Time to Celebrate

Last Friday was results day, a day I had been waiting for and dreading too. What if I had failed my final assignment? But I needn't have worried, I passed, with flying colours.  When I started my degree almost three years ago I hoped to gain a 2:1, never in a million years did I think a first class result was within my grasp.  Yes I worked hard, bloody hard a lot of the time, but to achieve top marks wasn't my goal.  But when I was awarded a 1+ for my dissertation, mixed in with a few other firsts from different assignments, Andy joked that I may just get a first for my whole degree.  I laughed it off, but started to wonder if I could do it?

Welł I did it! I was awarded a first class honours Batchelor of Science degree in Radiotherapy and Oncology.  I am officially a qualified radiographer and am on the HCPC register, having started my new job today.  After months of hard work, occasional tears, stressful moments, I can honestly say every moment was worth it.  To top it all off I was awarded the Monroe Prize for my dissertation and have been nominated by my lecturers for the SoR Student Radiographer of the Year.  Now that really is the icing on the cake!

So I am now contemplating which letters after my name come first! B.A or B.Sc?! Also this weekend Andy and I set a challenge.....first to get a Masters. Watch this space, or pop back in a 3-4 years to see who wins!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo 

Finished My Degree!

Well that's it, I have finished my degree. Yesterday I worked my final shift as a student radiographer. Emotions only got the better of me when I said my thank yous and goodbye to my clinical lecturer.  Over the past three years she has been there, when it all got too much, when I really wasn't sure I would make it to the end.  Without her I am not sure yesterday would have happened, that I actually finished.  To have a good clinical lecturer is a blessing and I actually feel I should have handed her a bottle of good champagne rather than flowers yesterday, as she wasn't just good she was incredible and feel very fortunate to call her a friend and to be working with her very soon.

Deciding to start the degree took time, there were days when I walked in to the hospital and questioned myself, my decision to retrain.  Taking any degree is hard, but taking a health degree can be incredibly tough.  Deadlines loom when you are in the middle of a ten week placement block, the job you do is stressful and you are constantly learning during every shift you work. Throw homelife in to the mix, teenage tantrums, GCSE's and AS exams, new schools, as well as everybody getting used to me not being around so much.  Nevermind giving up an income and getting used to commuting to placement. Whilst my clinical lecturer was there when I had a wobble, Andy and the children were my support at home.  Without encouraging words, a shoulder to cry on, an understanding look when I was particuarly stressed with my dissertation, I may not have made it.  Andy is my rock and his support these past three years has been incredible.  Even on my most stressful days my children made me laugh, reminded me that they were one of the reasons I chose to retrain.

But I did it, I finished and three weeks today I will qualify.  When people ask what I do for a living I can proudly say, 'I'm a radiographer'.  

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

  

Wow What A Week!

Well it has been a very busy couple of weeks and really quite stressful too, but all worth it.  Last week I visited another hospital to see some treatments that we don't do at my clinical placement site.  Heading to London on the train was a welcome break from my normal commute and I actually caught up on reading my favourite magazines.  A warm welcome greeted me when I arrived and it was really informative seeing how a different radiotherapy worked.  Taking time to organise elective placements was important to me and I still have a couple more in the next few weeks.  So if you are offered the chance for electives, take it, go somewhere that does something that you haven't seen, ask questions, be interested in other staffs and departments approaches to treatment.

This week has been even busier and really quite stressful.  My final assignment was due in on Friday and I had my first interview for a newly qualified radiographer job.  No pressure then! Also just to add to the mix, dissertation results were released on Thursday, just hours before my interview.  I managed to get the assignment done and dusted by Wednesday and finished off revising for my interview on my study day.  With shaking hands I nervously logged on to the uni website at 6am on Thursday to get my dissertation results......a 1+.....I had to look three times to be certain.  To be honest it still hasn't quite sunk in but I am absolutely thrilled, all the hard work paid off.  For months I had given up my weekends, reading journal articles, getting to grips with research methodologies, writing my dissertation.

Off I headed for interview, nervously entering my placement hospital, hoping that I could perform well enough to be offered a job.  I came away feeling it had gone well but not convinced I would get the job, having got in muddle about a planning technique!  Also having prepared for all sorts of scenario questions I was disappointed that the interview questions hadn't really covered these.  But there was no need to panic, I got the job.  I am so pleased to be joining the team at my placement hospital as a Band 5 radiographer, I am sure knowing the staff and how things are done within the department will be very beneficial as I start my new career.

So a busy week indeed! Whilst I can't guess my final degree classification I am closer to being awarded a first.  I never dreamed of that when I began this journey nearly three years ago.  Just five more weeks and I will know the outcome.

Good luck to all student radiographers heading off to interviews in the coming weeks and for results day.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
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Retraining : The Final Push

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In just six weeks time I will have officially finished my course. All assignments will be submitted, final exams completed, clinical placement finished and competencies achieved.  Yet this seems like the hardest part.  Having handed in my dissertation in the middle of March, I am struggling to get motivated for this final push.  I have one assignment to write, a verbal exam, or OSCD as we call them and four weeks of clinical time left.  With only three competencies left to complete, which will be done the first week back after assessment week, I can just get stuck in without worrying about achieving any competencies.  

Knowing that I am almost there is exciting and scary, especially as I have applied for my first job.  So now I just need to get motivated, complete the final requirements, then I can enjoy some time at home before I start my new career.  

Have a lovely weekend and until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Dissertation, Dissertation, Dissertation

Yes it's that time of year when final year students give up all of the fun stuff to write their dissertations.  This year I am one of those students and every spare moment is taken up with thoughts about my dissertation, reading for it or actually writing it. Simple pleasures of baking, taking the children to the park, or spending time sewing, leave me feeling guilty because I know I should be working on my dissertation.  Since last summer the subject of my research has become my latest obsession.  Being a bit of a perfectionist I will not start writing anything until I know I have fully explored the topic, delving into textbooks and reading many, many journal articles. 

With only four weeks until hand in day and trying to write the discussion part of my extended proposal I am more than a little distracted.  There are some days I wonder if I should be actually driving, using the commute home from placement to consider various options for the trial I am creating.  How many arms,? What will the control arm involve? Will I use mixed methods? Does case study really fit for the qualitative part? These are some of the many questions spinning around my head right now. 

So alongside normal family life and being on clinical placement I will endeavor to complete my dissertation, especially as it is already helping to shape a future clinical study.  Nobody said retraining would be easy and the next four weeks are going to be the hardest, but thankfully I have a very understanding family, who know they will get me back very soon, no longer distracted by endless thoughts about my dissertation.  

And to all the other final year radiography and nursing students currently stuck down the dissertation rabbit hole, good luck.  We will be allowed out very soon, to see daylight again!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Distractions of a Mature Student

Or I could make these bracelets instead of writing my essay!

tutorial from Honestly WTF

Right now I have so much studying to do, with deadlines looming and my dissertation constantly on my mind that I really need to focus.  Yet I seem to be very easily distracted, window shopping online for a new pair of boots, coming up with product ideas for Andy's shop, planning surprise outings, flicking through my ever increasing pile of unread magazines. Idling away precious time, distracted by anything and everything.  This is the curse of being a mature student I am sure, with so many other things on your mind that actually focussing your time constructively is really hard.  There are even times when I start to resent my studies taking up my time as I have soooo much to do.  

One piece of advice I could offer right now is to sit and focus on your assignments then spoil yourself with idling away the hours planning a day out or just sit reading magazines for a whole afternoon with a big pot of tea.  Now I just need to heed my own advice!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe
xo

Retraining - In My Final Year

I know I have been a bit quiet here and on my social media accounts, but life went from slow summer days to demanding workloads very quickly.  Heading back to uni at the start of the month, no long summer hols for health students, it finally felt real....I am in my final year.  Suddenly I had to start thinking about job applications, updating my cv and Linked In page, nevermind writing my dissertation and completing competencies in clinical practice.  So I dropped a few balls, got my head out of the sand and am trying to get super organised, to make my final year manageable.  

Returning to study when you have children is hard.  I am not going to pretend, if you take the leap, which I encourage everyone who wants to to do, be prepared for days when you actually wonder if you can do everything.  The workload in my second year was huge, stress levels were high and I actually wondered if I would reach this stage several times.  But I did it, I got through the workload, my children and husband are still talking to me and I have made it to my final year.  

So as I head off for my first meeting with my dissertation supervisor, I feel a sense of relief that I have got this far, that getting to the end of my degree is now in sight and very soon I will be qualified.  This of course is scary but really exciting too.  And if I can do it anyone can. Make the changes you want to make, find a way, don't delay it, as it is better to have tried than to regret not trying.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

A Levels and Retraining

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Today is A Level results day here in the UK.  Time to see if all the months of hard work paid off or maybe if winging it actually worked.  It's now twenty one years since I opened that dreaded yet longed for brown envelope, to the relief that I had done enough to head off to Birmingham Uni. For some, today will provide the opportunity to take the next step in their retraining journey.  Perhaps you have had to take A levels whilst juggling home and family so that you can take a degree to start a new career. Or maybe today with all the talk of A levels has got you  thinking about taking a degree, retraining, starting a new journey.  Many universities still have places left in clearing, so maybe you could take that leap, now, today.  Make that call that you've been wondering about for ages.  Maybe you want to take that first step on to the degree ladder and are needing A levels, so look at your options, now, today.  There are many options from online courses, local colleges offering evening classes or Open University modules.

So take a deep breath and make that first step to your new career.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

End of My Second Year

Endless blue sky - A view from my village.

Well that's it, I have finished my second year.  To be perfectly honest I can't quite believe how quickly this year has gone.  Last September I felt like I had a huge mountain to climb and then in January I actually wondered if I would make it to the end of this academic year.  But yesterday I completed my last shift for my second year, handed in my practice portfolio and drove home too tired to feel elated.  This morning I am still feeling a little emotional and incredibly tired, having climbed the mountain but am left impatiently waiting to know if I passed and can climb down the other side.  Exam and assignment results aren't due until later this month, so until then I will keep my fingers and toes crossed!

So I now have eight and a half weeks to rest, enjoy and just be.  The best part of course will be having time at home with my family.  I miss my children and husband when I am on placement as the long commute and funny hours mean that normal family time is limited.  Weekends become precious but during school terms these are often filled with sports clubs and matches, concerts, play rehersals and performances and birthday parties.  Therefore the summer holidays are even more precious, no commitments, just endless days to enjoy.  Of course I am hoping for many sunny, blue sky, warm, hazy, lazy summer days.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Exam Week - The End is in Sight

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Well it's been a pretty horrible week.  After weeks of hard slog writing assignments and revising every spare hour I had, the end is finally in sight.  It certainly has been a test of my patience and ability to juggle, with little time for much else but studying.  Over the past couple of weeks I have felt frustrated that I felt guilty for taking the children to the park because I should be revising.  There has been no time for fun things, very little sewing and just some essential gardening.  But tomorrow is the last day of assessment week, my assignments are submitted, my exams almost over.  I can already feel the weight lifting from my shoulders.  Feelings of elation are starting to replace that awful dread that has been with me.  Life can return to some sort of normality, my children can have mum back and my husband will get his wife back.  They have all been amazing these past few weeks and Andy has been so incredibly supportive.  Without them watching my back, making me cups of tea or insisting I take a break, I think I would have been alot more stressed than I have been.  Having their support means the world to me and certainly makes retraining easier. Thank you Andy, Connor, Jack, Lucy, Amber and Kitty for believing in me.

So I am off to do a little more prep for tomorrow, to persuade my lecturers that my dissertation idea is amazing and of course they should approve it. Then tomorrow night I am heading out, for a proper night out with my fellow students.  A huge thank you everyone for your words of encouragement this week, it really does mean so much to me.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

It's Never Too Late To Start Again

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One of the biggest fears for mature students is being too old.  Just imagine turning up to that first day of induction week and being the only person over thirty in the room.  Well erase that thought right now.  Just about every course in the country has a good mix of students, old, young and every age inbetween.  I worried about being too old to be a student again, but that fear was quenched on my very first day.

So stop using your age as an excuse.  It really is never too late to start again.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
xo

Retraining - Studying As A Parent

Nobody said retraining would be easy but being a parent makes it doubly hard.  Not only will you still be trying to be mummy or daddy but you are also a student, with deadlines, maybe clinical placements. Suddenly life as you know it is very different.  There will be days when you wonder if you are doing the right thing, moments of despair, often in the middle of the night, when you actually think it would be easier to just stop, to go back to the old way of life, when it was all so much easier.  But was it? There is a reason you have chosen to retrain, to be something else.  

Believe me there have been days when I have wanted to quit, to return to my old life.  That is when I remind myself why I am retraining, why I wanted to be something else.  Yes I have this blog and still freelance a little, perhaps it's my comfort blanket. But in all honesty I love my new life, which sometimes I need to remind myself.  Right now I am in the depths of revision, assignment writing and clinical practice.  The long commute adds to my tiredness, but I know that in four weeks time all my assignments will be handed in, all my exams finished and just a few more weeks on placement.  I will have almost finished my second year, in thirteen months from now I will be qualified.  These are the carrots dangle in front of myself in those dark moments in the middle of the night.

So whatever life throws at me I will persevere.  My children have adapted to our new life, although I know they aren't so keen on me not being here as much.  Just because I am doing something else that means I am not home as much doesn't mean I love them any less.  I still adore them, am partly doing this for them.  To help them financially through university, to pay for driving lessons.  But above all I like to think that I am showing my daughters that women can make changes, they can be more and yes we can juggle family and career.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
xo

Planning My Electives

It is certainly a busy time with my degree at the moment.  Assignments due in five weeks, end of year exams, clinical placement and a proposal to submit for my dissertation.  Am I really heading in to my final year? Stress levels are high but there is a lighter side to thinking about the final year, I can plan my electives.  Towards the end of our final semester we get to spend two weeks visiting other hospitals, seeing treatment techniques our placement hospitals might not use.  I am actually finding this as a welcome distraction from the current workload.

Helping people has always been at the heart of my choice to retrain. So using my elective time to understand the journey of my patients a little better, seems perfect.  Spending time with a research team, visiting a Teenage Cancer Trust ward, shadowing MacMillan nurses in the community are all on my elective wishlist.  Obviously I also want to see Cyberknife in action and other advanced techniques.  But this is probably the only time I will truly get to step away from the clinical department and get to understand the wider aspect of cancer care. So fingers crossed I can make the best use of my elective fornight.

Are you retraining in the health professions and planning your electives too? Do you have an elective dream list?

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
xo

Retraining - Ideas A Plenty

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Once the seed has been sown to change career it is hard to ignore.  Ideas spin around your head at the possibilities.  It is important at this early stage to not ignore even the craziest of ideas.  Maybe joining the circus isn't realistic but training to teach people to ride ponies is possible.  Having brainstormed your ideas the next step is to consider which are viable.  Take time to research your ideas, which will involve taking new qualifications or gaining experience in a chosen field?  Before the reality of cost takes over take the time to explore your ideas.  Armed with the facts it maybe easier to climb any financial obstacles.  

Narrowing down your ideas can be hard, but the more research you do the easier it will be.  Suddenly the appeal of some careers will lose their shine as you realise that actually there are parts of it that you would really hate.  Or maybe you really don't want to spend three, four or more years studying then trying to work your way up a career ladder in a world that tends to favour people in their twenties.  I know that when I researched my ideas there were some that were dismissed at an early stage, as I felt I would be too close to forty once qualified.  Many will disagree that we shouldn't consider our age when looking to retrain, but let's be realistic, there are simply some careers meant for the younger generation.

Having narrowed down your ideas it is now time to gain a realistic insight of your shortlisted careers.  Perhaps arrange a day in the relevant department, this is easily done with nursing and healthcare careers.  Modern internships are a possibility and some seem to be part time so you could maybe reduce your normal working hours whilst experiencing your new career idea.  Grown up work experience is quite a scary concept but could be invaluable in your decision making.  Remember if you don't ask, you don't get, so take the plunge, contact your local architects, law firm, design studio to see if they would accomadate you whilst you consider if this could be the new start you desire.  

Be sure to share with me your ideas and I would love to know if any of you have tried 'grown up work experience'.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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What Would You Do?

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I have been spending a little time on Pinterest these past few days and saw this quote/question.  It got me thinking back to when I was making my decision to retrain and thought it may help those of you at a crossroads in your career or life in general.  So what would you do if you weren't afraid?

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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Planning a Career Change - Taking Those First Steps

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So it's almost the end of January and you have trudged your way through another month of work.  Or maybe your children have headed back to school and you are seriously thinking about what you want to do, now that time is a little more available.  Making the decision to retrain can be very easy, most people know what they want to do.  But the bravest part of the decision is to actually do something about it.  Taking that leap of faith onto a new path can be the scariest thing ever.  For me the scariest part was walking into a room full of strangers on the first day of my course.  The moment I stepped into that lecture room, amongst seventy other future radiographers I knew my decision to retrain was now very real.  Few of us knew anyone else, we were all in the same boat.  Some fresh from sixth forms around the country, some like me, changing career. Yet we all had one thing in common, we were all brand new first year students.

Making that decision to retrain is one of the best I have ever made.  Yet it wasn't easy and certainly didn't happen overnight.  I was cautious, I deliberated, I kept persuading myself that I was too old to retrain. Obviously the last statement is only relevant if I was trying to enter a career that only younger people were allowed.  I spent months considering what I wanted to do, what I could do.  Options were limited by finances and location.  With a large, young family I had no intention of relocating for the course that sounded the most exciting.  Neither could I afford to fund a more vocational course.  Brainstorming became a big part of life.  Sheets of paper were filled the ideas, some crazy, some doable.  This is the most vital part of your retraining plans.  These initial ideas will be insightful and don't be afraid to let your imagination run wild. Scribble down all the things you love to do, all the types of jobs you would like to consider.  Imagine you are in Class 2 again when Miss Smith asks 'what would you like to be when you grow up?'.  This initial stage of planning your future career is vital.  

So if you are considering retraining I urge you to sit down this weekend and brainstorm.  Get a large sheet of paper and start planning your future.  Stop talking, take that first leap because it is better to be scared than bored!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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Starting my Second Year

Well here I am sat at uni, ready for the start of my second year.  I can't quite believe the summer is over and feel a little disgruntled that I have returned to class before my own children, but hey ho that's just the way it is.  Studying for a medical or health degree does not give you the benefit of lovely long holidays as there is so much to fit in the three years.  However the biggest benefit I can see is that I will leave university with a qualification that will just about guarantee a job.  I will also be doing something I love, that will benefit so many people, so heading back to uni now isn't so bad.

I can't quite believe that I made it to the second year.  Believe me there were days when I almost threw in the towel.  But thankfully I have a rock of a husband, a fantastic clinical lecturer and a supportive mentor.  Without these three people I am not sure I would have made it this far.  Retraining is a huge change, so if you are contemplating heading in a new direction with your career be prepared for days when you question everything you are desperately trying to achieve.  

So here I go at the start of another roller coaster year that I know will be exciting, scary and bloody hard work! But I wouldn't want it any other way.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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New Term, New You

The new school year has always felt full of promise for me, more so than the real new year celebrations in January. A new pencil case and shiny new school shoes were a delight when I was younger and now the promise of a new notebook is very appealing.  I am sure I am not the only one who relishes the new beginnings of September.  This time last year I was had started my journey through Clearing with my interview looming for my degree.  I can't quite believe that I am now preparing to start my second year.  Making the decision to apply for this degree was not a quick one but the whole process happened very quickly once I had applied.

I will write more about my journey to the big decision another day, but for now I just want to say, don't delay if you have made the decision to retrain. Apply through clearing now and you could be stationery shopping for a new school year too!

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
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Hello

Hello and welcome to my new abode.  A new space to be me, to be creative as a writer, a little space to escape my very busy life.  As my five children grew up and didn't need me as much I started to think about what I wanted to do next, who I wanted to be.  I am still on this journey, but the most important job of my life is being a good mother.  Whatever I do my children will always be my priority, yet I also needed to be more than a mother. Hence the decision to change paths in my career, to help more people and push myself academically too. So last September I started a degree in radiotherapy and oncology.  A full time job in itself, hours of commuting when on clinical placement and swapping writing deadlines for essay deadlines. Yet I have loved every moment and taking the leap was the best thing I have done in several years!  Whilst I cannot write about my actual training I will be writing about the trials, tribulations and joys of retraining.

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The simple things in life and living a creative life are also important to me.  However I have realised that over the past year my creativity had been packed away whilst I concentrated on my new career path.  Now on summer break from lectures and clinical placements I have had time to stop and ponder.  I realised writing is a huge part of my creative life aswell as making things for our home and for my children.  So here I am, a new blog, just me, no sponsors, no businesses vying for product placements.  Somewhere I can be me, share my journey of retraining, finding myself again.  There may not be pretty pinboards in every post like my previous blogs, just some good ol' honest writing.

As I head towards turning forty I seem to be setting myself goals, to make me a fitter, better person, so I am sure I will be sharing this with you all too!

So a whole blank page awaits me, an exciting adventure ensues................

Until next time, take care,
Zoe
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