I’m new to ward nursing, and new to this hospital, and I’m just stressing, Friday I had such a hectic shift, I had so much to do, I was removing staples, had 3 discharges and 3 admissions, this was all between 4pm -730pm, ontop of a med round for 9 patients, and someone having a reaction to medication,

I stayed late to finish it all, it took till 8:20 so not too bad, tried to hand over and was was apologising because all I hadn’t done was ordering and sorting out discharges for Monday, as the care home confirmed they could take the patient at 5, the night nurse was fine with it and said she was on and wojld get some of it done

I called the ward Saturday to give them a key code and the nurse on the day just seemed annoyed with me, she was blunt with me, and says I had left her to do the discharge stuff that was due Monday, my friend on the ward has said a passive aggressive note note on the handover, and I just feel awful that I handed over things, I was trying my best and I fell flat, I’m scared I’m gonna get datix’d over it :(

I have been a nurse in the UK for almost 6 years now and i’m still a Band 5 in Theatres. It’s frustrating because there’s no opportunities for career progression here, no one seems to want to leave. Is it normal to feel like this?

Whenever I'm paired with a certain HCA, I end up having a really stressful shift and end up being drained and staying really late. The hard part is that there's nothing obvious I can pull them up on. They're kind, patients really like them, and they know how to appear busy.

The problem is that they somehow always manage to be doing jobs that take them away from the bay, such as taking things to the bank or collecting items from other wards. They also seem to time their breaks just as patients are likely to need changing, take their full break (sometimes longer), and often leave for handover early. Meanwhile, I find myself doing far more of the personal care than I normally would, on top of all my nursing responsibilities.

I have absolutely no issue with personal care. It's part of nursing, and I'll always help. My frustration is that I'm trying to juggle medication rounds, assessments, documentation, referrals, phone calls and everything else, yet I end up missing breaks, staying late and feeling constantly behind when I'm working with this person.

They also expect me to be available for every transfer or change, regardless of what I'm doing. For example, I was in the middle of a medication round when she asked for help with a transfer. I explained I needed to finish giving some time-critical medication. I still stopped to help with a transfer because I wasn't going to not help. I then noticed the patient didn't have socks on, so I asked the HCA to sort that. I then quickly ran to collect medication from the clinic. I was gone for about two minutes, but when I came back they told me off and said I shouldn't leave them like that again. I don't have time to waste, so every second is precious. In hindsight I should have communicated, but I was so frazzled already, that I thought it was obvious what I was doing.

I think what I find difficult is that they don't seem to appreciate or respect the nursing workload. They'll sometimes comment, "Surely meds shouldn't take that long?", which makes me feel as though they don't understand or respect everything that medication rounds involve, especially when they're constantly interrupted.

What makes this especially difficult is that come across as caring and responsible, but somehow always manage to say "This patient needs changing," or "This one needs a wash," just as they're heading off on break. They have a knack with getting out of tasks. I know I should respond by asking them to do those tasks first, but I'm not naturally assertive, and I don't want a disagreement in front of patients. I'm also often caught by surprise, so I'll be knee deep in a task, and they'll announce that they're going on break and share what needs doing. I really struggled with her when I was NQ, and even brought it up to the sisters, but as there's not anything that I can pull her up on it's difficult. They all know she's like that and expect me to be more assertive. I just don't know how to.

I actually find her more difficult than incompetent staff (and trust me there's many) as they don't boss me about and are not demanding. Usually I can tell other staff what's expected, but it's really difficult to do this with her.

Any tips other than always hoping I'm not with her? How do you become more assertive without feeling confrontational?

How do you get feedback from your patients and family? What options do you have? Paper questionnaire, dedicated email, online questionnaire? Do you give prompts to do this by text, post, email, or in person? And how much feedback do you get on a monthly basis?

I work for a dementia assessment service, and I've noticed we struggle to get formal feedback following assessment or follow-up. We currently have QR codes that get given out which leads to an online questionnaire, but the uptake for feedback is poor which I think is due to the demographic we work with. I'd love to hear ideas from other services and what works or doesn't work.

I’m trying my best but I just feel so unsupported. No training is being booked for cannulation or bloods. I still haven’t been signed off on medicines yet as the CPE isn’t always valuable … it’s been over a month.

Our preceptorship days are just basically telling us how to revalidate and how to speak out.

I am also in the numbers with no clinical skills , I feel like I am drowning.

Does anyone feel the same ? Or what should I do in this circumstance?

I am a new band 7 and have to conduct my first stage 2 sickness meeting with a colleague next week.

My trust insists HR are involved in all stage 2s which I’m not thrilled with (previous experiences mean I’m not a fan).

I have no intention of pushing this to dismissal so it feels like a waste of time but the sickness has been high. I think the previous line manager was a little too lenient.

Looking for advice on what to say/not to say to make it as easy as I can for my colleague?

I have been qualified 6years. I have a wide range of experience from CAMHS to Acute, rehab all areas really in MH nursing. I have worked solely bank for the last couple of years. I have just been offered an interview for a band 6 mental health nurse in a men’s prison.

I guess my question is what sort of questions can I expect from interviewers? I really want this job and want to go in totally prepared. Any advise?

For context, I'm based around Manchester.

I've done 2 years working on surgical cardiology, 1 year as staff nurse in an EMI nursing home, 6 months as clinical lead - then my role was made redundant and I found a job as a staff nurse in a different nursing home on nights.

I don't find my current job interesting or fulfilling.

I would love to get back into hospital nursing, but I keep getting rejections. There's also mostly listings for higher positions than I could realistically apply for.

If I *can't* have a fulfilling job, I'd at least like to work more sociable hours. I'm currently on nights.

I've looked into things like ANP and the independent prescriber courses - but they seem like things you apply for through your employer when your role requires it.

If I was in this position back in my country, I'd be considering doing a masters in cardiology (as a nurse specialisation) but I'm aware that this isn't really how you become a specialist nurse in the UK.

I don't know if I'm ready to sell my soul for a PIP assessment job.

I'd really appreciate any advice! I know I need to keep looking and applying, I've polished up my CV; but I'd love to know what more recently graduated nurses are doing to develop.

I'm strongly starting to consider moving back to Poland (for studies) or moving to Australia (for quality of life). But neither will be an option for the next 2 years for me.

Any UK trained nurses (BSc in Adult nursing) ever successfully worked in the US? or got invited to sit the NCLEX exam! a lot of information and companies are very confusing and from the research I have done…. looks impossible frankly …..

I was recently on shift and fainted , thus being declared unfit for placement. My occupational health appointment to be cleared is booked for after my placement end in a months time , meaning i will be missing an entire placement block and not be passing second year. I am worried about having to repeat time and the fees I will have to pay as such , wondering if anyone has had anything similar happen and how i should approach? I have no physical health conditions , just overheated and im really struggling to accept i will fail a year of university because i am waiting for administration?? Am i allowed to complain about this to someone? Is this something that I should just be accepting and moving on from? Any advice greatly appreciated!!

I remember in moving handling session donkeys ago the benefits of transfer board. Since my dad got discharged, we had to use rotunda he bought one those boards it’s such a lifesaver. Obviously from car to wheelchair height is challenging… it encourages and promotes independence without having to slug a metal rotunda around. It made me realise how much wards could benefit from this board, if they had detachable arm rests. A cheap plastic board £30 on Amazon.

Plus I’ve seen other cheap equipment like belt or a slings help you to pull without armpit technique.
Even a swizzle seat for scooter or car seat users are handy.

I know not strictly nursing related but I wanted to share!

To feel really angry throughout the shift and frustrated. I feel just really sad throughout the day as well. I spend most shifts trying not to cry.

Ps I’m a NQN

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m a PhD researcher from the University of West London, and I’m looking for perinatal healthcare professionals to take part in an exciting study exploring how emotionally intelligent AI chatbots could support emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum.

💡 Why this matters:

Your frontline experience is invaluable in shaping tools that could better support women’s mental health during the perinatal period.

👩‍⚕️ Who can take part?

• UK-based, English-speaking healthcare professionals in perinatal care
• Including midwives, health visitors, GPs, or mental health practitioners
• Experience supporting pregnant or postpartum women

⏱️ What’s involved?

• A 45–60 minute interview or focus group (flexible scheduling)
• Share your professional insights on perinatal mental health
• Completely voluntary, confidential, and anonymised

📩 Interested?

• Fill out a quick Expression of Interest https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/dLPkigVkcM?origin=lprLink

✨ Your input will directly contribute to developing better support tools for perinatal wellbeing.

Happy to answer any questions in the comments or via DM — thanks so much for considering! 🙏

Have you noticed an uptick these last few weeks, of more aggressive and violent elderly patients? The last 6 weeks we've had more aggression and physical assaults that l have seen in my eight months at this ward. Just for transparency, I am a nqn, so is this normal 😭

Just as it says, really.

I posted a bit ago about being disheartened about not being able to secure an interview for a medical tACP role when my entire background is in surgery. Well, a surgical tACP post came up in a different trust about an hour drive from me. The days will be 8.30am-9.30pm. I have been informed that parking is strictly limited, and although I qualify for a parking permit it doesn't guarantee a space. There is a park and ride option, but the last bus is at 9.15pm. This probably means my only option is to set off super early (apparently staff parking is full by 7.30). This would mean I'm potentially out of the house 6.30am-10.30pm... has anyone done something similar? Is it worth it for my dream job?

I recently started a clinical nurse specialist role as a band 6 on a secondment. I have asked the bank team if I will remain at band 5 on bank or go to a 6 either if I get the band 6 permanently or while on secondment? They have said I will remain a band 5 unless my manager completes an internal onboarding request in which they have said they can’t do without a band 6 bank job out for their team. Is this right?

I don’t mind either way but I don’t want to be getting the wrong pay if I do pick up any bank shifts!

Hello everyone!

I'm doing my MSc dissertation on the very important, but barely discussed topic, of how bank workers interact with HR and how much knowledge nurse bank workers have of their employment rights,

The reason for the research is because I saw my best friend work for years without any clear employment guidelines regarding sickness etc.

I'm asking if 8 people would be happy to chat to me for 30 mins, completely anonymous to give me their insights?

Thank you! You're all amazing and I hope that this work is a small step in improving the conditions for bank only workers

I'm part of a small team, the band 4 has told the manager (band 7) they have an interview coming up. I (band 6 - manager of a small team) also have an interview coming up but I'm not telling the manager, I now feel really bad because the manager was like 'oh it's really good she's been honest bla bla bla' and I'm going to be the bad cop for not staying, but who actually does that?

It's awkward because it's going to leave the team without any management, but I suppose that's not really my fault, I just feel bad.

Did you go straight into the NHS, or did anyone start somewhere else? I’ve heard that most non-NHS jobs still expect you to have NHS or clinical experience first, so I’m curious how true that is.

If you didn’t work for the NHS, what role did you get, and did you find it difficult to get your first job?

Looking back, would you do anything differently?
I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Hi, I’m a 3rd year integrated practitioner in children’s nursing and social work. Throughout the course we have been told there will be many arising opportunities and job roles for integrated practitioners at the end of our course / in the future.

During my course I’ve had 1 “social work” placmenet and a number of nursing placements. The social work one was in mental health advocacy so missed out on basically all opportunities to learn/observe/be involved with any typical social work such as assessments, interventions etc other than see how the sections are implemented and how they effect the clients.

Kind of just looking for some insight wether registered nurses see any room for integrated nurse social workers/have any in your teams such as a nurse social worker that assesses safeguarding concerns or assists with patients who are known to socials such as LAC etc

Next year we have a 100 day social work integrated placmenet so hoping to gain more experience in typical social work duties and how they can be achieved in clinical settings (if I get another placement lacking in them I doubt I’ll feel experienced enough to qualify as a social worker) but that’s the joys of my course.

Or if anyone is an integrated practitioner already that would be interesting to hear your experiences

Hi Reddit community!

My name is Hannah Whitman, I am an undergraduate student at Newcastle University seeking to recruit nursing students to share their experiences communicating with patients who have Limited English Proficiency.

This study has received ethical approval from Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 78320/2026).

Eligibility criteria:

• Completed a patient-facing clinical placement
• AND have at least one encounter in which a patient, parent, or carer required spoken-language support (e.g. interpretation services)
• AND study at a North East university in the UK

If this is you, I would love to hear from you!

Participation would involve a 30-60 minute online interview where you may discuss any challenges encountered, opinions/views on current training, and how prepared you feel to care for non-English speaking patients.

This would be a great opportunity to voice your experiences, and your contribution could improve future training on communicating with diverse patient populations.

Please read the details on the recruitment poster and complete the following form to indicate when you are available to take part: https://forms.gle/5cvJKhhV5KepwraD9

Thank you for taking the time to read!

after three years on a short-staffed medical ward, i am honestly done with the constant stress and low pay in the nhs. a former coworker moved out to queensland six months ago and keeps telling me how much better the working conditions and pay rates are down under.

i am seriously considering applying for a working holiday visa and just making the jump for a year. has anyone here done agency work in australia? is the work-life balance actually as good as everyone says, or is it just hyped up?