A Day in the Life of Kate

On placement

05:45 Wake up

It's good to start the day with breakfast. Then I pack my bag with uniform, lunch, and plenty of water before leaving to drive to placement.

11:00 Morning break

Mornings are pretty hectic on the ward with breakfast, medications, washes, bed changes, and ward rounds. Breaks normally happen between 9:30 and 11:30 and are a chance for me to top up my water bottle, take time to myself, catch up with messages on my phone, and have a quick snack.

13:00 Forums

Some days on placement there is a student forum that every nursing student is invited to. These are an opportunity to speak to practice placement managers (PPMs) and see other students, share experiences on the ward, and get any support if I need it. 

15:00 Afternoon Break

Once midday medications and meals have been completed, noting and paperwork are up to date, and discharges and admissions are well underway, it’s time to have lunch! I always try to go off the ward for my lunch and if the weather allows it, I’ll go outside for some fresh air.

19:30 Handover

As night teams start to arrive it’s time to get ready to go home. Finishing up on that day's tasks and plans, handover is vital in the continuity of patient care and making sure that the new team of nurses knows how patients have been during the day.

21:00 Evening routine

At home, it’s time to get ready for bed. It’s been a long day! I’ll wash my lunch box, shower, complete my skincare routine, grab a small meal, and have an early bedtime ready for the next day.

On campus

07:30 Good Morning!

When I am studying at the uni, I can wake up a lot later! I’ll have a shower, grab some breakfast, and pack my bag with my lunch and lecture essentials; laptop, water bottle, any notes, and some pens and pencils. I walk with my housemates along the canal and into the Medical School (watch out for the cyclists!)

09:00 First lecture

Laptop open and ready for the day. I normally have the lecture PowerPoint open so that I can follow along and make extra notes if I need to. Today's lecture is about our research module and discusses data extraction.

11:00 Lunchtime

A break between lectures means I can catch up with my friends. We often sit in the MedCafe and eat our lunches, catch up on lecture notes, and discuss any assignments or placements. It’s also a great time to just catch up as friends and check in on each other.

13:00 Last lecture

Back in a lecture hall, we’re discussing our research module and our literature review which is our assignment for this module. Lots of this assessment is independent work. We have to find out more about the papers we’ve chosen for the literature review but the lecturer is also around to answer any questions we have.

15:00 Heading home

It's food shop time on the way home and it's my turn to buy washing-up liquid for the house. When I’m home, I get started on laundry and tidying my room, completing any of my chores for the house and I also do a little bit of reading or scrolling

17:30 Dinnertime

I like to make multiple portions of dinner to make it easier later on in the week or to use as lunch the next day. It's an early dinner today as I’m off to a society!

19:30 Society night

I attend First Aid Society every Monday. It’s a great chance to see friends and catch up on some amazing clinical skills. It also helps me practice my patient communication skills!

22:00 Relaxing evening

Once I am back home, I catch up with movies or a TV series and wind down for the night. Shower, skincare routine, and have a hot chocolate and then I’m ready for bed