mazza1998
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Location: Airdrie
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Placement 1.
I start placement on Monday, in medicine for the Elderly. I'm looking forward to it, but dear god...the paperwork!!!
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10/Nov/2007, 11:42 am
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Re: Placement 1.
I'm so knackered. Did a nine to five yesterday. Was totally lost, but everyone was helpful and even the patients were helping me out. Unfortunately for me I left my keys in the house and after a lot of running around, getting back on the train to hubbys work to get his set hauling the kids along behind me I got home at nine o clock.
Today I was on a 7 to 3 shift. I barely slept last night as I was so anxious about being late, and so I have had a totally knackering day. Picked the kids up and then totally neglected them.
On the plus side, I took part in a discharge plan today, helped with meds, lunches and personal care yesterday and I also got a chance to learn more personal care inclusing shaving today. The gent that I had to shave was dead good, and has probably taught me better than I could've learned any other way.
I grabbed an hour of kip earlier, I need to go for a few massages though or I'll be spending a fortune on canteen food.
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13/Nov/2007, 7:30 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Re: Placement 1.
I'm so surprised at how much I'm enjoying this placement. I feel as though I'm learning loads. It's just so at the other end of the spectrum from what I would like to do in nursing, but it's a great first placement.
I've seen an elderly woman who is almost completely deaf and blind, hug an auxiliary and another student nurse after a bath because in the last three places she's been hadn't helped her have one and felt dirty. I went to see a renal ultrasound today, and an ECG yesterday. I did a few manual blood pressures and pulses which was good practice. I also got chatting to an elderly gentleman, who it turned out had a daughter later in life who I went to school with. Such a small world. Then at lunch the Ward sister chatted to us about our Uni work, and the values we'll be forming already.
The ward has totally changed my thoughts on Care of the elderly.
Last edited by mazza1998, 14/Nov/2007, 8:15 pm
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14/Nov/2007, 8:14 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Re: Placement 1.
I'm so tired. My body isn't quite adjusting to the early nights needed for the early starts. Went to bed tonight at 6pm, up at 9pm to see dh for an hour or so and then back to bed as soon as I've helped put the kids clothes out and tidied up a wee bit. My poor kids are being a bit neglected unfortunately. I feel like the only time I spend with them is disciplining them for being little rascals. Mostly because my eldest is so boisterous.
On a positive note. My placement is great. So, so glad when I hear of some of the other placements students are on. In the last day or so I have helped bath a patient, fed a lady who couldn't do it herself, I'm getting better at shaving and having positive feedback along with some leg pulling by the male patients, helped with personal care, and phoned to reorganise homehelp for a planned discharge,. I have helped with commode/toileting, meals, observed an ECG, renal ultrasound and full bodyscan, had lots of opportunity to communicate with the patients especially when accompanying them to the various tests, and started to get used to the nursing assessment folders and charts. I've been given opportunity to do manual blood pressure, do obs and even pass them on to the drs. I've seen a catheter being removed, seen blood sugar being tested, tested urine, measured fluid balance and recorded, spent time looking at the hygeine policies,and discussed my outcomes and expectations with the Ward Sister. I washed a mans back and feet today, he is so independent even though he struggles and to be honest those little things don't phase me like I thought they would. It's actually rewarding to know that you're helping someone to feel fresh and clean. Of course there are really sad moments, like the chap who died, the patient who is really going to be on palliative care when they move on and the patient who is so confused they don't really know where they are at times and won't keep their venflon for fluids in.
The ward sister is really great for learning with. She explains everything she does and answers all my questions regardless of how stupid they may be. Today I watched her do a swallow test with a stroke patient, and then record it which is quite a straightforward sounding task, but it's all new to me. I was sad to find out one of the patients I really enjoyed interacting with last week, had died overnight and asked about it. She explained everything really well, but now I'm full of more questions.
I am totally waffling, but I feel like I have to get down everything that's been happening or it will go out of my head.
I feel like I'm learning a lot.
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20/Nov/2007, 11:44 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
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Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
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Re: Placement 1.
I'm doing a 50 hr week, this week on placement. Tomorrow and Friday will be my 12 hour shifts, but this is the first day that my body has adapted to the early mornings and not made me flee to bed as soon as I possibly could.
Today I saw a carotid doppler Ultrasound. I was able to explain what it was to the patient I was accompanying and showed him where it was using my LTRD cards. (Which incidentally are a great buy! ) We've been short staffed so it's hectic, this morning I started doing blood sugars. I was shown how to do it. Asked to report back, and then given the 'task' of finding out what normal glucose levels were. (again, LTRD cards come in handy.) I am just amazed by the patience and helpfulness of the patients. I have one lady who has been calling me an angel and a dream. I don't know how long that will last but it was nice. It must be my newbie enthusiasm  The ward sisters apologised for how little time they had to spend with us the last couple of weeks, but we reassured them that we were really happy so far. I almost got upset today, as one of the ladies fell over when I was there doing obs. I had to let her fall, and there was nothing I could do. I just kept going over it and wondering if I could've done anything. The ward sister talked me through it and reassured me that I did everything that could have been done, got help quickly and gave an accurate account of what happened. I just kept thinking I could've done something to prevent it.
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21/Nov/2007, 9:47 pm
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mazza1998
Diary Dude
Global user
Registered: 07-2007
Location: Airdrie
Posts: 20
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
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Re: Placement 1.
Well, I only have a couple of weeks left of this first placement. I'm chomping at the bit to move on to my next one,
but also sad to leave this placement. I can't believe I enjoyed it so much. I think I saw myself just having to 'get through' the medicine for the elderly placement,
not actively enjoying it. My mentor is brilliant, and several other staff have been helping with my learning along with the other three students on the ward. I think that no matter what I do in my training, or professional ife this is a placement that will stay with me. I also think that I will make a point of doing bank for
this kind of ward throughout my career. Being on an acute ward of any kind is a great learning experience. On an Elderly acute medicine ward, there is also an element of challenge to preconceptions about
the patients, attitudes towards the elderly and generally being able to see elderly patients as individuals. I've seen mostly good practic with the occasional 'EEK!' moment, but I think I've learned from both. I've dealt with death,
and severe illness, with vomit, faecal matter, grief, suffering, hopelessness and all of the things that I was worried I wouldn't be able to cope with, and I'm still here and getting stronger and more confident.
Yesterday a lady told me that some of the nurses/auxilliary nurses were very rough. She's not alone in this complaint, and I've also been complimented by quite a few patients on how I've treated them. One patient leaving during the week told me that she'd think of me when she was home. This put a lump in my throat as I knew she was for palliative care.
This time it really struck a chord though.
A new bedbound patient said to me " They're very rough, you know. They forget it's a person they're dealing with and not a slab of beef. Not you, you're gentle." Then she paused and said. "But you're young. You'll learn to be like them."
I knew then and there that I would always keep that in my mind. That I would remember to practice the way I wanted to practice, to always remember that I wanted to treat patients as I'd want to be treated.
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8/Dec/2007, 6:22 pm
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