Caroline Booth
Since graduating with my DNN (NNEB) Diploma, my first two posts were as a Nanny within a family looking after three newborn babies, and I stayed with them until they started school. At present I am working as a Nursery Nurse within a Special Care baby Unit in our local hospital . I have found that the training that was given me during my College days has been implemented on numerous occasions.
The main thing for which I am so grateful and for which I thank my lecturers are all the things they taught me. Everyday, I am teaching new mothers about breast milk; about the development of their child; how to make up feeds; change nappies and dealing with all the complications that they may have to succumb to during their pregnancy. I have also found myself in the position where I have needed to be involved with Social Services. I think of all those 'Social Studies' lectures that laid the ground work for something that usually most people never have to see or deal with, but within my job it is an everyday occurrence. In all, without the combined effort of all our lecturers, nothing would have prepared me for these very demanding and specialised posts.
Another excellent aspect of our training was the variety of practical placements which were arranged for us. To have three days studying and then two days per week impractical situations was invaluable and I loved it. I felt that these placements helped me to understand and absorb whatever we were being taught in the classroom. Each term we were given a different age group and setting. This in turn then helped us to decide too which area we enjoyed the most.
Another important part of our training was our uniform ! I appreciated this very much. It made me feel professional as well as proud to be who I was. I felt that I was more approachable and what I advised was accepted more easily. This in itself encouraged me to demonstrate standards that to this day remain very high.
I would like to thank all my lecturers for their constant support and for the teaching that they provided over the years. Without them I don't think I would have been any good at bringing up children; supporting the parents or to provide the standards that are expected of me. To see a similar College established with equally high professional and academic standards would truly be a wonderful thing. I have come across too many bad and unprofessional Nannies within my years. There remains an urgent need to increase the number of well- trained, highly professional Nursery Nurses.