Guy Davey – BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)
Guy's journey at the University of Plymouth Exeter School of Nursing
Name: Guy Davey
Course: BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)
Location: The Exeter School of Nursing
"I am lucky that both my mentors on placement have been interested in my development – both have thrown me straight into real nursing from the start, overcoming my early nerves quickly."
Studying at The Exeter School of Nursing
"I live in North Somerset and have a family, so living in or commuting to Plymouth would not have been feasible. Exeter is manageable – it takes me 60 – 70 minutes to get to the University of Plymouth Exeter School as long as the M5 is behaving which it normally does. My two placements to date have both been in Somerset: one 10 minutes from home, one 40 minutes from home, so pretty good so far."
"On a practical front, studying in Exeter with placements in Somerset has worked really well given my location in North Somerset. I think it has been better for me than trying to access neighbouring Universities, and I am glad that my placements are with the main trusts in Somerset at Taunton and Sompar."
"Being a relatively mature student, I have not really missed the traditional campus life in Plymouth and the Exeter School of Nursing has enough life to give it a good buzz."
"On a practical front, I have learnt some basic biology (much more interesting than I was expecting) and some base-level clinical skills: observations, personal care, infection control, wound care and injections.
On the academic side, we have focused quite a lot on the professional, legal and ethical standards expected of a nurse, as well as a really interesting module introducing some common healthcare conditions and typical nursing interventions (e.g. stroke and COPD)."
Focus on skills
"I had done a few months care work in the community before I started the course, but had never worked in a hospital environment, so my first placement on a cardiology ward has been a steep learning curve (where is and what is the sluice?). During my first week I just kept asking lots of ‘stupid’ questions, but I am just finishing that placement and I feel so different. I am confident enough to hand over patients to the next shift, for example, and even to talk to the doctors, occupational therapists and physiotherapists! My other placement was in the community with District Nurses, with lots of patients with diabetes and wound care which I really enjoyed."
"Probably most rewarding, though, were visits to three palliative care patients, which included lots of emotional support for them and their families."
Support at every stage
"The last day of our Preparation for Practice week in December was really memorable, just before we finished for Christmas and went into our first placement. We had a fantastic lecture on research into compassion in the morning, and then our first ever Schwartz Round in the afternoon with Year 2 students and a lecturer talking about their fears and emotions during key recent moments in their professional lives, including going into placement."
"It was a very inspiring way to finish the first three (purely academic) months of our first year, and set us up for practice."
"Lecturers can be really inspirational."
"Lectures have been well presented, and the use of smaller groups, seminars and case studies for a lot of the academic study has made even some of the driest material interesting, and you get to have fun with your friends! I am lucky that both my mentors on placement have been good and interested in my development – both have thrown me straight into real nursing from the start, overcoming my early nerves quickly."
Inspired by this story?
For more information about studying nursing, please visit our BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health) page.
For more information about our range of health courses within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, please visit the school page.
