Work Experience

[Blonde Donkey]

I'm halfway through my second placement and tbh it's really getting to me. Its in a old folks home/ nursing home. Everyones great and the patients are really well looked after and the staff really go out of their way to help the patients (using their days off to organise and hold games days and various other activities and just generally being there to speak to) but I feel depressed as soon as I walk through the door because I know that all the people I saw either the day before or the week before will not recognise me and will again find it very difficult to speak to me (many of them have dementia and don't know their own name never mind mine), there is also the chance that one of them will pass away in the night and that also frightens me because I do know some of the people in there and their families.
I probably sound really selfish and horrible for feeling like this, but there has been good to come out of this placement, I have been inspired by the work all the carers and the nurses do because they do a really difficult job and they do it well and I do now know that this is the career path I want to head down.
Probably just rambling pear cider for anyone who reads all this lol

[fleabitten]

You do not sound selfish and horrible to me. I would feel the same. Once i did carol singing in a nursing home and an old man was sitting in a corner and he waved me over and i went over to talk to him and he said he was deaf and started to cry and i nearly burst into tears in front of him. I just felt so bad for them all in there

After my first visit to an old peoples home i knew for sure i never wanted to work in health and social care lol! I just couldnt cope with it emotionally - that applies to nursing too. I cry when other people cry and nearly fainted when someone threw up in doctors waiting room once.

Its good you now know your career path though, well done! Im still dithering - may go into secretarial as i like organising etc and may try and get a job as a secretary in horse industry - bliss lol!

[Blonde Donkey]

I finished today and have been told I will be throughly missed, I have offered to go back when I am free at college. It has been a good experience but thats another thing crossed off the list of things I thought about doing lol.