u/Acceptable_Two_7197

Hi everyone,

I’m a first-year student nurse (paeds) in the UK coming up to second year, and I’d really appreciate any advice from people further along in the course or already qualified.

I’ve heard second year is where things start to step up in terms of responsibility and expectations, especially around clinical reasoning and starting to “think like a nurse” rather than just observing and learning.

Also, something I’ve been thinking about recently is the job climate after qualifying. I keep hearing mixed things about how easy or difficult it is to get newly qualified posts, especially in paeds, so I’m a bit unsure what to expect long-term.

I know I’ve still got time, but I’d really appreciate any honest insight on what second year was like for you, and how things felt closer to qualifying — whether you felt prepared, secure about job options, or had to be quite flexible.

Any tips for placements, studying, confidence, or just managing the workload would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Hi everyone,

I’m a first-year student nurse (paeds) in the UK coming up to second year, and I’d really appreciate any advice from people further along in the course or already qualified.

I’ve heard second year is where things start to step up in terms of responsibility and expectations, especially around clinical reasoning and starting to “think like a nurse” rather than just observing and learning.

Also, something I’ve been thinking about recently is the job climate after qualifying. I keep hearing mixed things about how easy or difficult it is to get newly qualified posts, especially in paeds, so I’m a bit unsure what to expect long-term.

I know I’ve still got time, but I’d really appreciate any honest insight on what second year was like for you, and how things felt closer to qualifying — whether you felt prepared, secure about job options, or had to be quite flexible.

Any tips for placements, studying, confidence, or just managing the workload would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Hi everyone,

I’m 26 and was recently diagnosed with AuDHD (autism + ADHD).

It honestly feels like I’ve spent 26 years playing a video game on expert mode with no tutorial, no save points, and random side quests I didn’t agree to.

A lot of things are suddenly making sense now — like why I can be hyper-focused on something for 6 hours and then forget I exist as a human being who needs food, water, or basic life skills.

It’s been a mix of relief, confusion, and occasional “ohhh so THAT wasn’t normal?” moments. I’m still trying to process it all and figure out what it actually means for day-to-day life, not just as a label on paper.

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else got diagnosed later and had a similar experience. Did it feel like things finally clicked into place… or like your brain just opened 47 new browser tabs you didn’t ask for?

Thanks for reading 🙂