Petrified and regretting starting nursing degree

[meltedgalaxy]

Hi,

I'm a student nurse (mental health) I'm first year. I'm 12 weeks pregnant.

I've been placed on a ward that takes in covid patients, they are not a full covid ward but they have patients who have it.

I've never been on a ward before - I've been with community mental health teams, however I've not been able to visit or work with patients due to the risk of covid (decision made by university and placement area)

Fast forward to now, I'm due to start next week. I've asked Howcome it's suddenly fine for me to be working with patients with covid after it initially wasn't even safe for me to work with non-covid patients due to the risk.

My university will not reply to my emails, and when they do, I get advised to email such and such, no one ever answers me.

I've just joined the RCN

I'm genuinely regretting wanting to be a nurse. I absolutely hate the lack of communication.

My pregnancy isn't the smoothest, I have complications as it is.

I know being a nurse is about treating people and if I wasn't pregnant, I would be doing this. I'm just so scared and anxious I cry myself to sleep and wake up panicking every night. I've had a long, hard battle with fertility and I'm petrified of catching covid and putting my body through it and something happening to my baby.

I'm in an extremely high risk area and we have the new SA variant of covid

Hi OP this sounds very tough. Do the Trust where you have your placement know you are pregnant? In my MH trust pregnant staff aren't allowed to work on the wards, even pre-Covid, I thought that was standard practice.

Have you spoken to the manager of the ward you are going on, occy health, your GP or consultant ?

The ward manager said I'm probably not suitable, and advised that I speak to my university.

University have said as long as I've got a risk assessment I'm fine

It's not even a mental health placement it's on a regular ward, I'm terrified

Who manages the placements (is there a practice placement facilitator)?

It's a good opportunity to practice the sort of assertiveness that will stand you in good stead as a nurse. Send a group email to your tutor, the placement facilitator and the ward manager entitled something like "seeking advice on clinical placement". Explain that you have been allocated X placement and been advised by the ward manager that your pregnancy means you are unsuited to this placement, please can you advise how to move forwards.

Ultimately, if your uni and the Trust you are in take the perspective that pregnant women can work face to face atm then you have a choice between taking the placement or deferring for a year. But that needs to be made very clear.

How detailed is your risk assessment?

What complications? Are they relevant to your covid risk score? You should have had to do a covid risk assessment that gives you an age. But how do you propose you complete your nursing training? Not being funny but you’ve chosen a career in nursing and you don’t think nurses can opt out for the duration of covid? Or during their pregnancies? So perhaps a rethink of your career is in order...

@Isadora2007 am I not allowed to be frightened?

Did I ask to opt out during covid?

Would I rather do a mental health placement? Yes.

I'm having a high risk pregnancy. I did put that in my covid risk assessment along with relevant notes from midwife.

Did I ask to opt out during covid?
Yeah kind of when you said you regret wanting to become a nurse.

Would I rather do a mental health placement? Yes.
Being a nurse isn’t just about the field you’re in- MH is no guarantee of good physical health. And the nursing skills you will
Learn on an adult ward will be useful in your career.

I'm having a high risk pregnancy. I did put that in my covid risk assessment along with relevant notes from midwife. Then if the risk is considered high you won’t be put out there. There is no evidence to suggest earlier stages of pregnancy would be affected even if you did get covid.

Of course you’re allowed to be worried but covid is all around and tbh you’re probably as safe in a hospital as going to the supermarket etc.

I'm sorry you're so nervous, it sounds like this is really tough for you. And congrats on the pregnancy.

I think you are in for an uphill battle here. Fully qualified nurses are able to work directly with Covid patients until 28 weeks pregnant so I cant see them making extra arrangements for trainees easily.

In terms of the advice changing, we learn more about Covid and how it affects individuals, guidance and risk scores are being updated pretty frequently.

Hope you find a solution.

I'd take a year out personally and rejoin later.

I know universities are having a really hard time managing student nurses safety, and as a first year student they really won't be all that invited in you. You are a number at this stage. Take a hiatus and come back once the baby is born

I think the public expect nurses to put their health at risk for the general public. So you won’t get the sympathy that a trainee teacher would get. I’m 26 weeks pregnant and a nurse. My risk assessment says I should not be working on the ward now but I’m not sure if that will even be taken into account. The other issue with mental health nursing is violent patients which is a big risk if you are pregnant. I would also see if you can defer a year, your baby should come first.

@Isadora2007 at no point did I say I wanted to opt out.

I'm regretting my decision because it's incredibly overwhelming. I'm new to this training, with zero support from university despite being an anxious person and asking for some advice time and time again.

Instead, I'm left unsupported and being passed from pillar to post.

If you have only came on this thread to make me feel worse, well done you've succeeded.

I'm glad I don't have people like you around me in me IRL.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I really think taking a year out is the only option here unless you can accept that at some point in your pregnancy you will be working on wards. Even in a mental health placement there will be people with various medical needs in addition to their mental health problems. You need solid clinical experience so being in non hands on roles instead of face to face won’t be an option. Covid isn’t going anywhere fast. I think in your shoes I would seriously consider deferring. Also presumably you’ll need a year(ish) off when you have your baby , so maybe it would be better that you do the lot in one go rather than stop and start as you’ll get more into the swing of it and hopefully be able to enjoy it more as you won’t be worried about any pregnancy implications.

Thanks for those with helpful responses, I'm looking into all of my options. I've emailed my tutor to ask for a meeting, just to re-iterate my concerns and the fact that the ward manager said I wouldn't be suitable, as it's left me feeling anxious.

Hopefully I can be reassured or there will be some kind of resolution.

I do suffer from health anxiety whilst I'm pregnant after various losses and ivf treatments it has left me in a bit of a state.

This was the worst time for me to start university, I applied in 2019 but had to hold off due to surgeries and recovery time. So I applied again before covid was even happening. Had I known this would happen, obviously I would've thought about waiting especially considering a pregnancy.

Isadora2007 - what a rude and unhelpful post - this poor girl is in turmoil - meltedgalaxy - so sorry you are in this position - very scary for you

@Stupidusernamefaff I was due to take 5 months off. So I would start again in January 2022, should all be well.

@tillyandmilly thank you x

Presuming you started in Sept the staff will currently be totally snowed under sorting out hundreds of placements while also teaching the other years so it’s likely to take a long time for them to get back to you. No excuse but that’s how it is.

I work in research with lots of nursing academics and I’d advise you to message them on twitter rather than email if you want a speedy response. They’re all active on twitter and it’s harder to ignore that than email.

You can defer!!!

@Imissthegym thank you, I'll get onto that. I know they're really busy and I hate having to bother them

I would defer if I were you. Totally understand your fear and think @isadora's posts are unnecessary so please ignore them.

I also think defer op. You can’t your placement as you are struggling with mental health problems and health anxiety, as well as pregnancy, and even with mental health patients you’d have a risk of Covid, or other infectious diseases.

On top of this you’ll soon have a baby. I think uou should talk to the uni about dropping out at this stage. And then reassess when you’ve had your baby and feel more stable.

I think id consider deferring for a year. Im assuming the pregnancy has meant you cant be vaccinated yet?