Nursing student appears in Channel 4 documentary
A nursing student who was filmed for the television series, Confessions of a Junior Doctor, said watching the footage reminded her of why she wants to be a nurse.
Deborah Main, who is studying children’s nursing at the University of Northampton, was on placement at Northampton General Hospital when she helped a child who has having a seizure while the Channel 4 documentary was being made.
The boy, who was in hospital to visit his sick brother, experienced a febrile convulsion caused by his rapidly increasing temperature.
He was helped by Ms Main and a junior doctor, and Ms Main stayed with him and his brother after the incident to comfort them.
Validation
She said: ‘Looking back at the footage, it reminded me of why I want to do this job.
‘You feel as though you have people’s lives in your hands, which is both a scary and an amazing feeling. It’s a privilege to be able to make a difference.’
Around a million viewers watched the third episode of the series this week, which featured Ms Main.
‘It was really strange to see myself on television,' she said, 'but it was reassuring to see how I reacted to the situation.
‘When something unexpected like this happens, you go into survival mode, crack on and help in any way you can.’
Vital placements
Ms Main said it is important for nursing students to experience working in a hospital to make sure they are ‘cut out for it’.
She added: ‘You will encounter many heartbreaking and upsetting scenarios and it’s important you find a way to deal with it afterwards.
‘Meeting up with fellow nursing students back at university really helps, as we all share stories about what we have experienced. We’ve built up a real bond between us.
‘We all support each other, and the teaching staff are fantastic because they know exactly how we might be feeling. They offer us so much encouragement and help.
'Without support from all the amazing people around me, I don’t think I would have come this far.’
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