In anticipation of my third clinical placement at Royal Perth Hospital I have begun preparation for a highly demanding five weeks. From my peers I have heard that generally placements at Royal Perth are challenging, in that expectations of knowledge and ability are of the highest standard and that staff tend to derogate students. Combined with this feedback, is a pre-warning that my potential supervisor can appear to be “a bully.” With this in mind I am anxious, again. The sense of unknown is un-nerving and with the feedback I have received about this placement, it has not been comforting. As I am coming into this placement on such a high from my last placement, I feel this could work to my advantage as this has built my confidence.
Royal Perth is a hospital in the public sector. I am assuming this will be run like most hospitals in that there will be a high focus on the multi-disciplinary team and a more or less blanket referral of patients to the wards physiotherapist. As I have had prior placements on wards in hospitals, I am confident that I will know the structure and procedures in how the ward operates. I have also had practice in writing inpatient notes etc, so this should alleviate some initial pressure.
For this placement specifically, I have revised my neuro, in particular stroke symptoms and presentations as well as neuro assessments. I am hoping this is sufficient to get me through the first couple if days, until I get an idea of specific knowledge that is required from me.
I feel my role in this placement will be to support the existing structure, participate in the multidisciplinary treatment of patients and conduct myself professionally as a potential future physiotherapist.
Prior to commencing this placement I have the following concerns:
- That I will not be able to establish a positive learning relationship with my supervisor.
- There could potentially be barriers in terms of negative attitudes towards students, impairing my ability to gain a lot from the placement through interaction with colleagues.
- With little experience with stroke patients, I may appear inexperienced and uncoordinated in this area.
Overall I am most nervous about this placement, as it is a field I feel I have the littlest experience with and from the feedback I have received I will have barriers to overcome. I am also anxious that if I feel overly intimidated I may be less inclined to take advantage of learning opportunities, as I will be afraid to ask. With the support of the Notre Dame staff, that I can rely on if things become too overwhelming, hopefully I will be able to overcome any unnecessary anxiety and awkward situations I may fond myself in.
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