Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Qualified nurse, oversee and provide care for up to 10 patients; ensuring their physical, emotional, physchological and social health needs are understood and met as much as possible. Administer drugs, dress wounds, help patients eat and drink, observe their vital sign observations and be accountable for the actions I take.

Administer drugs, take vital sign observations, ensure patients are correctly positioned for breakfast, assist to wash and dress patients including bed baths with another health care workers assistance, check patients skin condition for any new problems. Provide information to doctors on their visit to the patient, ensure drugs are ordered from pharmacy, keep next of kin informed of relevant information. prepare patients for surgery and receive handover for patients returning from surgery; checking patients condition regularly once returned to the ward until they are fully awake and pain free. Help with lunches, provided additional assistance to patients with eating problems. Discharging patients, ensuring paperwork is complete to ensure that GPs and community nurses know about the patients condition, that social services have provided additional home help as required; to ensure drugs are taken home and the patient understands their condition and reason for hospital admission. Making beds, assisting patients with toileting occurs through the day. If a patient is unwell it is the nurses responsibility to get appropriate help from a senior nurse or doctor.

Talking to patients, particularly the elderly about their lives. Working as part of a big team with other professionals who are working to achieve the same goals as you. Being responsible for your own workload/ patients.

Shift patterns are changeable, it means you get time off in the week, but there is no guarantee you'll be free, or feel up to going out on the weekends. Time constraints, it is stressful when you are not able to do all the jobs you wish, or you have to cut corners to get to all your patients. Dealing with strong emotions, most particularly after a long shift when you are tired and flagging.

Use of my anatomy and physiology knowledge; rewarding work where your being at work really makes a difference to people. The work is scientific in approach to illnesses. nurses also have to be inventive and flexible to work around patients disabilities and specific needs which means no two days are the same and there is always something new to learn (even if its a patients life story).

PGDiploma, which takes two years to complete. Previous healthcare experience is recommended.

two years at university as a student with 6 times 9 weeks (approx.) on wards with blocks of lectures inbetween and few holidays.

worked in a care home for about 4 months to earn money for a trip to New Zealand.

7 months in new Zealand on a working holiday, worked over Christmas in a supermarket

Returned home and worked in an office job in a science lab, they were pleased to have me as I was a science graduate (although not paid like one) and understood the laboratories client group well. Was there for 3 years, gained no qualifications but felt the office experience may be useful in the future.

2 year course at University to complete a PGDiploma, this involoved proper student living again but due to the nature of the course did not contemplate part-time work.

Have just been offered a job at a local hospital after 2 months of applications and waiting.

I hope to continue in nursing for the next 5 years at least. I can top up my Diploma to a Masters with a part-time uni course if I wish.

If you go for something you know, be careful of getting stuck in a rut when you do get that job, I did this and lost confidence by forgetting how much more I was capable of.

Living back at home has probably allowed me to be lazier than I should have been when it came to jobs; stretch your horizons by moving out if you can.