Tomorrow I start my cardio prac at Fremantle hospital. Im really nervous as it will be my first experience in an inpatient setting in a large hospital! But I am also feeling excited as cardio is a subject I thoroughly enjoyed! I think it will be intense, challenging, and most of all, exciting!
NATURE: I'm not too sure about the nature of the setting. There wasn't much in depth information to go by under facility information so I spoke to some students who had been previously. From what I gathered, students are situated on particular wards, ranging from general medical, general surgical, cardiothoracics, ICU, ambulatory care and hematology and oncology. Either way, I'll be seeing very sick patients and must brush up on all attachments/ surgical approaches/ medications etc. Previous students also mentioned that Fremantle use a 'peer-coaching' model, where you work with another student initially and learn from one another. I think this is a great idea and I'm really looking forward to it. Having another opinion and point of view can only further my own knowledge! And I don't think my supervisor will be with me 100% of the time so it will be extra nice having someone else there! I think that as time passes and our skills improve, we will be seeing patients alone and almost running our own ward!!
STRUCTURE: From speaking to previous students I was able to gather a general idea of how my day will be structured. In the morning, you print off a patient list for that day, corresponding to your ward. From here, you can flag patients who you think will be appropriate, based on underlying chest conditions, pre-morbid status, long ICU stays/surgeries etc. Once you have a list, you must make time during the day to see them. I can imagine most of these wards will be bustling, with patients being constantly seen by members of the allied health and medical team, so fitting patients in and working around (and with) others may be tricky.
ROLE: I feel like my role will expand on this placement, and we may become more like colleagues rather than just students. Hospitals are very busy places and I can imagine supervisors enjoying an extra set of hands. Previous students mentioned almost staffing an entire ward by themselves! (Of course though, getting approval of the prioritised problem list before treating) I'm so looking forward to this responsibility! I think I will need to step-up and take this role head on. I imagine though that initially I will work closely with my partner and supervisor and that as time goes by I can up my patient load. All in all I am SO looking forward to the challenge! And lastly, as always, my role will be to learn as much as possible!
CONCERNS: I have quite a few concerns about this placement. Firstly, this is a brand new experience for me, working in a large hospital in an inpatient setting. I really hope that being surrounded by many sick and sad people will not be too overwhelming for me. I felt that during on prac at Shenton Park, I spent a lot of time being sad for patients. This doesn't really help anyone, and makes the day quite tough! Hopefully, I can distance myself (within reason) so that I can perform assessments and treatments to the best of my ability.
Secondly, I feel like I can understand cardio in theory, but until you've seen things in real life, you don't really have a handle on everything. For example, I understand attachments, their use and the fact that you need to move them while mobilising patients. But in real life, when I see someone with attachments galore I can imagine myself freezing and becoming flustered! I have to remember that people walk everyday and not to be put off by such a confronting sight!
Lastly, my 2 weeks off didn't feel like 2 weeks off! I think I was actually busier than when I was on prac! Consequently, I'm feeling quite under-prepared for tomorrow. I always feel like I don't know enough...but I do wish I put aside more time for study.
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