Initially I felt nervous about this placement as it was my first and only one at a tertiary hospital. I had heard that they were very fast paced and that the supervisors had very little time for their students, as their caseload was so large. I also heard that they expected very independent learners and had high expectations of student’s knowledge at the beginning of the placement. I had been told that students are not treated as part of the team, but are looked down upon and are constantly asked to prove themselves.
In fact my placement was exactly like this, except that there were only a few staff members who didn’t value student’s contributions, luckily none that I had to work with on a regular basis. My supervisor had very high expectations of the knowledge that I required and it was expected that we were to act with the confidence of a new graduate, making treatment and discharge decisions with very little consultation.
Whilst the expectations were high it therefore meant that I was put into situations that really tested my knowledge. When the time comes to make clinical decisions on my own I will be much better equipped than if I went through a placement that sheltered me and made decisions for me. Also, I would not have come out the other end with the skills and experiences that I have been lucky enough to gain from this placement.
Despite being on a general medical ward I was able to consolidate my skills and gain confidence in inserting nasopharyngeal and guedel airways and suctioning patients. I gained skills in dealing with patients with COPD, learning new treatments and reinforcing the skills already in my repertoire. My manual handling skills improved and my proficiency at risk assessment developed as the placement progressed. I was able to gain a full understanding of the public health system and a tertiary hospital, as well as successfully plan patient’s discharge, starting at day one of their stay on my ward.
Overall I feel my confidence in my knowledge and skills has improved greatly over this placement and I feel ready to move forward and work in the industry. I have decided that if I have the opportunity, a tertiary hospital or at the very least a secondary public hospital is the kind of work environment I would like to find myself in. This is due to the fantastic opportunities new graduates have with varied rotations and the large amount of clinical education offered.
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