Trainee Nursing Associate, Dominika shares her experiences in palliative care and how she has applied this to the course.
"My name is Dominika and I am 36 years old. I joined the Trainee Nursing Associate course in February 2017.
"I work in Day Therapy at LOROS Hospice but I also undertake bank shifts as a Healthcare Assistant at Leicester's Hospitals from time to time.
"I have been working in health and social care for eight years now. I have started as a care assistant in a residential home before moving to a hospital setting and then several years later, a hospice. I am very passionate about my work, especially palliative care, as I think it is a very sensitive and intimate time for patients and their loved ones.
"I started this training as I wanted to deepen my knowledge and support my colleagues in the challenging times ahead for healthcare, providing high quality care.
"Interlinking my experience and knowledge with an alternative placement gave me an opportunity to think broader and outside the box. I can use my expertise of caring for palliative care patients and share it with my mentor, alongside gaining knowledge about pressure ulcers care, dressing changing, diabetic care, admissions and discharging, etc.
"There are lots of challenges aspects to this training. One of them is that because the course is still new, the skills and boundaries are not clearly outlined yet so it’s difficult to explain what is expected of us.
"Writing assignments is another one. As English is not my first language, I need to put in more hours than others. Also, finding someone who can proof read my work can be difficult. However, I think at the end of the course it all will be worth it.
"My advice for others thinking about taking becoming a new trainee is to stay positive and be prepared for hard but rewarding work ahead."
