Student Nurse Blog Week 10

October 26th 2004

What a great placement and what a great time I’m having!!

I started my placement yesterday and was really looking forward to it all weekend. Over the weekend I read the NSF for Older people, especially section five on Stroke, then I read through BMJ clinical evidence concise on the best prevention, treatment and management of Stroke and then I read through the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine on Stroke. My first placement is on a medical unit, specialising in stroke and infectious diseases. My first shift was an early on Monday morning. I was given another tour of the unit - this time including fire exits, extinguishers and the fire procedure. Then I was doubled up with a staff nurse. We were along the corridor, which dealt with infectious diseases. Not too many, one patient with TB, a couple with blood borne infections and one with MRSA. Some of the patients in the side rooms had also suffered strokes. It was a very busy shift, I did lots of bed changes and washes, but really enjoyed the time. I then watched one of the sisters remove a venflon before removing one myself supervised. I also helped a patient sort out a social problem and got some of my induction done. Unfortunately, my Mentor was changed onto nights before I started, so I won’t be working with her until I do a nightshift on Thursday.

Today I did another early shift. I did a few washes and bed changes, but was also able to do observations, get questioned on observations, go through admission sheets, go through drug charts, administer drugs whilst supervised and was shown how to draw up and dilute IV antibiotics. I was then allowed to draw up and dilute an IV antibiotic myself whilst supervised.

It has been a great couple of days, I’ve really enjoyed myself. I am now off until Thursday when I am doing a nightshift. However, I have to prepare for the PBL so have lots of information to read through on the social and work effects on someone who has epilepsy, and I also have the A+P of Stroke to read up on - plus the other factors, such as cardiovascular events. I can’t wait to go in again for my next shift!!! All the staff are so friendly and helpful!! IT’S GREAT.
Matt




Yippeeeeee!!! My first week on clinical placement is almost over and it’s been a great week. Mind you, I haven’t had loads of shifts this week, but the one’s I have had have been excellent.

I had Wednesday off and spent most of the day revising the notes I had made on the NSF for Older People (especially standard 5 for stroke), and the BMJ clinical evidence concise on stroke prevention, management and treatment and A+P on stroke. I now know quite a lot on stroke from the medical perspective, to help reinforce my nursing knowledge of stroke.

Thursday I spent the day reading some of Nursing Times and updating my professional reflective journal. I also went through my practice placement workbook to see which outcomes I could work on during my nightshift (9pm Thursday night to 8am Friday). The nightshift went well, it wasn’t very busy, but I did get the opportunity (after watching a nurse put up a peg feed) to put up a peg feed under supervision of a nurse and also change the feed giving set (something that needs doing every 24 hours). I was shown the crash trolley and how to do a daily check on it. Then I spent a lot of the night going through my practice placement workbook and getting questioned on things by the nurse, as well as getting items signed off.
I then spent some time doing some reading on temperature and it’s significance to localised and systematic infections, post-op, during blood transfusions and it’s general lowest points. Whilst I was doing this one of the nurses was practising cannulation on a wipe at the nurses desk (apparently this type of wipe is similar to skin when trying to cannulate??) Anyway, I was able to watch the nurse and - even though it won’t be something I’ll be doing for a while - was able to see how the technique was carried out. In the morning I did a few washes and made some beds.

Friday morning I grabbed a few hours sleep before spending some of the afternoon shopping in town.
Then I just had a quiet evening reading Nursing Times.

Today I had half an early (730am - 1230pm). This was really just to make my weekly hours up to 37.5. It was quite good as I was in the two Stroke Assessment Units (SAU) today and did the washes/bed baths in the male SAU, as well as making some of the beds. I was able to watch a vascularitic dressing get changed as well as doing a set of observations in the male SAU (where I picked up on one patients BP being a little lower than normal and reported it to the nurse, as well as another patients Saturations only being 91% when they were normally 95%). I also fed a patient who seemed to have swallowing difficulties.

I am now in the hospital library updating my blog and will then look up Vascularitus (the condition the patient whose dressing we changed has got). Then I will go home and do a little bit of studying. I am back in tomorrow for a full early, working on the SAUs again with the same nurse - who said he would sign of some things in my practice placement workbook that I covered today!!!

i am not sure when I will next be able to update my blog, Monday I have a Clinical Care day all day at the education centre (drug admin), Tuesday I am out all day with my assigned community health visitor and then I have a RAG meeting Tuesday evening, Wednesday I have a late, so will be studying in the morning, Thursday I have a day off, so I will probably update it Thursday sometime guys and gals. I am doing another nightshift on the Friday and then have saturday and sunday off

It is quite busy on placement and can at times be daunting when you are left on your own to do washes and the bells are going. However, I think that having a short amount of experience within an Acute NHS hospital before starting my training has done me some good. It has prepared me, so at least I know what to expect in a hospital and what sort of routines there are.

It is well worth it and I am sssssssoooooooooo not going to give up training, the only way I will leave the course is if they throw me off.

Til the next time..........................Matt

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