Before nursing!

Ok, so to start, this is my new attempt to blog about me and my journey in nursing. this post is the journey from school to my first nursing job. 

About me, My name is James, I'm a 30 year old straight white man, who woke up one morning and decided that nursing was for me. Now that doesn't sound to far of a leap, until you look at my past. at the tender age of 16 I joined the Army, went to the army's foundation college, as I was a bit "thick" when I was at school and didn't really write to much if I could get away with it. So having survived the year, and having two whole NVQ's to my name, I started my time in the Royal Artillery. I spent 6 years stuck in Woolwich in south London, with only 3 months deployed on tour, and where did they send me? Cyprus! WTF! I had/have mates who where lucky/unlucky enough to see most the known world (well the sandy parts), and there is me on tour in Cyprus, I mean hell most the UK decamps there for there summer holidays! 

Anyway back on topic! In 2004 I found the first "one", and was ready to settle down, and all that. My career in the Army wasn't happening, having never been the most keen runner, and then finally being downgraded, (The Army's way of saying broken!) meant I'd never reach any rank above Gunner (the lowest you can be, unless you're still in training.) I took the decision to "sign off" (give my years notice), and try my hand at driving lorries full of compressed Gas around London and the home counties. Good money, no PT! my own place that had no one coming around to "inspect my room", and no fast balls.

By July 2005 I'd realised, I'd made the biggest mistake ever! I'd split from the one, I was hating the job, its was so boring!!!! I had to have an operation on my back, and to top it off the 7/7 attacks happened! I still remember that day now, I was due to make a delivery at Great Portland street, as one of my first drops that day, luckily for me I had an extra delivery added to my load, so instead of being somewhere around Kings cross I was still on the A10, just south of the North Circular Road, near Stamford Hill. All the traffic was stopped and redirected back out of London. about 15 trucks (most of them tankers) all parked up, and tried to find out what was going on. Scott Mills stayed on Radio 1 all day, I couldn't move or believe it, 7 years in the army, and this happens as a civvy! And I have my boss (safely up in Birmingham) telling me I've got to make my delivery! It was a long emotional day.

Well that started me looking for a new job, form the very next day. flip forward to 2007 and Facebook was all the rage, I'd got back in contact with some Army mates, and they were talking about FTRS, (Full time Reserve Service) and that there was a chance to go to Canada with the Army, needless to say I jumped at the chance! 6 months in the snow mucking about with spanners and trucks, what more could a man want! I'd been out long enough to forget the crap that went with the Army, and to be totally fair, i enjoyed it this time so much more, we worked hard and played even harder, hell on my "weekend off" 4 of us drove from Medicine Hat all the way to Mexico! And back! 

But like everything it couldn't last, I'd found another "one" just before flying out there, and decided to come back to the UK and give Civvy street another chance. 9 months of unemployment followed, and the break down of yet another relationship, lead me back into the Army, for a 3rd and final time. This time it was with 1st Royal Tank Regiment, based at RAF Honnington in Suffolk, working in a small MT (motor transport) section, I earned a lot of responsibility and respect very quickly, and settled into a fresh challenge. The year i spent in 1 RTR was the best year of my service, and I'd started to really feel like a Trooper, then fate, in the guise of HM Government, stepped in. My one year contract could not be renewed due to the freeze on TA training and a desperate reach to save money meant that no temporary contract would be renewed, everyone from the RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major, the man who runs the regiment) to the Colonel (the man in charge of the regiment) could get it changed, so with only 2 months notices i was out looking for work again. This time I had an idea i wanted to work with people more in my day job, and was looking up and down the country at jobs on the Ambulances, when one of the CMT's (Combat Medical Tech) suggested, "why not try for a HCA role? they are very similar and would suit you more than being back on the road."

So i added that to my list of jobs to look for.

I applied for a Band 3 role in District Nursing in Croydon, I knew nothing about District Nursing, or Croydon, but somehow I got an invite to interview, and an assessment. I found it to be such an amazing day, i wasn't judged as an ex-squadie thug that seemed to happen whenever I'd interview for a driving job in Essex. And really hit it off with the interviewers, so much so I'd only got as far as the Dartford Tunnel, when they phoned me to say I'd got the job!

Thank for listening to me go on.

James