Final Entry

On completing my placement at Armadale hospital I realized some of my expectations were met, and many of my concerns turned out not to be a problem. For example, as I expected I did have to do a presentation to the physio department. I did a presentation on COPD and it went well. I wasn’t sure at the start if I would be on a surgical or medical ward, and it turns out I was on both (although I spent most of my time on the medical ward).

Based on the information I was sent by the hospital prior to starting my placement I expected to observe for the first couple of days. On my first day however I did end up assessing and treating a patient with my supervisor’s input. This was better than just observing, as I would rather get hands-on experience while I have a supervisor who can give feedback. I did have my own caseload (starting day 2) and was seeing about 7-8 patients a day by the end of my placement. By the end I was working fairly independently and asking for advice when I needed it.

I was right about discharge planning being extremely important, and my supervisor spent time going through all the different options and services with me. There was obviously a lot of importance placed on discharge planning so I am glad I was prepared and had already thought about it.

My concerns were not founded. I was worried that my supervisor would expect a lot of me in the first week but they were fair with their expectations and made it clear to me what I needed to do. I received a lot of feedback as I went along, which was very helpful. I was also eased into my caseload but I found I was able to manage it better than I thought (which is a good thing to find out before I start work!)

I feel my assessment skills have really been developed over the five weeks (both subjective and objective). There was also a huge focus on my clinical reasoning and I feel I did well in this area. To start with I could work out a problem list for my patients but needed a bit of help to prioritise it. Now that I have finished the placement I feel I am much better at prioritising the problem list.

At my mid-placement assessment my supervisor mentioned I should liaise with other allied health and nursing staff more often. I took this on board and feel I had improved in this area by the end of the placement. I started talking to nursing staff before going to see a patient, just to check how they had been going. I also started referring to the occupational therapist more often for equipment my patients needed.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Armadale and feel I am now ready to start working as a physiotherapist.