All good things must come to an end

My last couple of days at work in Shetland have included so many new and though-provoking things, it’s all been rather busy.

On Tuesday I worked with the substance misuse team. This was a really insightful day into how they work with patients with addictions to alcohol and/or illicit drugs. I’ve had a few lectures on assessments for patients with substance misuse issues, so it was really good to get to see this in practice. Learning about the guidelines around treatments and support for different groups of service users was very intriguing and I’d certainly like to look more into it in my own time, and maybe spend time with the substance misuse team back home to see the similarities and differences. Dependency on illicit substances or alcohol can affect so many different areas of your life so as a nurse who works with those service users you have to have a good understanding of physical health, medication, mental health conditions (many patients also have a co-existing mental health issue) and social issues including housing and family therapy. It is certainly a very diverse role and I’m glad I got to spend time with the team. (As an interesting aside, one of the nurses was telling me about a programme on channel 4 by the architect George Clarke on council housing and it was a really interesting watch so would highly recommend).

Wednesday afternoon was spent in the diabetic annual review clinic with the diabetic specialist nurse. I had a really great time at this, because as the title would imply, the nurse running it is incredibly knowledgeable. I unfortunately missed my day with the diabetes nurse back in my community placement in Portsmouth, so I was glad to get the opportunity again. In Shetland many diabetic patients have been given blood glucose scanners that don’t require the usual prick of a finger and drop of blood check, but instead use an infra-red scanner to measure the patients blood glucose. When these are kept on for a whole 24hour period then a good overall pattern of a patient’s blood sugar levels can be produced which can then inform a completely unique management plan tailored to them. You really can’t get much more patient-centred! I have no idea whether this is something that is used back home, but I was really impressed with how organised and informed the diabetes service here was and the systems they use are really good.

During my last couple of days with the community nursing team I spent a lot of time learning about syringe drivers and palliative care. Previously some of my placements have ended in new life, some have ended with the hope of new beginnings for patients, and this one concluded with the end of a life. It really is humbling to get to perform end of life care on a patient. Making someone look clean and tidy and peaceful, so their family gets to see them in the best way after they have passed away. This is why I love nursing, because you get to meet people at all different stages in their life, from first breath to last. The role of a nurse encompasses so many different skills and requires knowledge of a whole range of things, from what medication to give in a certain situation, to the latest TV show that you can sit and chat to a patient about as you change their dressings. I feel I have fallen a bit in love with community nursing. I know I say this about all the placements I’ve been on, but I really can see myself working in a community nursing team post-qualification. But I guess I’ll just have to see what the future brings!

Yesterday evening I went out for a meal with some of the people from the team I worked in which was lovely, I really am going to miss them all a lot. As my mentor also said, I do feel like I settled into the team quickly. Each one of them made me feel so welcome, and my time in Shetland wouldn’t have been nearly as good without them being so kind to me.

All that’s left to do now is pack up my final bits and bobs, and head over to the ferry terminal this evening. I’m now off on a different adventure, as me and my boyfriend are going on a road trip around Scotland for a few days and visiting some of my family on the way back down south. I will probably blog this too as we are planning to visit quite a few places, but I shall see how I feel.

I also just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read my blog and followed me on my adventures up here. I really means a lot to have that support when you’re so far away from home, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed it.