On this page you can explore a selection of the journaling done by newly qualified and registered nurses across the UK. We encourage you to spend some time exploring the submissions. Click on a journal entry to read, watch and hear more

Okay, this may be a bit of a long shot.

On this page you can explore a selection of the journaling done by newly qualified and registered nurses across the UK. We encourage you to spend some time exploring the submissions. Click on a journal entry to read, watch and hear more.

Basically, we were responsible for training ourself.

It’s hard sometimes not to seem abrupt.

"We have loads of policies and rules for behaviour expectations, which is interesting to read coming from a hospital environment."
"My commute to and from our base office is short, however we cover three areas and it can be back-and-forth in the car."
"Had a difficult patient today who was a scientologist and openly talked about his distrust of medicine and hospitals."
"I came to work sometime last month and noticed that one of our patients could walk on their own with a stick unassisted."
"I work as a Learning Disability Staff Nurse working in a crisis and forensic community team."

I’m a newly qualified adult nurse, I qualified in 2021.

"Tonights shift went pretty smoothly, we had just enough staff on as one of our bank staff got moved to a different ward."
"It wasn’t my plan to work in community services after qualifying."
"Healthcare is filled with compassionate people, I don’t think you could do this job without compassion."
"Some days are better than others when it comes to unwinding after a shift."
"Tonight is my second night shift in a row and my first week in a month of night shifts."

Nurses as educators.

When is it enough as a district nurse?

In hospital, you’re in charge. But, in their homes, they are in charge.

Our sincerest thanks and total admiration go to…

Chloe, Mental Health and Learning Disability Staff Nurse

Clare, Community Psychiatric Nurse

Dichhya, Charge Nurse

Eilidh, Learning Disability Staff Nurse

Honor, Staff Nurse

Jessica, School Nurse

Karen, Paediatric Nurse

Leonora, Practice Development Nurse

Mercy, Community Staff Nurse

Ozzy, Mental Health and Learning Disability Nurse

Rosemary, Staff Nurse

Sammi, Paediatric Nurse

A nurse standing in on a patio with trees behind her at night.
End of a late shift.

A woman looking at the camera, sitting at a desk in front of her computer with a laptop and phone in the foreground.
Sometimes we overlook the admin personal because they are non-clinical. However, Hayley has demonstrated that her skillset and experience are very quite invaluable and transferable to all areas of the operation.

What do rules look like here?

We have loads of policies, rules and expectations around the behaviour of students, which are interesting to read coming from a hospital environment. I’m surprised to find the staff conduct policies are pretty similar. The school handbook is a lifesaver for new staff like me, as it outlines all the little quirks and important rules that might not be obvious.

As a newbie, each term feels like a new experience, and I keep learning more about the different stages of the academic year and what to expect from the school atmosphere and the students. However, discipline isn’t my favourite part of the school nurse’s job, and it doesn’t come naturally. I also struggle with the slight ‘respect divide’ between support staff and teachers, but I’m working on it.

Being responsible for the safety and wellbeing of students is a strange position to be in. Sometimes, when a student is having period cramps or just a bad day, it feels unfair to call them out for how their uniform looks, or because they are wearing jewelry. I’m trying to gain the students’ trust and respect, so I feel guilty picking them up on things like that. But I know that the rules are in place to provide boundaries, and that it is helpful for students to know they will be enforced.

I often turn to my boss for advice on how to handle these situations. She’s always supportive and happy to be the ‘big gun’ if I need her to be. It’s telling that in five months working here I’ve only just confiscated my first mobile phone. We’re lucky to have such well-behaved students, and confiscating the phone wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be. There’s just a big book with a list of names and a phone box.

It’s interesting to think about the implications of students feeling unwell or upset and texting their parents before they tell a teacher. It can create confusion and make it difficult for the school to know what’s really going on for the student.

A day in the life

My commute to and from the office is short, however my team covers three areas and it can be a bit back-and-forth in the car depending on the cases that day. I like this element of the job; you might have a plan for the day, but this can change quickly if a call comes in that requires an urgent response.

The building is small and consists of three offices with eight desks in total. It is all we need. We are based at the office but we all go off on visits throughout the day. We are a close-knit team, and being together in close quarters allows us to bounce ideas off one another and debrief from a home visit. My team is always checking in on each other, we debrief after any difficult meeting, tricky day or challenging visit to a patient. We are in tune with one another and notice when any of us doesn’t seem quite themselves.

The first thing I do when I get into the office is check the answer machine and our online system in order to get an update on the patients I’m working with. I check if anyone has attended A&E, had input from the police, or if there is anything in general that I need to know for the day.

Lunch is usually marked by spinning our swivel chairs around so that we all face the centre of the room, and eating on our laps. Sometimes I eat whilst I’m working, but I am keen to avoid this where possible. The work is busy, but I am lucky that in a community post I plan my own diary. So long as I am organised I can carve out time for food and a proper break.

My favourite space in our office is the big bay window that sits at the front of the building. I usually pace in front of it when taking calls. Outside seems to be a popular dog walking spot, and it’s nice to step away from my desk occassionally.

A difficult patient

I had a difficult patient today who was a Scientologist. He openly talked about his distrust of medicine and hospitals, so I tried to spend as much time with him as possible to listen to his concerns and reassure him of our role. He had lots of questions, which I tried to answer as the medical team were very busy and not on hand. At the end of the shift he said he was very grateful I took the time to listen to him.

To me it seemed that he was quite lonely and fearful of the hospital. I hoped that the nurses I handed over to would have time to be with him too, as he seemed to settle once we had one of our long chats. Another of my patients today kept calling me ‘sister’. I know it’s quite an old-fashioned thing to call a nurse, but it actually felt very familial and caring.

A doctor positively affirmed the way I had worked and acknowledged my role within the team. I feel a bit lame being so grateful for the doctor’s respect, but I think it really helps the cohesion of the team to hear it. It wouldn’t be great for my self-esteem to be working in an environment where the nurses celebrated with each other, but the doctors undermined us. I actually really appreciated that at the end of the shift this particular doctor went to each of the nurses to clarify the care plans in place and ensure he hadn’t missed anything from our requests that day. I thought this is a professional way to practice; it really respects the time and energy that the nurses give to providing the best care.

My work keeps me going

I came to work one day last month and noticed that one of the patients could walk on their own with a stick, unassisted. I was so happy and asked them how they were feeling about it. They said that they were surprised to see themselves walking again. I said that means we are working miracles here, and they agreed that ‘miracle’ is the correct word for it.

For a day shift I always set my alarm for 5:20 am and in order to leave the house at 6:40 am. For a night shift, which I do more of because of childcare, I leave the house at 18:35 pm. My main motivation to go to work is just knowing that we are changing lives. Some of our patients come to us nonverbal, PEG feeding (through a tube), and hoisted. Some weeks the changes that happen will surprise me. The human body is a complex entity, but knowing that I somehow contributed to make that change in the patient happen keeps me going no matter what difficulties I’m encountering in the job.

For example, I wrote to my manager recently about my being the only nurse on duty when there are supposed to be two of us. The workload might not be heavy, but my confidence was so low today because of my personal circumstances. Being a nurse – and equally a human being – with some pressing problems in life makes me doubt myself most of the time. Staffing shortages are the main cause of problems for new nurses and our ability to adapt easily or not. Today, my manager could only provide somebody to stay until 22:30 in order to help me with drug rounds.

I needed more than that, but coming into the ward and knowing that our patients rely on us to get better makes me forget my personal issues for a while. I love my job, I really do.

A hospital hallway with two beds and a sink.
How things should not be done

A room with a blue chair and a mural of kites.
Providing short-term comfort for the patient’s family

A bed in a hospital room.
Combining clinical equipment and a child-friendly environment

Finding my own way

I work as a Learning Disability Staff Nurse in a crisis and forensic community team. The role is diverse and keeps me on my newly qualified toes. I have been lucky to have had a very positive experience, mainly because I have such supportive, encouraging colleagues. I’ve been given the opportunity to settle into my job whilst also being pushed to work autonomously and in my own style.

Finding my own way of doing things has been a real learning curve these last few months. But working as part of a wider team who share my passion for working with individuals with a learning disability has been my favourite thing since qualifying.

I feel surrounded by like minded people – people who really care and ‘get it’. In my experience, compassion is present in this team and in the NHS as a whole. People working in the NHS have landed in their roles because they are compassionate and caring by nature.

My team works alongside various professions, and I have felt that, overall, we are all aiming for the same thing – great patient care. People are mindful that in order to achieve this, a multi-disciplinary approach is required, and to work effectively as a multi-disciplinary team you need to ensure each member of the team feels supported and valued.

Tonight’s shift

Tonight’s shift went pretty smoothly, we had just enough staff on as one of our bank staff got moved to a different ward. The other nurse on did the medications so I gathered all the files we need to move them down to the night station. We have a separate nurses’ station closer to the bedrooms that we use at night. I handed out the sleep charts to the staff on observations and got the NEWS scores for the patients on clozapine to make sure they were within range to give the drug. The other nurse and I organised the breaks and split the progress notes between us. I updated the safety huddle for the morning and updated the proformas for the ward rounds [on] the next shift. Proformas are a summary of a patient’s week with all the information other professionals need to know. The other nurse focused on audits and when I had time I cleaned the clinical room.

Tonight’s shift went pretty smoothly, we had just enough staff on as one of our bank staff got moved to a different ward. The other nurse on did the medications so I gathered all the files we need to move them down to the night station. We have a separate nurses’ station closer to the bedrooms that we use at night. I handed out the sleep charts to the staff on observations and got the NEWS scores for the patients on clozapine to make sure they were within range to give the drug. The other nurse and I organised the breaks and split the progress notes between us. I updated the safety huddle for the morning and updated the proformas for the ward rounds [on] the next shift. Proformas are a summary of a patient’s week with all the information other professionals need to know. The other nurse focused on audits and when I had time I cleaned the clinical room.

Arrived on shift and was feeling really overtired and emotional from no sleep. The Nurse in Charge was in a very good mood and offered to go get us a round of coffees. Even this small gesture really brightened my day. It is harder for me to feel overwhelmed when my colleagues are happy and not stressed- wish that we could maintain this good mood but it completely depends on our workload and support that day.

I successfully performed two drain removal under supervision- this was something I had been terrified of doing as a student- so it felt good to overcome a longstanding fear.

A hospital room with a window and a sink.
Sunset as we were finishing the shift.

A white paper bowl with a green and white pill in it.
A pill that I like the colour of.

A window with vertical slats. The room behind the window has chairs and bookshelf in it.
Window between the first aid room and rest space to ensure students are safe and well

A hallway with posters and bulletin boards.
Corridor by the first aid room, with the rest room and prayer and counselling spaces

A medical cabinet with a lot of white boxes containing medical equipment.
Inside the main first aid cupboard

A white cabinet with two drawers and a Asthma Inhaler Kit sign on a plastic container next to three ring binders.
Medication fridge, easy-grab folders with medical information on students, asthma emergency kits and more storage cupboards

A kitchen with white cabinets and a sink. The cabinets have 'First Aid' signs on them.
The main first aid cupboard

A first aid room with white cabinets and a sink.
Cupboards for medical equipment, like thermometers and pulse oximeters. Also for nail varnish remover as it is a school!

How it all began

It wasn’t my plan to work in community mental health services after qualifying. I wanted to start on a ward and then move on after gaining some experience there. But because I injured my knee I was unable to restrain patients and this just never happened. I was left with no job and growing concern about the future. I was eventually offered a role in community adult services, but staff shortages and no formal induction meant it was a rocky start.

When I did eventually start I went to condensed hours to try and maintain some work-life balance. The commute to work meant sitting in traffic for over an hour, and so condensing them seemed sensible, as I would often be at work early and leave late to avoid the rush hours.

Monday is always a busy day, and returning from annual leave makes it feel busier. Catching up on earlier work before starting the next task seems to be a constant theme. On occasion I check emails while on leave just to stay caught up, taking the pressure off returning.

The last six months have felt like a whirlwind crash course, a mixture of learning new skills and finding out I’m doing things wrong. I start each day looking at my emails, my to-do list and calendar. I try to prioritise my day but know that I will not be able to fit everything in. Still, I try to get them into some kind of priority order.

The office is a large open plan room. And while I find working in this environment difficult, it is also helpful. There is always a vast array of experienced staff on hand to support and answer questions I might have. The team atmosphere is good and they have been very welcoming, which is part of the reason I have stayed in this role.

Compassion in my work

Health care is filled with compassionate people. I don’t think you could do this job without compassion. It keeps you going on your hardest days, and brightens the good ones. I have seen so much compassion in my workplace, whether it’s been directed at patients or other staff.

I see it in my colleagues when they work with patients, giving them support and advice when they’re going through a range of tough emotions, helping them keep safe, and calming them when they get overwhelmed or lash out. I see them try to understand why a patient is feeling or acting a certain way. They don’t judge, they only want to help.

There have been two occasions when I have seen compassion in action that have really stuck with me. The first was when we had a patient who could be incredibly challenging to work with. One staff member in particular was always so good with him, and to him. Everyone who worked with him did their best, but there was something about the way she showed the care and compassion she had for him; she never failed to advocate for him. She is an example I look to when I think about compassion.

The other time was when my granny was sick, and we knew she didn’t have long left. I got upset about it at work, and I’ll never forget how my colleagues treated me; bringing me into the staff room, making me a cup of tea, and doing what they could to be a comfort. Their compassion will always stick with me. As will that of my manager, who was a great support at that time. She gave me a few days leave so I could be with granny, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

There are a few newly qualified nurses on my ward with me, and we show compassion for each other. We check-in with each other, and are always there for a little rant on the rough days. I don’t know where I’d be without them.

How do I unwind

Some days are better than others when it comes to unwinding after a shift. Some days I’m just that tired or fed up that I just want to go straight to bed. I like to take a hot shower after a shift, I always feel a little grubby after work.

I also like to listen to audiobooks or watch YouTube. It’s nice to have something low effort or mindless to do to clear my head after a shift and to detach from everything that went on during the day.

I used to be quite bad at switching off after work, I was always anxious or overthinking. “Did I do everything right?”, “Did I get everything done?”, “Did I make the right decision about x, y or z?”.

On my days off I like to spend some time with my niece and nephew when they’re around. I also love reading as a way to relax. I love D&D podcasts to escape reality and I enjoy working on my embroidery projects, stabbing a needle into cloth over and over again is surprisingly therapeutic and seeing the final result gives a sense of achievement.

Second night shift in a row


Tonight is my second night shift in a row and my first week in a month of night shifts. I wasn’t meant to be on tonight but I agreed to a bank shift last night as we were short staffed. Tonight I’m the only permanent nurse on shift. Most of the staff are agency or bank staff, but luckily [the] staff that are on tonight are regulars on the ward and are a really great time. I administered the night time medications at the start of the shift, then I helped with covering 1:1s to let staff away on their breaks.

One of our patients returned to the ward from being over in the general side of the hospital for some physical issues we couldn’t manage here. I was busy when she got back and other staff helped her settle back in. I came to check in with her when I had time and she seemed happy to be back. The other nurse and I then split the nursing notes to complete, which is basically writing out the nursing care they received and what they have been up to eg. medication, eating/drinking, therapeutic engagement with staff or any concerns or issues that have come up.

Then I updated the safety huddle for the next morning with all the relevant information from the past 24 hours. The rest of the shift was settled and nothing worth noting really happened.

Our sincerest thanks and total admiration go to…

Chloe, Mental Health and Learning Disability Staff Nurse

Clare, Community Psychiatric Nurse

Dichhya, Charge Nurse

Eilidh, Learning Disability Staff Nurse

Honor, Staff Nurse

Jessica, School Nurse

Karen, Paediatric Nurse

Leonora, Practice Development Nurse

Mercy, Community Staff Nurse

Ozzy, Mental Health and Learning Disability Nurse

Rosemary, Staff Nurse

Sammi, Paediatric Nurse