We need to come together by staying apart.  There’s been a big beautiful virtual community of people from every corner to get others through the uncertainty. #FeedTheHeroes has particularly warmed my heart because I’ve watched colleagues struggle through shifts with barely any energy but no time to stop – and that’s BC (Before COVID). Efforts from healthy community members to help the vulnerable through are stunning in their selflessness and their spontaneity.

 

It’s a strange time for everyone. Never in my life did I think I’d see pubs closed in Ireland on Paddy’s day and no parades. People are confused and scared. The news is full of uncertainties and fear. I strongly encourage people to follow advice from the HSE and the HSPC.

It’s a time of uncertainty for healthcare workers – do we have the staff and supplies to get through this? As long as people don’t steal from healthcare facilities, we should.

Healthcare students especially are in limbo – information regarding rights for supernumery and internship students can be found here.

A huge HSE recruitment drive was launched today – read about it and apply here to #BeOnCallForIreland

If you’re unsure of your rights as a healthcare worker, first port of call is to read your contract and then contact the Industrial Relations Officer representing your union in your area. Consider contacting Occupational Health if it’s a health issue. Check for any new HSE/HSPC circulars with guidance. Above all else, speak up if you are concerned.

The health service is made up of strong people, and we need support to get through this crisis. Members of the public; follow social distancing and call the helpline if you have specific concerns. Do not call 999 or 112 unless it is an immediately life threatening emergency. 

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Third Year Thrift: getting around

Third Year Thrift
Apologies for missing the post last week – the first week of third year had my full attention!

 

This week I’m going to give a few tips about a cost I forgot about initially when budgeting for college – transport. I’ll start with the basics; walk, cycle, or carpool if at all possible. It’s cheaper and it’s way better for the planet.

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Every college has different placement sites, some fairly close to campus and others a fair distance away. My college has placement sites all across the northeast and even the northwest of Ireland – ranging from ten minutes down the road to almost the other side of the country – so the costs can be variable.

 

Before you buy a ticket, check out every option; buses, trains, whatever you can find. Don’t forget to look at the multi-trip tickets and go for the student prices. Students in Ireland, it’s well worth getting a student Leapcard. Students in other countries, I honestly have no idea what the good value deals are for ye, drop me a comment if you know of anything! Bus Éireann offer student discounts on top of the existing reductions as well for different months of the year (I’d imagine Irish Rail do too).

One of the most useful things that I found was asking other students who have already been to the placement site. Someone will have found a good value way of getting there or they live there and know a good company. This is where your Student’s Union or Midwifery Society come in really handy.

 

The same idea goes for getting to college; check out the options and ask around. Don’t be afraid to ask people who live in the same area as you if they’d give you a lift sometimes – giving them cash towards fuel will probably be cheaper than any bus or train ticket and you’ll be helping them out.

 

If you have any tips that I’ve forgotten or suggestions on what else I should talk about, leave a comment or send me a message!

Third Year Thrift: how to not starve

Third Year Thrift

The title might be a bit on the nose, but the stereotype of students living on noodles and pizza isn’t entirely untrue. I’ve heard of students in my own college only eating once a day because they couldn’t afford anything more than that. Not eating properly or often enough will lead to a lack of energy affecting your performance academically and on placement. It’ll also make you feel like pure shit.

 

Like I said last week, planning is a solid way to saving money. I know that I’m back in Dundalk for five weeks before I head away on placement, so I’ve done my best to plan for those five weeks. Being honest about bad or counter-productive habits helps as well. I have inherited a horrible habit of over-buying food if I don’t plan out my meals, so I’m reducing my food waste now as well.

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I’m definitely not an expert in meal planning but it’s all that difficult, and you can make it flexible. I’m on a somewhat limited diet (thank you, IBS) so I try to make a couple of different meals out of the same ingredients in a week. Sometimes I have to sit with a food pyramid to make sure I’m actually getting what I need out of my meals. Once I have a plan, I’ll prep as much of the meal as I can at the start of the week so that I’m not tempted to just order takeaway. It’s so much easier to stick to the plan if all that you need to do is pick out what you need and throw it together in a pot. So I’ll chop veg on a Sunday evening, freeze half to throw into meals with something later in the week and cook two or three portions of something else with the other half. I try to bake something like banana bread or oat cookies to stop myself buying treats in the college canteen as well.

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The key for me is shopping around rather than floating around one shop (Tesco, I love Tesco so much) and grabbing things pretty much at random. I discovered a few weeks ago that my local Asian food shop does noodle packets for a euro cheaper than the other shops. €1 doesn’t seem like a huge saving until you realise you buy a lot of something. Now I keep a rough list of things I buy regularly and how much they cost in different shops, and I check shop websites for deals and discounts whenever I remember.

The biggest saver is probably that I have zero brand loyalty. None. I couldn’t care less that Andrex toilet paper is the only brand that my mam might ever have at home – I’ll be using the Lidl version because it’s cheaper until something of similar quality but lower price comes along. Dolmio sauce and Dunnes own brand tastes the exact same to me. I’m not saying buy the cheapest version – buy the best value version.

Third Year Thrift: Budgeting

Third Year Thrift

Thank you so much for the suggestions on what I should cover for my #ThirdYearThrift series! Please keep them coming, I’ll keep going until everything is covered.

This week I want to start with the most basic step – budgeting. I know budgeting is done to death on posts like this, but I’m going to briefly explain a bit about how I budget for placements and course costs at the start of the academic year. I’ll write in focus on some of what I cover quickly in this post.

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When you boil it down, budgeting really only requires three things

  1. Planning ahead – which I think I’m quite good at
  2. Honesty about your spending habits, needs, and wants – which I’m not great at
  3. Prioritising – having enough food to keep myself healthy and full of energy is more important than me having a mocha from the Costa in my building in college

👉 First step is to work out your income. I split mine between regular income like my student grant, and irregular income like the spare few euro I get from doing online surveys.

 

👉 The next step is your essential spending. I divide these into categories as well

  • regular consistent spending – like rent and phone bills
  • regular varying spending – utility bills and groceries
  • predictable spending – gifts for people’s birthday and placement costs

This is where it can get difficult for healthcare students as sometimes we need to travel for placements and rent a room nearby or pay for more expensive transport. Try and organise this as far in advance as you can so you know what you need to spend. For example, for my UK placement I know that I need £75 a week for rent on top paying for my room in Dundalk. I have a sticky note with bus ticket costs to each placement area. Finding that out in mid-August means I can plan to keep money aside for that much easier than if I found out mid-September.

 

👉 Then there’s what I can “keep me sane” spending. These are things that I could probably live without but it makes me happy to spend money on them when I can afford it. For example, skincare makes me feel like I have my shit together. I have no idea why, it’s just one of those things. I splash out on Lush if I can afford it, otherwise I still to Boots own brand or another generic.

👉 Finally, I look at a saving goal. In 2016/2017 I focused on getting enough money to pay the €7,231 college fee and to use for my living costs (read all about it here if you haven’t already). The picture below is the visual I made in August 2016 to keep myself on track. Right now for me it’s all about surviving third year without letting worrying about money destroy my mental health.

 

Third Year Thrift

Student Midwife Life, Third Year Thrift

After having to give up part time work last winter and throwing all of my money at my trip to Cambodia, I am broke. The most broke that I’ve ever been. I’m starting third year with about €200 – which I need for rent until my grant starts in mid September. This means that I’ll be getting pretty creative with money this year.

 

& According to a poll over on my instagram a decent number of people want to hear about how I plan on doing this. I’ll be covering things like how to save money on food, beauty and health bits but I’d really appreciate your suggestions for other topics. Leave a comment below or message me on instagram with ideas. Until then you can check out my post from 2017 on how I saved up the money to get started in college. Keep an eye out for the #ThirdYearThrift posts on saving money while studying and out on placement

So I shaved my head

cambodia, Uncategorized

It’s been a while…things have changed a little bit…

All my life I’ve had super thick long red hair. And I absolutely loved it. It was my favourite part of myself. But over the years I got this kind of itch to see what it’d be like if I didn’t have it.

I always depended on my hair a little. It’s a good conversation starter – “is that your natural colour?” It’s a nice safety blanket – literally almost a blanket, it was down to my hips at one stage. I placed a lot of my value and self worth on my hair.

And then Cambodia came along. My dream coming true – at a cost. I needed a fundraising idea. I had raised money for charity before by donating my hair, why not do it again? Why not go further and shave my head after I donated the plaits? It does make sense – Cambodia is a fairly warm country and I am not a human that works well in heat.

So I started fundraising online and with sponsorship cards. Everyone had the same look of disbelief on their face when I told them what I was planning. Time kept ticking away, my hair kept growing, and (very) suddenly it was time to chop!

I was terrified in the half an hour beforehand but once I sat down in the chair and they started brushing out my hair, I was strangely at peace. Like I said to people all along, it was just hair. It grows back. It’s strands of protein hanging from my scalp. My plaits measured an amazing 18.5 inches – all of which was posted off to the Rapunzel Foundation. The team in Cortex Hair Designs Dundalk looked after me so well, I felt so supported by them. They chopped away at my hair and then buzzed at it until we got to this:

And I feel amazing. I feel so free, I feel like myself. I do keep forgetting that my hair is short and thinking I can just let my hair down to get the breeze off of my neck. I own more hats and scarves than I have in a long time. But I feel fantastic. I might never grow my hair back! And I’m closer than ever to my dream because I took a leap (or a chop) and people have been wonderfully generous in support of me.

So what do you think? Is this brilliance or weirdness? Should I keep it short or let it grow out again?

 

 

I’m leaving the link to my GoFundMe here

and the trip facebook page here where you can keep up with our preparations

Preparing for a new semester

Student Midwife Life

It’s not long at all until I start back in college for my second year. I’ve been getting organised, in between work and seeing friends and family, and I thought I’d share my routine with you!

 

First thing I do is organise my notes from the previous semester. After exams, my notes are in a total shambles, so I have to put everything back in order before I do anything else. It’s good for refreshing my memory on what we’ve already covered as well.

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Next, I get my big binder. You can buy them new but there’s always a local office ready to throw out a pile of them so try asking around. They’re usually happy to get rid of them, you don’t have to pay for them, and in the end you’ve managed to save something from the dump which is great for the planet!

 

My college has a website which lets you browse through the modules on different courses, I think most do. I use it to look ahead and see what modules I’ll have, what kind of assessments there are for each of them, and what kind of content there is. It gives me a rough idea of what the semester will look like. If you can get chatting to someone on the course, definitely do it! Their first hand experience is really helpful.

 

This one is fairly important: find your uniform! Every little bit – fob watches, shoes, ID cards, whatever you need. Anything that can be washed, give it a wash. My uniforms sit in a bag for months when they’re not used so I like to freshen them up and make sure I have everything.

 

I also check things like my backpack and food containers for any sign of damage or wearing down. I bought a new (cheap) backpack during first year and didn’t check it but found a big tear in the top of it on a rainy day – not ideal. So throw an eye over your everyday pieces and make sure they don’t need repair or replacement.

 

Next, I get out my planner (I always buy from the Happy Planner Company). Any dates like study breaks, placement blocks, birthdays, deadlines…they all go in as soon as I can write them down. I am one of those people who can’t function without some kind of diary and I always recommend people use one whether it’s a big paper one or an app on your phone.

 

One of the last things I do is look at stationary. I make sure I have all my bits and pieces for college and for placement before  go to the shops. Usually all I have to buy is black pens and refill pads. I’m a really visual learner so I try to have a good stock of colourful pencils and markers for my notes.

 

How do you get organised?

 

 

 

 

How I stay organised in college

Student Midwife Life

One of the most frequent questions I’ve gotten in the past few weeks is how I organise my notes for college. This is just my own little way of organising things, it’s what has worked for me personally. It might be totally different for you. Trying a few different things will help you figure out what works for you. This system might even change for me in second year, change again in third year..it’s all about adapting to what you need.

 

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So first thing I look at is my main folder. For now, I use one giant ring binder for each semester. Within that folder I have a few dividers to keep my notes for each module separate.

 

 

In each module section I have the module descriptor, so I can keep track of what exactly I should have done and what’s coming next. It’s especially useful for figuring out which topics I need to revise at the end of the semester. I print off almost all of my notes (I swear I do love the planet but I just can’t read off a screen), pop them in each section, and try to make one page summaries of each piece as we finish covering them in class to make revision easier.

 

As well as all these sections for each module, I keep a calendar at the very front. I buy a pack of week-to-week sheets from Flying Tiger (see the picture on the right below). Because our timetable is constantly changing it’s a much easier way for me to keep track of where I need to be. I write in the topics we cover in each class at the end of the day. I keep track of my placement hours, extracurricular activities, and study plans in these weekly charts too. I also have the full year plan at the very front, so I can look ahead to placements, exam weeks, breaks, anything.

I put together all of my assessments in one document which I keep near the front of the ring binder. It reminds me of the assignments every time I open the folder, and lets me keep track of deadlines and learning objectives.

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For my every day notes, I try to keep things as small and light as I can. It saves my back and leaves more room for snacks in my bag too. I bring one plastic envelope folder, which I aim to sort out the night before so that I can enjoy those extra few minutes in bed instead of pulling apart my ring binder looking for the right notes. In writing this post I’ve had the idea that maybe I should keep my weekly planner pages in that folder too – I’ll try it out and see if it makes any difference.

 

We only have one or two written assignments per semester, so I keep those in separate folders. I always end up printing heaps of research for assignments so I prefer to keep them out of my regular class notes. If I need to refer back to them for something it’s a little easier to pull out the right part.

 

And then I have my giant placement folder. I keep copies of my placement evaluations and learning objectives in here, as well as copies of my clinical skills book. I have a record of every day that I attended placement, the hours I worked, and the names of my preceptors, as well as the guidelines for my scope of practice for every placement. If I get any handouts or take any notes I keep them in here as well. The folder is pretty full already after just one year so I might need to take a few bits out and store them somewhere else. Remember, it’s all about adapting to changes during your course!

Student Midwife Life

So last year before I started my course I wrote an essentials list for midwifery students (which you can read here). After a year of working with what I had and envying some of the things my classmates had, I thought it would be a good idea to update a little! This is the placement list, for when you’re on the wards with women every day.

 

Black pens: this will never change. Buy a hundred. Keep them in your placement bags, your folder, your locker, your pockets. Don’t do what I do and stick them in your hair because 1. bacteria and 2. you’ll hug someone and poke them in the eye with it.

Fob watches: multiple fob watches. Preferably silicone because they’re easier to clean and there are no nooks and crannies for microbes to hide in.

Small notebook: to scribble down notes, medications, disorders, lab values…really anything and everything on placement. I prefer ring bound notebooks because they hold up a little better being pulled out of my pockets and jammed back in with pens and gloves and all the other junk in my pockets.

Hair ties and pins: to keep your hair neat. I also found myself giving women my bobbins a lot, especially on the labour ward. So now I always bring a few extra.

A journal: I love love love my reflective journal. It’s another purchase from the Happy Planner Company but any wee notebook will be perfect. It’s a really good way of working through your day once it’s over and you get a chance to sit down. Always always always keep confidentiality in mind when you’re writing. I came up with a few different ways of coding the identities of people in my care so now when I read back even I’m  not 100% sure who’s who!

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The second week of my first placement really only starts tomorrow – I've two long days and a short day, and I'm ready for it. I have to confess, like lots of other humans probably do, I was having a bit of a wobble. I was overthinking and raising expectations for myself that no one else was. But I sat down with my @thehappyplanner_co reflective journal, wrote about my last shift (Thursday) and everything just felt better. Writing has always been great therapy for me, it's the way I work things out. Don't forget to find the right way to work things out for yourself ✨ . . . . . . . . #studentmidwife #futuremidwife #reflectivemidwife #reflectivepractice #reflectivejournal #midwiferyjournal #midwiferystudent #babycatcher

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Snacks: so many snacks. Different kinds – sweet, savoury, energy boosting, chocolate goodness. Think about what will be filling but not too heavy and what will give you a lasting energy lift for those long shifts.

Water bottle: label it. Label it all over. Hydration is super important and especially so when you’re running around non stop all day.

Spare socks: your feet will get sweaty. Like really sweaty, so sometimes it’s just nice to change them during the day. When I used to work in a nursing home, especially in the summer when it was boiling hot and the heating was on full blast, it was lovely to sit down, throw a bit of talc on my toes, and put on fresh socks. Also you will definitely get some kind of bodily fluid all over and inside your shoes at some stage, so be ready!

Spare uniform: just in case.

Plastic bags: for bringing uniforms in and out. It’s a habit I picked up working in McDonald’s, basically to protect the clothes and protect your belongings from contact contamination.

Reference book: I have my survival guide in my locker all the time on placement. It’s just handy to have it there if I want to check anything on my breaks or go over something like a skill that I know I’ll be doing later in the day.

Deodorant: spray and roll on. Spray deodorant can irritate the respiratory system especially if they have disorders like asthma. I bring face wipes and bits like that as well just so I can freshen up during the day.

 

So that’s my take on the essentials for placement. If you think I’ve missed anything let me know in the comments! Keep an eye out for “what’s in my pocket” posts for the various wards you work on as a student midwife.

Student Midwife Life

So last year before I started my course I wrote an essentials list for midwifery students (which you can read here). After a year of working with what I had and envying some of the things my classmates had, I thought it would be a good idea to update a little! This is the college list, for when you’re in every day. The placement list will be posted soon!

 

Plastic folders: I prefer to use one plastic envelope folder for all my class notes everyday. It’s pretty durable, keeps all the notes safe from leaking bottles or rain soaking through my bag. I also find that I’m less likely to forget things if it’s all in one folder that I ideally prep the night before.

Ringbinders: I used one gigantic ringbinder to keep all my notes from the semester. So I’ve one for first semester and one for second semester of first year and I plan on doing the same for second year. I have little dividers in to separate each module (and everything is colour coded).

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Notebooks: whatever you want to write in. I use unlined A4 paper, one book at a time rather than one book per module just to reduce how much I’m carrying around.

Pens, pencils, highlighters: all the regular stationary bits. My pro tip comes from my mam – I have tendonitis in the hand I write with so during my Leaving Cert my mam bought me like a million pens with all different widths. When my hand started to get sore I just changed to a pen of a different size.

The books: The two main books are Mayes and Myles. I do not recommend buying a textbook before you start. Wait until you get in, talk to the lecturers, and have a nosy at the different kinds of books in the library. Textbooks are pretty expensive (I paid about €45 for my Mayes on http://www.bookdepository.com). However you’re probably safe enough investing in a skills book like this one.

A diary: I have always gone with the Happy Planner Company but any planner will do the job as long as it fits your needs. Your timetable will likely change from time to time during the semester, and midwifery comes with a fairly busy schedule so it’s important to keep track of things somewhere you can check easily. Some people use their phones which is perfectly fine, I’m just a pen and paper kind of person.

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💐BACK IN STOCK💐Super excited that our student #Midwifery week to view format planners are now back in stock 😍 Those of you who preordered and are awaiting yours, they are being posted out today and tomorrow! If you’re awaiting a birth register with your planner, the set will be posted out after our birth registers arrive (hopefully!) at the end of this week❤️🎉! Make sure you order if you haven’t yet, delivery times may start to increase over the next few weeks as we steam in to our busy season! Paramedic, ODP and nursing planners in stock too! #thehappyplannercompany #midwifery #midwives #midwife #midwifelife #midwiferystudent #studentmidwife #studentmidwives #studentmidwifelife #midwiferyupdate #futuremidwife #midwifeinthemaking #midwivesrock #healthcare #inittogether

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Reusable coffee cup: you will drink copious amounts of your favourite hot drink throughout your career, and it’ll start in college. Lots of colleges and cafés offer discounts for using your own cup which is great for saving money as well. And you’ll be helping the environment, which is good for everyone, especially all the babies you help into the world.

A decent lunchbox: I went for an insulated thermos type lunchbox, purely because I prefer my dinner in the middle of the day rather than the evening. It’s not a bad idea to invest in a really good leakproof box because you’ll use it in college, on placement, everywhere. I sometimes carried my lunch in a separate bag just to keep it away from all my college gear.

Powerbank: this is my lifesaver. Trying to get a socket in college is near impossible. I’m constantly on my phone checking timetables, reading emails, messaging classmates if we’ve a group project on, chatting to my friends at home and abroad on their lunch breaks. It’s also very handy placement when you accidentally leave your phone on in your locker all day and the power is drained when it’s time for you to get home.

A backpack: not a shoulder bag. Not a handbag. Looking after your back health starts now. A backpack with proper straps and supports is the best choice you can make. Make it big enough to fit an A4 folder or laptop, whatever your essential bit of kit is.

Laptop case: I tend to not bring my laptop to college because it’s a bit chunky and heavy, and I prefer hand writing my notes. But if you’re bringing one, protect it! Put it in a case that seals all the way up and ideally is waterproof (be prepared for every disaster).

Water bottle: I use the bobble 1L bottle because we only have two water fountains in our building as well as the café which will refill bottles for free, but I hate queuing so I like being able to just use any tap. Staying hydrated will help to keep you alert in classes.

 

 

So those are the essentials as far as I can remember. If you think I’ve left anything out let me know in the comments!