General Chat

Spanish Eyes When I recently took my Registered Nurse exams, there were four types of insulin (rapid-acting, short-acting, long-acting, and intermediate-acting).

Total fib of course. But had no idea what you were talking about, so wikied it and found above.

Many congrats on doing so well. I know it is a difficult subject and you have to be very qualified to be a nurse.

I like your point about the exam for living being hardest we now face. So true. Finance, relationship difficulties, jobs disappearing or being down-graded, ill health, unruly neighbours, heroes from pop world, football word etc falling from pedestals we have put them on. Yes, living now is the greatest test or exam some of us have ever faced.

Right now I think it is The Exam for Living!

Only joking!

When I took my finals to be a Registered Nurse the only thing I could not think of was the third of the then 3 types of Insulin. The person testing me was very kind and told me that she was sure I new it and a little teeny weeny word set my brain in motion.

I was shaking when the post was handed to me to open to see if I had really gained my dream......low and behold I got great results.......thank goodness.

:-D :-D

JohnLovesCocoa yes the Inn keeping was hard at that time, but everything changes, OH now works here in Spain and as much as he hates wine, I will not say what he calls it! But he does know wine and does the sommelier stuff at where he works, and he has learnt it and is good at it

I saw a demo of that at our local RAF signals museum Bob :-D

Sorry Changed my name again. John seems a bit easier than Cochyn. Have heard the Innkeeping qualifications are quite hard, Uzzinsunshine.

Remembered also there are exams to be a Master of Wine. Very hard at the highest level. but am told one develops a very sophisticaled palate. :-D

My hardest exam was for my BII (British Institute of Inn keeping) because I wanted it so badly, Equally as hard was my NLC (national licensee certificate) because I already had a pub and the BII (which is much harder than the NLC) but I needed to get my NLC for the courts to give me a license.

and yes by the way I passed both, my NLC with 99%

Oh yes cochynwasNastyjohn,

It was the Joan Littlewood Drama School. Is it still there I wonder. Wasn't able to be there, even though I loved it, as the senior Sister told the Matron that I refused a to do an extra shift because I was learning to be an actress?.......
In those days you where owned by the Matron and the senior duster, most of whom were single. In fact even when I was training there we had to live before our finals if we married before the results! One girl married one week thinking that the Matron would not find out!!! But she did and the girl was instantly dismissed and did not pass her finals.......

Going out soon

:-)

That sounds hard Bob :-0

Talking of radio......

while it was a long while ago,1959, the most influential test I recall was my Tg op pass off,in the royal signals. We had to hear the morse code and transpose it directly to a "situp and beg" imperial typewriter, an uppercase only machine fortunately.or a teleprinter,
passoff speed if I recall correctly was 18 words a minute, a word being a 5 character group,and no errors

some of the keener candidates were able to todo 25 or more words a minute and chasing 30 was a thrill..........
(from a punched paper tape machine)
Bob

:-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P, May days best coz my birthday is in that month :-P :-P :-P ;-)

It's not May Day, you bithering fool. It is July :-D :-D :-D

Thats the one.
Mayday,Mayday,


Hang on my pencils broken . :-D :-D :-D

Gins - I've found that most people tend to fall into categories - those that are good at spelling, writing etc. and those who are good at mathematics and the sciences. My OH is great at maths and science but a hopeless speller. Our daughter takes after him and one of our sons takes after me - he is a good speller and avid reader and writes very well. Our other son is good at everything although he is doing biology and chemistry at University he is a good reader, an excellent speller and he writes an excellent well thought out essay.

I actually never had a lot of problems with exams. I would get nervous of course but never stressed and I always managed to do quite well. I have done various courses at college and never really worried about exams then. Probably because I was doing what I really wanted to do :-)

LaGooner Was that what Tony Hancock was doing in "The Radio Ham"? Do you remember - Mayday, mayday.

Is it still popular today?

Amateur Radio is a means of communication with others for recreational use. A bit like these boards but either verbally or Morse or both. Before you can use the frequencies involved you must undertake a written test (used to be City and Guilds but not sure now). You then receive a call licence from The Radio Society of Great Britain to use the airwaves and are given a call sign. You must keep a correct log of all your contacts to other users.

Spanish Eyes Was Joan Littlewood involved in that drama school?

Several posters Hate to ask a daft question, but what is an amateur radio exam?

And the Advanced Driving Test. My OH took this when she had a performance car about 1985 and it was very very hard. Is it still going. Anyone taken it? She was taught to "make progress safely" ie not hang about and dawdle. Is this still good advice.

Cochynwasnastyjohn

Thanks for your message.
In fact I did manage to be involved in Drama. First when I was at said hospital when I joined the local drama group held in Toynbee Hall was great fun even though I could only do the stage work,( duty took first place) but I met great people, helped with the scenery etc etc. of course there are those in the family who might say I am a "Drama Queen" at times.
One of my children worked for Norwich TV for a few years finding and introducing new Singers and musicians for quite some time.

Another side of "Drama" was working in the Emergency department of the hospital. Never knew what would hit us next. Road traffic accidents, family fights, local gangsters, some very well known, sudden unexpected births etc etc etc!!!

Well OH has said there could be more drama if keep Rambling on and on and on....so off now to make some coffee.

Stratford east London Drama School was also excellent to go to. I wonder if anyone remembers that place?

Interesting reading........makes me think about Howard Gardner' theory on multiple intelligences

He argues that we are judged using the Three Rs but in fact, there are several other intelligence types...I tend to agree

My type is interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence, Im never going to be a mathmatician!

But thats OK, I can live with that, thats why I have an accountant, who defo is not either of the above types ;-)

Spanish Eyes What a very fascinating post. What an interesting life so far, as well. Time to go into drama now and be a leading actress. Or a nun perhaps?????

Some of those nursing homes (if they were smaller ones) were very caring and were just like home for the elderly, weren't they. Recently they all seem to be the large companies and run like a business. More concerned with H & S inspections than care. Lack of council funding. Over zealous inspections. Rant over. If I go on, I shall be flamed cos I know nothing about subject.

BrianW As we look back on lives and careers, we seldom remember what a struggle it was to get through these important exams. We start off with best intentions, then girls and hobbies take our eye off the ball and those frightening resits when we can't sleep waiting for final decision!! I did AIB exams early on (Banking) and just could never get my head round bookkeeping. If I live to be 100, I will never understand that.

That Ally Pally exam (your make or break?) sounds incredible. 3000, and only birds making any noise!!! :-D :-D

It did actually take me six years (1964 - 1970) as I was on a five year course with "O" level entry then lost a year for the resits (which were actually the first part final, not the Intermediate, my memory must be going !).
My fails were on one paper the first time. The second time I passed all papers but my aggregate marks fell just under the threshold. That really was discouraging!
The final was in Alexandra Palace: 3,000 candidates and birds flying round above you.