Content area
Full text
Headnote
STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN THE REAL WORLD OF NURSING
'I SPOTTED AN INFECTED NAVEL OVERLOOKED FOR TWO YEARS'
During my clinical placement on a medical ward I was given a bay of four patients to look after. This involved meeting all their nursing needs, updating care plans and providing their medication. I had shadowed my mentor for about eight weeks and she thought it was time for me, a second-year student, to take on a more independent role under her supervision.
One of my patients was an 84-year-old woman who had been admitted feeling unwell and with a suspected urinary tract infection. She lived alone and was normally independent. At the handover the nursing staff had no concerns about this patient...