 Happy Sunday everybody. So welcome back. Thank you so much for tuning in as always and if you're new to this channel A big massive welcome to you. Thank you so so much for taking your Time out to come and watch this I know some of you are starting university in September And I promised you that I would do you a what to prepare before you start university vlog I'm going to do a checklist as well possibly as well as what you should be doing to prepare Just to help you get settled in and I hope that this really really helps you So firstly a common question I get asked is what should I revise what should I be looking up? What should I be learning before I start university firstly? Chill relax It's okay. If you don't want to do anything before you start you don't have to do anything if you don't want to look Anything up. That's fine. I went into university with fresh pair of eyes. I hadn't done the access course for five years I did a little bit of research, but not a lot to be honest before I started university And you do sort of get thrown into it and you do Get to know physiology and the more you revise the more you learn when you're on the degree the more knowledge You gain from it, but I didn't revise anything before starting. I didn't do anything barely I didn't read any books and the easiest option is just don't worry about it And I know that's really easy for me to say But it's it's no biggie if you don't revise or anything before you start uni because everything you need to know you will learn as you go But I know you want to revise So the best place to go for me. This is just my own personal opinion is the Khan Academy. I've said this before I share it on social media I love the Khan Academy. They haven't paid me to say this. I promise it's not a sponsor It's not a shout out anything like that But they've helped me so so much their videos on YouTube their website with their quizzes and everything on is amazing I absolutely adore it and it saved my life of physiology to be honest throughout the whole three years It's really helped me understand everything. I need to know for physiology. It's just an easy way to Explain physiology because they do diagrams and they draw it out and you sort of visualize it And it really really does help you remember. So if you haven't already I know a lot you have go and check that out But everybody learns different So if you don't want to watch a YouTube video and do quizzes online If you want a physical book to look at and read from make notes and things like that in then the main one The most students get is the Ross and Wilson ones. I'll put some links below and They're the main physiology books that a lot of students get and absolutely love and they are good books They're amazing books. Please don't buy for price Go on eBay go on Amazon go on the Facebook groups and see if anyone's given any way Freebies or really really cheap bargains before you buy for price because they are really really pricey They can go up to like 40 pounds. I think so, please Save your money or ask someone to get you as a gift hint hint birthdays coming up or anything like that That's me. I'm not a book person. I've got books, but I haven't read them I've purely used online Internet diagrams all of that So don't worry if you don't buy a book now once you found your source YouTube videos online website quizzes a book if you've bought a book You're gonna want to know what sort of things to revise because there's so much out there So for us, I can only talk disclaimer. Sorry disclaimer I can only talk for my own experience my own university, Birmingham City University I'm not sure what the universities do, but our first year is all about getting to know the body systems So my advice is get to know the body systems the cardiovascular system the renal system the respiratory system the endocrine system The central nervous system all of that just the main body systems get to know the areas what they do how they work together how they link together and If you can have a look at diagrams as well diagram of the heart know the chambers that would be a massive bonus The lungs know what the bronchiol is know what an alveoli is But yeah, just get the basic overall body system and how it works how it functions and what each one does You'll be well away and as well as the physiology stuff. You're gonna want to do assignment stuff So if you're not familiar with harbored referencing and your university uses harvard referencing Have a look at that get your head around harvard referencing and how to do it for your assignments on Another thing to look up is what I abs this is something. I absolutely loved is the Manchester phrase bank It's linking words basically that just links all of your things So instead of saying and then this and then this it's like following on from this However moreover nonetheless all these really nice words that help your assignment just flow Nicely and linked together and it's my favorite thing I think with assignments is that but I'll put all the links below anyway to have a look at the details below So I'll put all the links for this below and you can have a look at that I'm sure you've heard this many many times the NMC code is your Bible So make sure you know the NMC code look it up save it print it that is literally our Bible We must abide by the NMC code of conduct to practice as nurses even as a student So that's it look that up and know it another one is the BNF I have said this many times. This is your second Bible This is the main book or app that you need you absolutely need Above everything else because medications you're going to need to know it You're going to be administering them You're going to need to know side effects contraindications all of that because sometimes Somebody gets it wrong prescribes it and you're administering it to say it's safe to give and sometimes it's not safe and So you need to know your medications inside out because you can be part liable for that if something goes wrong So know your medications if you want a physical book you can get a BNF free from the pharmacy Please don't buy it. Please do not pay another student for their BNF. I saw a post on Twitter I think this morning or yesterday. I don't even know what day is I think it was yesterday Actually that someone had seen that student was selling their BNF Fair enough if that person's bought the BNF and then they're selling it on to get their money back fair enough But you can actually get a BNF Free from the local pharmacy. Just search all the pharmacies go in tell them you're a student nurse It'll save you 50 quid tell them you're a student nurse And you want to know if they've got any spare BNFs that you can have for free And they will give you one if they've got them But if they haven't got one there is a free app as well if you don't want to do that There's a free app and it's so simple is amazing. I actually really love my app as well as my book I just I'm a bit of a weird one like that I actually is the one book I do read and I do absolutely love is my BNF They're also free and available on all of the wards for you to use not to take home Do not steal the BNF from the ward unless someone gives you the old one That's fine. The there'll always be a BNF on the ward or area that you're working So don't worry too much about that I just like to have it at home and literally on my device so that is everywhere with me so that I can look at it Check it on it. I can sit at home and revise my medications. It's just it's amazing. It is literally Out of all of it everything you need to remember that one And a couple of students have already shared that they've got their BNFs from the pharmacy So I'm really really sure that they've done that. It's amazing So a little rundown of a checklist for you to tick off see if you've got it see if you've done it and if you have Amazing if you haven't go do it be prepared go to uni prepared organized amazing. Love life Have you had your occupational health checks and also just want to just Say please don't be paranoid about your occupational health checks It's just there for you to make sure you're up to date with all of your jabs Please don't be scared if you've got any medical conditions Basically, they are there to make sure that you're safe and you're practising safely and to make sure that you've got enough Support to make sure you get through this degree. So they'll put all the support in there There's free counselling services at the university's personal tutor. There's adaptions. They can do a placement for you All those sort of things that just to put you in the right direction and get you the right sort of support It's not to throw you off the course or prevent you from starting the course at all. So please please please Rest your mind. It's gonna be okay. It's fine. It's just an overall check and health and well-being sort of check So don't worry. Have you completed your DBS? Have you had it back? Is it all right? Is it there because you need this before you go on to placement? So make sure it's done and you've got it back where it might go straight to university It might not necessarily come straight back to you But just make sure that that's been received by somebody and it's been done and it's all okay I'm sure they'll tell you anyway. If there's any sort of issues or problems if I hadn't come back in time They will be on it. Don't worry. Don't worry and just check that you've been given your actual start date and time Place where you should be what room number all of that Make sure you know it if you haven't received anything and you've been left in the lurch You don't know what day you're starting what time anything Please give the school office a ring because this happened to me and I didn't know and I actually missed my induction Because nobody told me when to start or anything. I was just waiting. I was like, I'm sure I'm supposed to be starting uni right now So I rang them up and then they're like, yeah, actually it was last week So I missed whole week of introductions and all of that jazz because of that So please sometimes there are technical issues. Sometimes you don't receive the email or anything like that. So please Bring them and just check and just have a little polite lovely conversation and gentle reminder for them to send you something and let you know Have you got your stationery the most important important important big capital I of all? It's your stationery get your pens get your colors get your rulers rubbers pencils get your paper get your folders get your polypockets Everything and anything because we love stationery or I do. I'm really sorry if you don't love stationery Don't worry about it. If you don't just get big pen and paper. Don't worry about it Have you got some comfy shoes when you start your placement? So these need to be all black leather completely covered make sure they meet the criteria of your university They will tell you this anyway if you have a look online a lot of people get sketches a lot of people get the clocks unlooped I've got the clocks unlooped which are amazing But you're gonna be walking around for 12 and a half hours on your feet 24 7 Pretty much on these placements. You're gonna be rushed off your feet. You're gonna be constant You can see are gonna egg. They're gonna burn Some people have mentioned that the feet swell up as well. So you're gonna want really really comfy shoes I've also heard some people say that if your feet do swell and you're really struggling with aching feet and ankles and calves Then some people have bought compression stockings and they've actually worn them on placement and apparently it really helps and it really works Don't quote me on that because I haven't tried it I don't know I haven't got a clue what the research is behind it But it's helped a lot of students out there by the sound of it So try it give it a go if it does work amazing if it doesn't work I'm sorry. It's just a little tip that I've seen out there It'll hopefully work for you. Have you got your fob watch? Of course, you need a fob watch You need to have your fob watch so that you can count the respiratory rate and the pulse when you do your observations on your patient It's the best thing ever. I oh when you don't have a fob watch. It's an nightmare. You really really struggle So please get a fob watch. They're really cheap. You can buy them cheap on Amazon A lot of people lately have been asking about stethoscopes and I think it's because people post the stethoscopes because they they look nice Let's face it. We all love a good stethoscope and anything medical related now that we're student nurses But actually the only time I've ever used my manual blood pressure set Slash proper nice stethoscope is in my general practice placement Because they do a lot more manual blood pressures, which I love I will always opt for manual blood pressure over the electronic machine because I trust it a lot more is a lot more accurate Also top tip if you've got a patient with atrial fibrillation or AF Then you have to do a manual blood pressure on them rather than electronic because the electronic one will not pick it up It will not be accurate and you will be writing down the observations completely wrong So please do a manual set of observations on them But I know this doesn't happen across the board and not everybody does this But just you it's good practice. It's there. It's in the nice guidelines. We have to be following that So please ask somebody if you haven't got one ask somebody to use it But apart from my GP practice, I have never used my stethoscope my actual own stethoscope. So Just wait up. Do you really need it? I'm not a hundred percent certain that you do need your own stethoscope, but it is nice to have it's a nice gift It looks pretty realistically. How often are you gonna use it? Not that often Unless you are working in general practice. I know children's nurses use them a lot Corrects me if I'm wrong, but I've seen a few children's nurses with stethoscopes that they have used So yeah, but in adult field as far as I'm aware I haven't seen anyone unless you in the community Use a proper stethoscope that's their own But on the other side of that if you do need a stethoscope There will be one in the area that you're working in so you don't have to worry about walking out for your own stethoscope I've talked way too much about stethoscopes. I'm sorry, but if you don't need to buy it Don't buy it is the easy answer. Don't waste your money. Don't spend your money Again, if you want to put it on the gift list as a Christmas present or a birthday present or something It's a nice gift. I got mine as a birthday present and I was absolutely chuffed with mine So yeah, but I know for our first-year oski as well. We had to do a set of manual observations As our oski, so I personally bought my own manual blood pressure set It was literally a few pounds from Amazon. It wasn't expensive. It wasn't a proper fancy one or anything I think it was in the sale for $5.99 or something I got that and I used that to practice at home on everybody and anybody that could do it And I also really love to have it at home so I can check people's blood pressure because I'm obsessed apparently with blood pressure But I love doing that it's amazing But I did that to practice from home So I didn't have to keep going to uni to borrow the equipment that you need to practice I could just do it from home and that just really really helped me. So in that sense, it is a really big help When you first start university, please find the timetable online Find a three-year planner Download it print it laminate it put it on your wall So you know when you're on placement when you're at university when you're annual leave is when your exams are Just keep it and have it because it's so so handy and it's amazing also download your assessment scheduler So our university has an assessment scheduler. It'll tell you when the exams are It'll tell you when the retakes are and when you should be getting your results back as well They are the best things that I've ever downloaded. I love them and I love to know Where I am what to expect and what I've accomplished so far and it's nice to take them off Also, get yourself a diary if you are a diary person and a planner person It's really good to have that so that you know where you are what room you're in what time you're in Extra curricular activities can go into it as well Just to keep yourself more organized give yourself deadlines as well So when you're going to do things by Plan it or keep yourself really really organized and you're going to be amazing And just on a last note. I just wanted to give a couple of tips for when you start university So first things first if you're going into university alone, you don't know anybody smile make friends be happy Love life. Don't panic too much. Hopefully like I did don't be scared to speak to people make friends Say hello and sit next to people Look out for other people that are alone as well. Buddy up get together. It'll be amazing. Don't worry if you are In a group of friends who are starting uni together Look out for those lonely people that are sitting on their own are quite a lot walking around a lot. Say hello Make friends invite them into your group so that they've got someone to Have fun with and have a great time with Because this course is going to be hard. You're going to need that moral support from your friends You're going to need that mutual understanding of how hard nursing is and how stressful exams can be to support each other and guide each other through it and motivate each other and Inspire each other So just make a friend because it is really the key to stay and successful at university And my next tip is just get yourself organized like I've said about the calendars diaries the organizers the planners timetables just keep organized stay on top of things when they launch something look at it start it rather than leaving It to last minute and just you'll be well away if you can do that Please make use of the library any sort of support services that they have any skills sessions anything like that Any sort of skills space areas that they have at university for you to practice your skills Go make use of all of those things your personal tutor If there's a mental health services or counselling and you need it go to those have a look Just get as much support as you can because it's free and it's university We are only there for three years So make the most of everything that you can and all of that support that you can while you can Don't feel too shy or too proud to ask for help. Please get the help Everyone wants you to pass the course. They don't want you to fail So they want that support in there to help you get through it So please take it up use it abuse it love it and my very very final I promise final final tip is just stop Pause the video 10 seconds 5 minutes however long you need stop Close your eyes take a deep breath Relax the shoulders Deep breath out Relax, it's going to be okay Stop worrying Stop stressing This is going to be the best journey of your life. It's going to be amazing You're going to meet new friends. You're going to love life. Yeah, it's going to be stressful sometimes But that's when you take that moment to pause stop Take some time out for yourself recharge re-energize and get back to it. You're going to be all right So that is it everybody. Good luck Massive. I absolutely love following all of your instagram posts I love seeing all of your conditional offers and your excitement for september Or it makes my day. It really really does and anything I see I will like I will comment On it if I haven't liked or comment on your post comment below because I want to see it And I've obviously missed it because instagram's a bit weird sometimes But um, yeah, so it's goodbye for now. Good luck. You're going to be amazing. You've got this. Come on