Reflections on Salt Water

  A flat lay image of books mentioned in this blog, a pair of glasses and some hairclips I am often asked about my experiences of training and working as a naval nurse. I can only share my experiences which will be different from other peoples and it is worth remembering that they are now from quite a while ago.  Being in the armed forces has a lot to do with a lifestyle over anything else and it can be all consuming if you live and work within the service environment. There is an expectation of time spent away from home for training, exercises and drafts although there is sometimes stability with longer drafts. It is a culture of working and playing hard, a structured hierarchy with rules can seem odd to others and a culture of high standards and pride in being part of something special. The payoff from having less freedom is the opportunities that others may never get. A chance to visit places, meet people, learn new things. Naval nurses are part of the Queen Alexandra Naval...

Happy New Year Last year was another 12 months of books and stories. Looking back at the top 9 from Instagram (@sarahwteaches) shows old books, new books, celebrations and information. The small red one in the centre was a lovely surprise that arrived along with a Christmas card from a family member. It belonged to my nan and is dated 1926. It is well thumbed and a nice bit of nursing history. Whilst I admire people who set - and keep to! - new years resolutions, I prefer to make a list of things that I hope to do or achieve over the year ahead. On it this year will be significant time spent on a piece of research. This seems like the perfect time to dust off an old blog which  appeared previously in my blog of a different name. I have edited it to freshen it up a bit and make it more relevant for this blog. In 1747 Dr James Lind performed the first ever clinical trail. He took a group of sailors suffering from scurvy, which at that time was a major problem for the fleet, and divid...

I was recently reminded of a time back in secondary school, many years ago doing cross country. For a while I had been in front of one of the sporty girls who then overtook me as we got to the end. For no reason at all she came to find me at the end, took the time to speak to me and explain how she had used me as a pacemaker giving me a few tips for running.  There was no need for her to do that and I don't know why she did. Hopefully I thanked her at the time though because those few words made a difference and changed the way I approached cross country. I went on over the next few years to do a lot of competitive running, visited some interesting places and really enjoyed it. The point of this story is that we rarely know how a tiny bit of advice or support will affect someone. What a difference it may make to someone's life. In healthcare we are interacting with people all the time, sometimes for only a very short time. I have had the privilege of hearing  Tommy Whitelaw ...

A selection of book reviews which show the power of books to bring us other peoples stories, show us history, give us new ideas and support with new skills. I have had a few submission deadlines over the last couple of months. After years of using the Harvard referencing system, I was required to use the Vancouver system for one assignment and needed to refer to Cite them right by Richard Graham to help me out. This book is easy to follow and contains so much information that it was straightforward to use an unfamiliar system. It covers many different systems and lists the different sources with clear guidance on referencing anything from an ancient text to a social media post. If you want a bit of guidance or confidence with referencing, this book is a valuable tool. It is also available online. Whilst textbooks are essential to provide an evidence base for practice there are many books which help us develop our understanding and compassion in other ways. The impact of illness does n...

Some book reviews and a bit of spring colour. There is a word for the smell of old books; bibliosmia describes that special scent that is given off by books as they age and the pages decay. I understand the magic of holding a real book in your hand and feeling the pages but I also love my Kindle. I know that some people have strong feelings about electronic books but I love the advantages of them. I was able to carry War and peace around with me easily for the length of time it took to read it and I can read books in poor light by altering the size of the writing. To me these are real positives. This is not actually meant to be an advert for Kindles but it is relevant as a couple of the books I have been reading recently were electronic versions.  Kindle flatlay So, on to some reviews. Trekker girl Morocco bound: Life after blood clots or how I learned to live and love life as a thrombosis survivor  by Dawne Archer Trekking across the Sahara is a massive challenge and this is ...

There is immense power in the sharing of stories and nursing is a profession that thrives on stories. We talk all day and sometimes all night to people and their families, sharing stories of lives well lived, people well loved and hopes for the future.  It is important that we share these tales to find out what makes people tick and how we can best help them. Talking things through also helps some to share the burden of caring. It is possible to hear amazing stories, there is something in everyone's life that is special or unusual or amazing. Some stories involve travel... Lived patient experience tells us what we are actually achieving compared to what we hope to achieve. Books such as Michael Rosen's Many different kinds of love shines a light on what we do and how it looks from the other side. One of the bits that stopped me in my tracks was when he says about 'whatever it is they do when they look at you for half a minute then write something down'. (Respiratory ra...