Hey there all :)
This is a question for anybody who uses mental health services really!
(This is not for a survey or anything, it's just been plaguing my mind recently)
I'm currently on a mental health placement (I'm a student MH nurse) in a ward in England, and I was wondering, how do you guys feel about someone my age aiding your care?
I'm 20 years old, so maybe I'm a bit older/same age/younger than you, I was just curious;
Do you ever find it patronising? Or more helpful to talk to someone your own age? Frustrating? Easier? Etc.
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I was inpatient last week and there were a few MH nursing students on the ward during that time. They were all younger than me.
To be honest I found it ok. There was one girl who I felt a bit embarrassed taking to because our aged were so similar and I was like crying in front of her and stuff but otherwise it was fine. In fact talking to students a little bit better because they Have a lot of enthusiasm for helping people unlike qualified nurses who have lost that fresh faced enthusiasm.
All the best with your trainning xxx
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When I saw the CMHT a year or two ago there was a student sitting in on some of my sessions. To be honest, if my main CPN guy left the room, I'd say a lot more to her than I would to him. I missed her when she left! I found it helpful to have someone there - as long as I'd been consulted before the session because if I hadn't, I was a bit miffed on principle!
A younger person's care is, like the above said, slightly more enthusiastic and less jaded which can be nice, sometimes.
When I was in the hospital there was a young nurse doing training and it was really cool to have someone my age to talk to for once, it was really refreshing, and we could just have a laugh about "young people" things, which was cool.
Like everyone else has said I liked having CPNs and students closer to my own age, we had more in common thus could relate to each other more and when IP it was nice to have someone to talk to about normal stuff like shoes or this or that singer etc. Plus as mentioned before they are enthusiastic and mostly not afraid to say when they aren't so sure what to do which is an honesty I respect. But then this is the view of someone who is in general the same or a similar age to the majority of students nurses and perhaps the answer would be different if I was a middle aged person?
In all seriousness though, I've found that with my placements, quite a few of the service users/support workers have been quite positive that I'm such a young nurse and they find it quite surprising. I find that they like a part of the "younger generation" want to do something helpful/caring/supportive with their lives.
I don't think I've ever really been involved with any professionals in my care that have been younger than me, but I know my parents said that with Pip's care at the hospital, generally the younger nurses were the better nurses to talk to about things. I wouldn't mind if there was someone younger than me treating me, if anything it impresses me that they've worked hard to get where they want to be at a younge age.
Hope that helps :) xxx
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I would find it a bit awkward if they seemed like one of the cool popular people ive known at school, because i wouldnt tell stuff to someone like that. Even though it would really just be my perception, id still feel odd. But there are things about some older people that make me feel like that too
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I think that everyone has their first time. Some patients may be more sensitive to student nurses rather than age. I personally only didn't like it because I didn't have a good rapport with my CPN and on top of not feeling like I had much of a choice, knew as a health professional myself that I would be depriving the student nurse of ticking her boxes of seeing an atypical patient in terms of demographic. Otherwise, it is more of an issue if you see someone from your cohort at school who is a patient than your age really.
Just do your job to the best of your ability, and know your stuff. Also keeping a journal is so beneficial on placements. Remember to let patients have the choice whether to have you in the room where possible/ or at least acknowledge that a new presence may be disconcerting- and if they say no- it isn't personal.
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I think if I was in IP and there was a nurse young then me, then I would feel worse about myself as its like ' am older then you and am stuck in hospital were as your younger and doing way better' so in that sense I would feel like a failure almost. Saying that I am only 19.
I maybe would have said having someone my age would be better but my cpn was way older then me, I was 17 she was about.. late 30s/40s etc but we got on well as she just understood were I was coming from with things, but I guess that was down to her experience. She had been a cpn for .. 15 odd years lol.
I would find it a bit awkward if they seemed like one of the cool popular people ive known at school, because i wouldnt tell stuff to someone like that. Even though it would really just be my perception, id still feel odd. But there are things about some older people that make me feel like that too
Yeah this!
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When I was IP there were a couple of student nurses and quite a lot of the support workers were young, like early 20's and one was the same age as me. I felt like I had failed at life, because someone the same age as me had a fulltime job whereas I was ill and sectioned. But at the same time I did get on with that particular support worker better than the others, but I don't know if that was his age or just his personality.
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When I was in IP (long term) I met lots of nursing students and I liked having someone close to my age to talk to but also it gave me a chance to get stuff out but also teach them stuff. So yeah I like the idea of being able to be social with nurses close to my age but when they are in a position where they have authority over me it makes me feel bad because it's like we are the same age yet they can tell me what to do and/or control me.
I think if I was in IP and there was a nurse young then me, then I would feel worse about myself as its like ' am older then you and am stuck in hospital were as your younger and doing way better' so in that sense I would feel like a failure almost. Saying that I am only 19.
Yeah, I felt the same. I was very unwell and I've had both student nurses and a girl I was in school with as nurses or placement nurses. Generally, I just compare myself and realise how messed up my life is. Because I want to work in the field of psychology it was a massive downer for me that they had realised their dream and were going places, and I was stuck in a hospital and not allowed to leave.
I mean, I was still studying and going my own places and sometimes it was cool to talk to them cause they were around my age, but more often than not I found it tough. I think as patients we'd just need a bit more reassurance about own on strengths in attempt to even it out; I know the nurses are not judging me, but I am.
I feel the same as several other people who have posted. I have a real problem with people my age or younger than me being involved in my care, though I know it is my issue. I think my problem with it stems from jealousy and grief. I feel like I've failed because I've not managed to make a success of my life and am not doing something worthwhile etc, though that is probably my perception, but I feel sadness too. I had/have ambitions that haven't been realised and that makes me feel really low and I grieve for those lost experiences. I think I quite often feel really jealous that other people, particularly my peer group, have achieved their ambitions and subsequent success and, in some cases, have also overcome major personal difficulties so why couldn't I?
However, I've had interactions with nurses etc who are younger than me that have been really beneficial and I've been able to relate to them really well and received a real level of understanding. For me, it's a really complex issue and one I quite regularly think about so I have found this thread very interesting to read and follow.
Personally it doesn't really bother me. Unless they were an actual doctor (which would never happen), since I don't really trust someone that young to be in charge of medication or anything like that. However when it comes to people being involved in my care, I prefer they treat me well over age. I've worked with some really crappy people who were much older than me, and some really awesome young people (and older people too). I'm 26 btw
