What is a community staff nurse?

[Smurfgirl]

Am working with one for my next placement, what are they? Are they district nurses? She said she worked in the DN treatment room... TIA.

[lexiemum]

probably similar to district nurse and probably is - taking into account agenda for change banding!

how was your HV placement btw?

[lexiemum]

just tinking about it

district nurses on whitley scale would have been grade E/F/G (NOW 5/6/7 - depending on which part of country in)

so a community staff nurse would be a grade D/E and be supervised by a district nurse? (NOW 5)

not sure as my speciality is MH/LD but this seems logically on a couple of glasses of wine!

[Smurfgirl]

lexiemum i haven't started the placement yet. My mentor is the community staff nurse but being based at the health centre i will spend time with HV, midwife and possibly LD team.

[blondehelen]

a community staff nurse is a band 5 (old d and e) who works under DN (i used to be one!) DN's have district nursing qualification either post reg degree or diploma

[Smurfgirl]

blondehelen what will i be doing then with her? she said she works in the dn treatment room, but surely people are not treated in the health centre by the dn?

(we have the same name btw )

[lexiemum]

definately try and spend some time with the LD team - these opportunities are so rare nowadays. - and even more if the LD team is actually based in the health centre, we've been trying to get that set up down here but our community team still work out of seperate offices.

[Buddhamummy]

I am trying desp to get a job in the community but my pct dont have a single vacancy!! crazy when i know from buddies how huge their work load is.

[blondehelen]

a base I used to work at we used to help out in the treatment room on occasion. You will get a lot of everything, bloods, injections, dressings, immunisations, BP checks. Does seem a bit unusual as what you describe practise nurse!

[nooka]

All our district nurses work in the community mostly in people's homes or nursing homes - the bases are just for office work. We have nurse managers and team leaders, district nurses and HCAs but I would guess different PCTs have different titles.

[Smurfgirl]

Thanks for the info!

Am hoping it will fit with previous placements nicely (endocrine ward - lots of diabetics and trauma orthopedics). Also hoping to seriously improve on wound dresing skills. Next placement in hospital I will be in my 2nd year (eek!) so feel I have a lot to learn for then.

[blondehelen]

i'm a tissue viability nurse so if you need any advice or literature I could maybe help. Good luck with your placements

[Smurfgirl]

Cool! Am actually quite embarrasingly bad at wound dressing which is bad as I spent 6 weeks working f/t on a surgical ward and on a ward with LOADS of diabetic foot ulcers !

blondehelen yuor job sounds interesting! atm i am leaning towards critical care...

sally did you prefer the wards or community I LOVE wards!

[blondehelen]

it will improve with practise. Don't worry at all, some of the dreadful dressings I take off which have been applied by very experienced nurses ie half mast bandages and gauze directly on the wound!!! I'm sure you are fine

[Smurfgirl]

Whats EU sally? Our courses seem v.v.different don't they!

My next one after this (second yr) will be elderly or acute adult.

[Smurfgirl]

I have had my exams I am not into my 3rd and final semester. Do you have a summer semester? We don't have an EU placement, I spend a morning with a midwie but have no specific time with MH, child or LD...

I had an exam in anatomy and physiology and an exam in psychology/sociology. I had these in late April and early May. I handed in an essay on consent then as well.

This semester I am doing modules in social exclusion.