Graduation Day!!

Everyone is looking suave as the editors arrive to congratulate us. I can't believe it's all over! We've all worked hard and now it's time to relax a little and get those job apps out!!

Final Day

Dressed up in suit and tie ready to graduate. It's very exciting and despite all the hard work, I am going to miss PMA.

And so it ends

That's it. Graduation tomorrow, and then it's over. All that work, all that achievement. Amazing.

Here are some slightly altered lyrics to 'My Way', to be sung in the style of Frank Sinatra:

And now the end is near,
And so we face the final curtain.
My friend I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

We’ve learnt so many things,
We travelled each and every highway.
And where we did all this,
Was at PMA.

Re-subs we've had a few,
But then again too few to mention.
We did what we had to do,
And saw it through without exemption.

We've done features and news,
And plenty more that’s useful today.
And where we did all this,
Was at PMA.

Sometimes it felt, with loads to do,
That we bit off more than we could chew,
But through it all when there was doubt
We ate it up and spat it out,
We faced it all and we stood tall,
When at PMA.

We've loved, we've laughed and cried,
We've had our fill, our share of losing.
And now as tears subside,
We find it all so amusing.

To think we did all that,
And may I say not in a shy way,
We couldn’t have done it,
Without PMA.

So we thank Keith and thank Roberta,
And we leave him and we desert her.
We all hope we won’t be missed,
We’ve each become a journalist,
The record shows we took the blows,
All at PMA.

Yes at PMA.

63 days later.

So it’s nearly over for nearly all of us and I think the feeling of euphoria is more abundant than when we started. All we have to go is graduation and a few cheeky drinks, in that order.

I think that we are all avoiding thinking of the inevitable ending and parting ways for potentially hours or maybe days. Looking forward to meeting a bunch of editors tomorrow.

Si

Finishing off...

Just one more day to go! All assignments and exams are over. My folders are puffed-up with work from the last 9 weeks. I can hardly carry them.

It’s weird not having any more features or pesky re-subs to do. I hardly know what to do with myself... Graduation is tomorrow – fingers crossed for a bit of drama!

First rule of journalism - keep it short and to the point.
So, course is done, graduating tomorrow, it has been fun.
Thank you everyone
x

The final countdown...

So, the time is nearly here to bid you farewell. It has certainly been a journey on the PMA, one so challenging, bewildering, thrilling and rewarding it could rival my travels round the world.

I have learnt SO much about SO many things. Firstly, there is journalism in general. On our first day, with characteristic curtness, Roberta turned to me and said: "Everything you think you know about the industry and how to be successful in it, is wrong."

And how she was right. I have learnt how to expel everything I learnt at university about how to research and communicate information in a much more direct and readable way. I have learnt that less is more. And that writing should follow a formula, instead of my own wispy way of meandering through a story and embellishing it with 'redundant' words. I have learnt that I have so much more to learn.

I have also learnt a lot about myself too. This course has beaten me with a confidence stick, and shown me that being out of your comfort zone every single day is exciting, and more importantly, necessary.

I have also met some super people and in among the stress and angst of re-subs and GYB mania, the benefits of teamwork and camaraderie have carried me through.

My final days here are filled with exams, and admittedly, plans for how to spend my first Friday night of freedom. Excited as I may be to finish, in some warped way, I will also miss the routine and daily pressure of PMA.

Thanks to the tutors for being fantastic! And thanks to the fellow PMA-ers for being equally fantastic!

Bring on graduation and the next journey...a job in journalism (we hope!)

Well done everyone xxx

Back at PMA

Back at PMA and after a long day of finishing off work and filing it's down to the exams.

The second week of my placement was as fantastic as the first. Wrote a news analysis and lots of news stories for the magazine, including a couple of big ones about airports. Lydd Airport (for those of you in suspense after my last post) was granted planning permission for its expansion after a seven hour meeting. It's available to watch on the Shepway District Council website. I haven't quite got round to that yet.

Had the shorthand exam at the weekend, for which I've just managed to get up to speed. Next up is proofreading. Just a few days to go!

I've had a revelation

I've included this pic of Jarvis because I wanted to - freedom of expression ;-)



Hey party people,

Last day of placement and I found hay in my porridge but that's not the above mentioned revelation. I realised that the interview I have to do today with a PCT about best practice in telehealth is not worrying me - not even a touch. This for me is a big dealio because normally I get the right concern on and I'm not saying I'm cured but I think on my way :)

Hope everyone's last day at placement goes well and can't wait to see you during the fin de semana.

Besitos,

Rehanon xxx

poorly post-grad

Poorly PG :s


Hey all,

I'm currently in my sick bed after being sent home with the "Nursing Times lurgy" on Monday. I still can't believe I managed to make it all the way through boot camp without falling by the wayside and then get knocked out on a health care title - the irony.

Prior to that, as you may or may not know I was absolutely bricking it about placement but as with most things it's never quite as bad as I create in my head. And believe me I'm a girl that can create one hell of a catastrophe in my cerebrum.

It's actually been rather good and I have got a few bylines, which is very nice and lots of lovely encouragement from the editors. It's surprising how unscary magazines and the journalists that work for them actually are. Truth be told everyone I've met has been really nice, fancy that ay nice journalists - I never.

My placement has come at a really interesting time for NT because the Mid Staffs review concluded and there has been a great deal of policy being made. Seeing how important a magazine such as NT is to its readers and the breadth of information it covers has made me realise that I really want to be a journalist working for a B2B. It has also made me realise I have learnt poop loads on the PMA, which will stand me in good stead wherever I end up but I know there's still loads to learn but I know Roberta is just a phone call away :)

I have missed PMA and the laughter just like Naomi said but I really do think that we're all going to stay in touch no matter what path we take and along with correct spelling of tranquillity, I know will keep me on the straight and narrow.

Big love,

Rehanon xxx