CAROL'S NURSE TRAINING

Carol started her nursing training in September 2006 with an Access course at Truro College. During this year Carol also joined the bank at Duchy Hospital and did a few shifts for experience. Carol sailed through the year and then had the anxious wait to see if she’d get a place on the Plymouth University course (at the Knowledge Spa in Truro).

Carol was obviously successful and started the course proper in September 2007. I said earlier that I’ve never seen Carol so happy, despite all the pressure of coursework, tests and placements. Carol was born to do this job and determined to pass everything in the process of qualifying.

The first year was a bit of a blur, but didn’t cause too many problems and Carol was also able to get work at Newquay Hospital for added experience along the way. Carol really loved working at Newquay and said that was where she wanted her first job to be when she qualified.

Carol became part of a tightknit group of friends working together to achieve on the course. They did everything as a group, studied at each others houses and it was good to see how they supported each other and celebrated successes together. It’s strange how those friends gradually stopped calling round after Carol was diagnosed and disappeared altogether the more ill Carol became – but I’ll say more about that subject in another post.  

I remember the second year being harder but Carol was still totally focussed and continued to pass everything. Unfortunately my memory of this year is heavily influenced by the development of the limp, Carol’s speech problem and her increasing reluctance to work at Newquay or go into College as the 2008/09 academic year end approached.
  
The diagnosis letter from the specialist (July 2009) states that he sees no reason for Carol not to carry on working whilst still fit!  Carol was so desperate to be a nurse and reality wasn’t being taken into account. Carol had stopped attending College and her placements, stopped taking shifts at Newquay and was already using a stick to walk at this point!

Over the Summer 2009 I think everyone was being kind and not wanting to state the obvious. Carol was due to start the third and final year but didn’t even want to go out of the house. Plymouth University insisted on sending Carol for an independent specialist examination – and we had to make a completely pointless trip to a hospital in Exeter in September. I say pointless because it was rather embarrassing for the doctor who met us – it was pretty obvious to anyone looking that Carol was struggling. I had to support Carol for balance at this point and I was starting to take on most of the talking as it was becoming more difficult for Carol to be understood. The doctor told us that it was not realistic to continue as Carol’s condition was progressing and working was not an option.

Carol knew this, and had known it for a while, but she was still devastated to have the door officially closed. To add insult to injury a few weeks later Carol received her certificate in the post for successfully completing 2 years of her diploma – it made her cry.