First Year, First Placement, First Day

So.... it went pretty good actually. I had a shift that's called a long day and that's 7am - 8pm (a lonnnggg dayyyy). I'm on a ward placement in a hospital for two weeks which means it's busy busy, everyone coming and going. I woke up about 5.30am, it took me about 5 minutes of fumbling in the dark to realise the annoying sound I kept hearing was my alarm (playing a piano riff apparently). I didn't have a great nights sleep - under the pillow case my pillow has some sort of plastic covering (which may mysteriously disappear when it meets my nail scissors tonight!) and it was really noisy?!? Someone said oh yes it's like the pillows patients have... err no it's not, they have nice fluffy pillows. My noisy pillow and I will most definitely come to blows before I snooze tonight. 3am is not the time for crinkling loudly!

So anyway, the general layout of a ward for those of you who haven't worked on one or been patients/visitors is that there are bays (usually 4 or 5) of beds each with 6 patients and also side rooms with just one patient in or sometimes two if it's a long side room. The ward is usually then divided into teams so you know who you're responsible for. My team had two bays and 4 side rooms which is a nice number to keep busy with but not swamped. 

We had hand over where we discuss all the patients and any changes/needs for the day and then I was in the thick of it. I was really glad I'd done HCA work before so I knew all the basic things like obs and personal care, what was used for what. I got to use a drug chart and give out medication (heavily supervised - don't worry!) and I gave an injection which was exciting. I shadowed some of the physios too which was interesting as I hadn't seen that side of patient care before. 

I met my mentor briefly but she was working the night shift and I think the ward had tried to be kind and not give me a night shift my first two weeks so I'm only with her one day and my associate mentor two days next week. So instead, I spent the day with the charge nurse and a staff nurse in our team, both of whom were really nice and easy to like and let me try new things out.

Now I'm back in the accommodation and have dined on my lovely evening meal of a tuna sandwich and a sprite (the cafe was closed!). Bring on tomorrow eh?