Hey guys, I've been so super busy oh my gosh!
So Christmas was lovely but I spent the majority of it either working as a HCA or doing uni work!We have officially finished our third module now and are changing PBL groups next week! :O
I have another set of formative exams, including my first OSCE (practical clinical skills exam) which will involve five minutes of respiratory examination, five minutes of cardio examination and a ten minute history taking session. After a lot of practice with my friends and family, I'm feeling pretty confident for this so fingers crossed!
In terms of my new PBL group, I'm going to be so sad to leave my current group who have been AMAZING...but it will be good to see how other people manage PBL and integrate with some different people. Having found out who our group members will be I've realised that I'm going to have to get over my shyness and lack of self confidence otherwise I will never be taken seriously!
It occurred to me last week that I add 'maybe' to the end of all my statements in PBL- something I really need to stop!! All this does is make others doubt me and leads to a lack of respect for my opinions and answers... not good in medicine!
I hope you guys have all heard good news from med schools if you've applied and good luck for any interviews!!
Showing posts with label Healthcare Assistant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthcare Assistant. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Monday, 1 December 2014
Life Savers
Last night I worked a shift on 'Step down' which is where patients are sent if they aren't sick enough for ICU but are too sick to go to a ward.
At first the shift was pretty horrendous, the nurses were too busy to really explain what I needed to do and so until I found out what was expected of me I felt very much like a spare part...
But then something great happened... an F2 turned up. An F2 who used to be a GEM and who was so enthusiastic about her job and medicine that she spent a good portion of her night teaching me!
Honestly, I was thanking God all night for her appearance (Step down units really aren't a HCA strong place- there isn't much I can do when the patients are that poorly)!
This F2 allowed me to watch her perform examinations, explained ECGs to me in the most simple, perfect way, explained all the blood tests and liver function tests and then taught me how to take blood! Not bad to what I thought was going to be a write off of a shift!
Doctors who have that much enthusiasm and love for their job are the people who inspire me to work harder and be the best I can be, especially when my GP tutor spends all her time telling me she wishes she'd done dentistry! Medicine is a vocation, and meeting doctors like this F2 give me great faith in my future profession and our healthcare system :) I only hope in 4 years I will be like her and have the ability to inspire and teach a HCA in my position.
At first the shift was pretty horrendous, the nurses were too busy to really explain what I needed to do and so until I found out what was expected of me I felt very much like a spare part...
But then something great happened... an F2 turned up. An F2 who used to be a GEM and who was so enthusiastic about her job and medicine that she spent a good portion of her night teaching me!
Honestly, I was thanking God all night for her appearance (Step down units really aren't a HCA strong place- there isn't much I can do when the patients are that poorly)!
This F2 allowed me to watch her perform examinations, explained ECGs to me in the most simple, perfect way, explained all the blood tests and liver function tests and then taught me how to take blood! Not bad to what I thought was going to be a write off of a shift!
Doctors who have that much enthusiasm and love for their job are the people who inspire me to work harder and be the best I can be, especially when my GP tutor spends all her time telling me she wishes she'd done dentistry! Medicine is a vocation, and meeting doctors like this F2 give me great faith in my future profession and our healthcare system :) I only hope in 4 years I will be like her and have the ability to inspire and teach a HCA in my position.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Run off my feet.
Last night I did my first night shift since early July and boy what a shift it was. Our night shifts are from 7pm to 7.30am so 12.5 hours of fun and games....
I arrived on the ward (which holds 28 patients) to find there were only four staff for the night, two nurses and two HCAs. At first I thought this must be a good sign - if only four staff were needed then the patients must generally be okay and it shouldn't be too busy. How wrong was I?! About 3/4 of my patients were all care patients, most of whom should not have even been on the gastroenterolgy ward. Five of my patients were scoring so highly on our early warning system (this scores observations, so normal obs would score 0, whereas anything abnormal can score from 1-3 depending on the severity) that they should have been on a high dependency unit!
The shift was so manic, I was doing hourly and two hourly neuro observations on 4 patients, on top of all the usual turns, four hourly obs and general caring...which means as soon as you've finished you hardly have time to do anything else before starting again! On shifts like that it honestly all comes down to your colleagues as to whether it's a nightmare or just busy. Thankfully, the other 3 members of staff were lovely and supportive so we all pitched in together and got the job done without too much stress :)
Shifts like this make me question the organisation of the wards in terms of staffing levels and the patients they accept onto the ward. If the ward sister saw what it had been like last night (which is apparantly how it has been for the last few weeks) I have no doubts that he/she would organise for another HCA to work as well, but unfortunately the ward sisters do not work nights and so will never understand the need for improved staffing levels. Frankly, I believe that it puts the patients in danger. If one of us is on break and two members of staff are with a patient then that leaves just one nurse or HCA in charge of 27 other patients. Even the most experienced nurse shouldn't be expected to do that. But it isn't my position to say anything as I am only a temp...
On a brighter note, the F1 doctor who spent almost all night on the ward had just finished the course I'm about to start on! It was so lovely to speak to someone who has completed the course, loved it and is actually in the dream job!
I arrived on the ward (which holds 28 patients) to find there were only four staff for the night, two nurses and two HCAs. At first I thought this must be a good sign - if only four staff were needed then the patients must generally be okay and it shouldn't be too busy. How wrong was I?! About 3/4 of my patients were all care patients, most of whom should not have even been on the gastroenterolgy ward. Five of my patients were scoring so highly on our early warning system (this scores observations, so normal obs would score 0, whereas anything abnormal can score from 1-3 depending on the severity) that they should have been on a high dependency unit!
The shift was so manic, I was doing hourly and two hourly neuro observations on 4 patients, on top of all the usual turns, four hourly obs and general caring...which means as soon as you've finished you hardly have time to do anything else before starting again! On shifts like that it honestly all comes down to your colleagues as to whether it's a nightmare or just busy. Thankfully, the other 3 members of staff were lovely and supportive so we all pitched in together and got the job done without too much stress :)
Shifts like this make me question the organisation of the wards in terms of staffing levels and the patients they accept onto the ward. If the ward sister saw what it had been like last night (which is apparantly how it has been for the last few weeks) I have no doubts that he/she would organise for another HCA to work as well, but unfortunately the ward sisters do not work nights and so will never understand the need for improved staffing levels. Frankly, I believe that it puts the patients in danger. If one of us is on break and two members of staff are with a patient then that leaves just one nurse or HCA in charge of 27 other patients. Even the most experienced nurse shouldn't be expected to do that. But it isn't my position to say anything as I am only a temp...
On a brighter note, the F1 doctor who spent almost all night on the ward had just finished the course I'm about to start on! It was so lovely to speak to someone who has completed the course, loved it and is actually in the dream job!
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Work
Sorry I haven't posted for a few days but I've been on nights at work! As I've said before, I work as a bank healthcare assistant which means I'm basically temp cover for any ward in the hospital. I love doing night shifts, which doesnt seem to be a common opinion but oh well.
I think working as a HCA is possibly one if the best ways to prepare for a career in medicine. Even though the job is completely different, it gives a very quick idea of whether or not you enjoy the hospital environment and the patients! I know a few people who have completely abandoned the idea of medicine after doing the job because they realise they are not suited to hospital work. Personally, I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to work!
So a bit about the job.... My main roles are patient hygiene, assisting with eating and drinking, doing observations (BP, oxygen sats, heart rate etc) and assisting with mobility. Different NHS Trusts will allow their HCAs to do different things, with varying levels of responsibility. A lot of what you do also depends on the other staff. For instance some staff will be willing to teach you to do other things once they see that you are competant. So I can now do bladder scans, remove cannula's, and remove catheters (I know that doesn't exactly sound thrilling but it makes a nice change!). All in all it's basically about making sure the patient has everything they need and that everything you do is documented, which means a lot of paperwork!
The majority of shifts are drama and incident free but there will be the odd one where you leave wondering why you even bother. Last night I had a Patient screaming at me at 2am (he woke every other patient on the ward up aswell) because I couldn't give him any morphine. Even after explaining that that is the nurses job and that because one of them was on break his request couldn't be met, he still decided to threaten to punch me. Times like that I think the best thing to do is just not to take it personally, and to walk away!
I'm sure I'll post many more stories about work in the future!
I think working as a HCA is possibly one if the best ways to prepare for a career in medicine. Even though the job is completely different, it gives a very quick idea of whether or not you enjoy the hospital environment and the patients! I know a few people who have completely abandoned the idea of medicine after doing the job because they realise they are not suited to hospital work. Personally, I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to work!
So a bit about the job.... My main roles are patient hygiene, assisting with eating and drinking, doing observations (BP, oxygen sats, heart rate etc) and assisting with mobility. Different NHS Trusts will allow their HCAs to do different things, with varying levels of responsibility. A lot of what you do also depends on the other staff. For instance some staff will be willing to teach you to do other things once they see that you are competant. So I can now do bladder scans, remove cannula's, and remove catheters (I know that doesn't exactly sound thrilling but it makes a nice change!). All in all it's basically about making sure the patient has everything they need and that everything you do is documented, which means a lot of paperwork!
The majority of shifts are drama and incident free but there will be the odd one where you leave wondering why you even bother. Last night I had a Patient screaming at me at 2am (he woke every other patient on the ward up aswell) because I couldn't give him any morphine. Even after explaining that that is the nurses job and that because one of them was on break his request couldn't be met, he still decided to threaten to punch me. Times like that I think the best thing to do is just not to take it personally, and to walk away!
I'm sure I'll post many more stories about work in the future!
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