Any Nurses who trained in 1989 or before......I have a question for you..

[recall]

When you washed/helped to wash someone, did you wear gloves ?

I just happened to get some poo on my hand ( don't ask ) and I washed it off, but I couldn't get rid of the smell. I said to my friend "This takes me back, we used to use washing powder to get rid of the smell, Melena was the worse " She looked at me horrified. Was it just me should I have been wearing gloves ????? I remember wearing them when I was being assessed administering an enema, so I think we used to wear them for procedures, and blood stuff, but not for poo or sick etc.

Please put my mind at rest, I feel all wrong now

Another one! I lived in Alex Home (the one which became condemned which I mentioned further up the thread) then moved into Cavell. Got offered John Harrison in our 3rd year but we were having a blast in Cavell.
I remember Alex home didn't have its own front door so you had to duo via one of the others. We went on via Old Home at night where some old woman would check we weren't trying to sneak young men in!!
What set were you in?

Lived in all those homes still think of the deep roll top baths with feet every time I see them in glossy mags. They were just the norm. Moved out to live in a council flat in mile end road. My first ward as a student was Gloucester neuro surgery last ward as a junior sister was cotes. I was there when Michael Jackson visited to see the skeleton of the elephant man and the queen came to make it the royal London. Ah those were the days.

I was a fair bit later than you both, I started in 1993.

My first ward as a student was Currie. I was a Senior Sister on Gloucester before I left. I remember Cotes well!

John Harrison house, well that was luxury!

We got to Cavell house to find there was still 2 pin point plug sockets in there!

I once nursed a lovely, old, grumpy Polish guy who had diabetes. He used to crave sugary stuff and would nick the biscuits from the other patients if he got the chance. I used to sit on his bed and spend ages trying to persuade him to stick to his proper diet, but he'd just laugh. He had a gangrenous toe and one day the surgical consultant came onto the ward to see him, drew the curtains, examined the guy's toe and pulled it off

I also nursed an elderly catholic priest on the same ward and he befriended me and persuaded me to go out and buy him 1/4 bottles of whisky and 20 John Player Special He was told off from the sister when he was caught smoking in the toilet. He never grassed me up though

The blokes were always more fun to nurse than the women, they'd just sit around the moan about stuff.

Oh those baths were luxury...but can't believe there were still 2 pin plugs when you came. We had to get all electrical items checked by the hospital electrician before use, to change plugs etc, and we could only use fairly weedy items in our rooms, so no kettles or hair dryers!
Currie Ward used to be antenatal when I started my training. My first ward was Spencer at Mile End, my last ward before I had my first child was...Spencer! I loved that place
Other favourite wards were Sophia (neuro medical), Helene Raphael, Charrington (mixed general surgery).
Hardest 4 months of my life was 8 weeks on Brookes (female medical) followed by 8 weeks on Mercer (acute elderly care), both at Mile End. That was the end of my first year and really cemented basic nursing slog care to me

First late on surgical and a very scruffy man wearing a leather jacket and longish dirty hair came in to the ward and made for the dangerous drug cabinet.

I hightailed it to Sister's room and she came bolting down the ward to apprehend the ruffian.

She entered the prep room, said something to the man then took me into the sluice room and told me he was the consultant.

I died a bit that night but Sister was very kind to me for the duration of the secondment and years later told me she went back to her room and howled with laughter.

I staffed on Helene Raphael, it was surgery and plastics at the time. I can remember a friend of mine being on Spencer as a student, and meeting her on there every now and again...I can picture the ward clark with a red curly bob!

I loved (Hellish) Mellish and I did my mental health placement on Rachel, that was an eye-opener.

Wendy the ward clerk?!

My best friend was junior sister on Rothschild (next door to HR)...and then colorectal cancer specialist nurse. When did you staff there? Bet you know her.

Posey my first staff nurse post was Brookes ward loved it but hard hard work. Also did Rachel rather than st Clements. Remember taking a patient out to Stratford for time away from Rachel ward only for her to say she felt suicidal around the knives in Woolworths I was probably only about 20 not sure I could do half the things I did then now. Didn't think twice about it bet nowadays there would need to be a full risk assessment done first!

2plus2 I don't remember much about Brookes except it was really really hard work and I saw things that I never dreamed I would see.

My favourite under pillow case has Cavell hand embroidered in pale blue silk.

So...odd...reading this thread.

I had a pink and white striped uniform with starched white apron and 'the cape' - guess where....cap was frilly in fourth year,

St Clements...Bethnal Green...QEH Hackney...Mile End and....the two main hospitals. Started in 1983.

Brookes - urology?

If so was my first general word... memory a bit hazy but there was the man who suffered my first drug error, an overdose of mst. He bought me chocolates as I was so upset and he had his best day in a long while. :)

We used to hear crickets in the underground corridors tssssttt...tsssttt...ttsssttt

Awww, was just mooching about t'internet and found this ,its of the hospital I trained in which has since been demolished

This thread is amazing. I'm alternating between laughter and tears. I trained in 91, I'm marking my place to come back and share when less tired

And how about the cockroach man who visited on a Wednesday and did the rooms of those on night duty first. Stan got very excited once over a particularly fine specimen.

Matron who would check on us if we were off sick or skiving.

The difficulties if your man wanted to stay.

Btw I had friends who lived in John Harrison and was very jealous until I got a council flat in Bromley by Bow.

I remember rubbing starched collars with soap. Literally crying over making the hats. I have two hospital badges and a silver buckle.

Hmm a return to nursing course? I miss so much but wonder if it is the same job now. I would go for it and see but you have pay for the course nowadays!! Seems daft when there are people who might cine back.

Bloody hell when did I turn into the old biddy remembering a past world?

Maybe I do Posey! When I was on HR, Rothschild was closed and then they moved the children's wards over there from QEH.

It's such a small world.

Can we open this out from the London, anyone want to reminisce over Guys circa 1980s?

I qualified in 2006, and in my VERY small time as a qualified nurse things have changes so much.
Wish I worked with some of you on this thread right now. There are some inspirational AMAZING nurses in the NHS right now, but there are also some very scary ones. (But I guess it's always been that way no?)

Saw somebody mention Roper earlier on the thread. It was "Roper, Logan and Tierney" that was drummed into us daily.

I've had a quick scan through the thread and don't think I've seen it mentioned....anybody seen "Confessions of a Nurse" of more4?

all I shall say is.....

When I was a second year student, I was on placement on the Cardiac Ward, it was Saturday afternoon and the men in my bay had the Rugby on, England V New Zealand. I ended up doing the Haka to entertain them. Suddenley one of the patients leapt up in his bed, and did the Haka too, all his wires pinged off and the charge Nurse came rushing in all

Needless to say, I got a total bollocking , and lecture on keeping the Cardiac patients relaxed and calm