22 SEPTEMBER, 2008 BY ERIN DOCHERTY

Compassion, knowledge, hard work - our new student

nurse blogger Erin Docherty knows what makes a great
nurse. Just don't mention the 3000-word essays

Right now I am literally tearing my highlighted hair out. It's

4.30am and I can't sleep as tomorrow is D-day - the dreaded
end-of-year essay is due. Should it fail to come up to scratch,
my whole career could be down the drain.

What is with that? Here I am, two years into a course that I'm
loving, and I could literally fail if I don't pass this essay.
Nevermind the countless hours spent on the wards, the days
and nights running around like a blue-arsed flea, making sure
that every patient gets the absolute best. But no, apparently
compassion, understanding and damn hard work do not make a
nurse. Harvard referencing and case studies, that's what gets
you your colours.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for nurses being educated and
intelligent, but this is going to far. I may not be able to put
good nursing principles on paper, but I can certainly make a
bed you can bounce a 50p coin off, and administrate injections
at the drop of a hat.

But these days it's all about evidenced-based research. Well,

here's my contribution to the research: essays are nonsense. I
spend hours and hours using a thesaurus to try and find big
words to put on paper so I come out looking intelligent. Why
not have a conservation with me instead, ask me my opinion
on patient-centered care, ask me any drug calculation you
want, or even ask me to explain the new mental health act.
If a patient needs me to explain their medication, I can help. If
I'm about to finish my shift, I will stay and explain it another
way so i can go home knowing I gave 100%. This is not
because I wrote an essay on it - it's because I believe in it and
I was born to do it.

Thirteen-hour shifts, living on a bursary and working a part-

time job, 3000-word essays due every two months, an ongoing
portfolio of evidence... how could I not love being a student
nurse?