The above diagram represents what I feel has been my learning curve during my first week on UMAU. Patients are referred for their GP or through A&E with all sorts of medical problems and conditions that need further investigation and management and there are many, many differing protocols to learn about and apply, such as insulin sliding scales, managing hypos, confused patients etc, septic screening, SOB, chest pain etc etc. My first day on the unit was the first time I administered all my IVs with no supervision, it took me some time to learn about how to administer certain antibiotics and this was quite stressful as I am always on a time constraint. The sister went through my patients in the morning after the docs had done the ward round and we identified who needed what..bloods to be taken, cannulas to be inserted, Trop tests to be done at a certain time and a hundred other concurrent things to do. I was very overwhelmed as this was all quite different from the previous ward. I got through the day somehow and went home and read up on things I didn't understand.It is difficult to enjoy stress but I keep my sights on gaining more confidence with experience. Whenever you first come across something new you learn from it and next time you know what you are doing..for example managing a patient with a peg feed, that was quite scary at first but I think I would manage it ok now. That's why things are stressful at present, every day I go in wondering what I'm going to have to learn on the hoof, and do it fast and right. But I have also learnt to follow my instinct if I suspect a patient needs more specialist input and the REFER, REFER, REFER to nurse specialists and specialist therapies. Anyway, they gave us another brown envelope last week saying that in Nov the winter escalation ward would open and we would all have to re-interview for our jobs on UMAU. I didn't much like the sound of that so did what I was planning to do and applied to the post in oncology. Thankfully I had taken the time to visit the ward, speak with the sister and read up like a mad thing on coherent answers to likely interview questions, it paid off as they offered me the job. I anticipate that the mode and ethos of care delivery is totally different in oncology, not so frenetic with more time building relationships with patients and their families. I will hand my notice in this week and work out my notice for the month. Then start my THIRD job since qualifying.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Steep learning curve - see below
The above diagram represents what I feel has been my learning curve during my first week on UMAU. Patients are referred for their GP or through A&E with all sorts of medical problems and conditions that need further investigation and management and there are many, many differing protocols to learn about and apply, such as insulin sliding scales, managing hypos, confused patients etc, septic screening, SOB, chest pain etc etc. My first day on the unit was the first time I administered all my IVs with no supervision, it took me some time to learn about how to administer certain antibiotics and this was quite stressful as I am always on a time constraint. The sister went through my patients in the morning after the docs had done the ward round and we identified who needed what..bloods to be taken, cannulas to be inserted, Trop tests to be done at a certain time and a hundred other concurrent things to do. I was very overwhelmed as this was all quite different from the previous ward. I got through the day somehow and went home and read up on things I didn't understand.It is difficult to enjoy stress but I keep my sights on gaining more confidence with experience. Whenever you first come across something new you learn from it and next time you know what you are doing..for example managing a patient with a peg feed, that was quite scary at first but I think I would manage it ok now. That's why things are stressful at present, every day I go in wondering what I'm going to have to learn on the hoof, and do it fast and right. But I have also learnt to follow my instinct if I suspect a patient needs more specialist input and the REFER, REFER, REFER to nurse specialists and specialist therapies. Anyway, they gave us another brown envelope last week saying that in Nov the winter escalation ward would open and we would all have to re-interview for our jobs on UMAU. I didn't much like the sound of that so did what I was planning to do and applied to the post in oncology. Thankfully I had taken the time to visit the ward, speak with the sister and read up like a mad thing on coherent answers to likely interview questions, it paid off as they offered me the job. I anticipate that the mode and ethos of care delivery is totally different in oncology, not so frenetic with more time building relationships with patients and their families. I will hand my notice in this week and work out my notice for the month. Then start my THIRD job since qualifying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)