Initial Entry - Carinya

When I first found out I was going to Carinya for my first placement I was nervous as I had never heard of it before and there were so many unknowns. I thought that if I found out more information I’d feel more comfortable and prepared. Using the clinical mix form, information from the placement and information from talking to the clinical ed team and previous prac students, I came up with the following expectations:

1. I think Carinya is a rehabilitation place for people who have been discharged from hospital and aren’t quite ready to go home, but are too good to stay in hospital. Carinya is a place where they can continue their rehab and still receive care.

2.For this reason I expect to do a lot of rehab and discharge planning. I know previous students have had lots of fracture rehab so I expect my patients will be similar. I am also expecting stroke rehab, and anything neuro related (as this is classed as a neuro placement).

3.The staff are really friendly, supportive and knowledgeable. I was concerned that they would expect me to know everything and manage on my own but other students have said the staff are helpful and understand we are students. I am prepared to put in the work and brush up on anything I have forgotten! It sounds like the staff will facilitate the practical side of my learning if I know the theory.

4.As a student I will be left to deal with my own patients a fair bit. I have the understanding I will have my own patients (and see around 6-7 per day by the end of placement) as well as run classes. I have had lots of experience running group classes (generally rehab ones) from previous placements so I am not worried about this.

5.As a student I think my role will be to carry my own caseload and run classes. I imagine I will be attending discharge planning meetings. I plan to make the most of this placement and learn as much as I can from my supervisor and other clinicians working there. I may see some unusual conditions I haven’t dealt with before (especially on the neuro side of things) so it would be great to learn from their experience.

I also have some concerns. Hopefully these will be addressed quickly at the start of the placement to ensure it's smooth sailing for the 5 weeks. My concerns are as follows:

1.I am not sure if there is a whole allied health team working at Carinya. It would make sense if there was, and I am prepared to work within a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) but I will have to wait and find out. I have worked in an MDT while on previous placements so have experience with this. It’s all about communication and being prepared before team meetings so you have something to offer. As I am expecting to do a lot of discharge planning it would be great to have input from other professionals aside from physios.

2.I am a little concerned I won’t see many neuro patients. I would really like the experience of treating neuro conditions as this is the only neuro placement I get.

3.I am not sure on the structure of Carinya or who works there. Hopefully this will become clear within the first week. From previous placements I know it’s not just the physios who can teach me something so it would be great to get to know everyone who works there and learn as much as I can from them.

4.I am concerned about finding my way around. It normally takes me awhile to get used to the place I’m working (slightly directionally challenged!) and sometimes it can be embarrassing when I get lost! I’ll pay extra attention during my orientation.

I am feeling confident and prepared for prac tomorrow. Once I know what type of patients I am seeing I can do some extra study on particular conditions. I am taking my notes and ILPs with me so I can look up anything I need to. I have gone over the areas I think I will need to know. I am feeling less nervous and now really excited about tomorrow.