Preparing for clinical placements

Here are some tips from University of Newcastle:

https://www.newcastle.edu.au/about-uon/governance-and-leadership/faculties-and-schools/faculty-of-health-and-medicine/resources/for-students/student-placement-information/the-placement-experience

HOW SHOULD I ACT ON PLACEMENT?

At all times you should demonstrate professional behaviour and comply with all attendance requirements, actively participate in learning experiences, and demonstrate respect for peers, supervisors and patients / clients. You should:

• be punctual
• dress professionally for your placement and adhere to any School or Facility specific dress codes (like uniforms)
• demonstrate cultural awareness and sensitivity
• display UON student identification card (with photograph) or School-specific placement cards (with photograph) as directed by your School
• adhere to the rules, regulations and by-laws of the placement facility
• show consideration in regards to the rights and properties of others
• meet the statutory and / or facility requirements regarding privacy and confidentiality
• refrain from any form of misconduct such as:
  • inappropriate behaviour and /or language
  • knowingly performing procedures beyond your level of learning
  • demonstrating intimidation
  • argumentation and disrespect

In some placement facilities mobile phones may interfere with the effective operation of electronic equipment. Just in case, make sure your mobile phone is switched off before attending a placement facility unless otherwise informed.

WHAT ARE THE PATIENT / CLIENT RIGHTS?

All patients/clients have a right to free and informed consent. You must always ask a patient/client for their consent to see them, talk with them, undertake a physical examination, access their patient/client notes or be involved in their care. You need to make sure that the patient/client understands that you are a student.

While most patient/clients are generous and will allow you to interact with them, some patients/clients may decline consent. It is expected that you will respect this decision.

It is an expectation that all students obtaining consent are familiar with the process and are aware of particular circumstances which influence the provision of informed consent. These include the patient's culture, language barriers or impact of medical or psychiatric illness. You should review your course notes for specific guidance or discuss the relevant issues with your Course Coordinator or placement supervisor.

Patient information is confidential. You should not identify a patient in any documentation or assignments. Any form of copying or photographing of patient information is not permitted. Each Health Facility will have a policy about the process of accessing a patient's record.

From RCH:

http://www.rch.org.au/studentorientation/2_preparing_for_placement/Preparing_for_placement/

Preparing for Practice

In order to get the most out of your placement at RCH it is important to:

• Be prepared - have a good understanding of the situation and gather as much information as possible. E.g. read the Unit Record; speak to other professionals involved; know the names of the parents and patient; know the medical condition of the child; organise an interpreter if required.
• Know your role - negotiate with your supervisor prior to meeting the family what your role and responsibilities will be: e.g. are you there to observe, should you contribute etc.
• Be respectful - Demonstrate respect and give your full attention in the meeting. Be aware of how your presentation, (Nonverbal behaviours) is perceived by others.
• Have a purpose - So that you can feel confident in the questions you ask; know what information you are trying to retrieve and what you can offer the family; don't feel embarrassed if you don't know the answer or feel that the topic requires a higher level of experience/knowledge - let them know you will find out and then check with your supervisor. 
• Be honest - introduce yourself as a student and don't be offended if the family would prefer to work with a qualified professional. This is a teaching hospital and most of our famlies are aware of that.
• Respect confidentiality and privacy - read, understand and sign the confidentiality and privacy agreement given to you at the beginning of your placement. Close the curtains or doors when discussing personal information with families; utilise private spaces where required and possible and obtain consent to share personal information with other agencies.

These are the videos I'm watching for IM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YkHXtiSsuc&list=PLpy31mWaA4A4YVv4uIo11P8mA8tScc6SJ

plus my OUM ones on Moodle (same topics but far more boring).

Updates

I've just added an email address (profile) so people can contact me if they have any questions.

I've also added a FAQ page (tab at the top) and will add to it as people ask me questions.

Internal Medicine pre-placement panic

My heart sank just now as I see in my calendar that I begin my IM rotation in 2 weeks. I really do not feel prepared. If it wasn't the local hospital I'm trying to impress, and the home of my mentor, then I wouldn't care so much.

I asked my colleagues what to read before I go in and they said:

• pneumonia
• diabetes
• hypertension
• COPD/asthma

Maybe a few others.

When I read this topics I think of yeh, I get it, but my mind isn't in driving mode. It's in passenger mode. I'm not in the midst: oh what would I prescribe and how much. I don't know how to explain it. It's past my bedtime.

Ok another post about my pre-placement panic and what I'm doing about it tomorrow (I hope).

Can having a baby make you smarter?

It turns out YES!

Mothers often complain about baby-brain but I wonder if it's simply sleep- and rest-deprivation, and not being used to multitasking to such a high degree, dealing with stressful events, and having your routine (including sleep) completely out of whack. There's also the skill of being interrupted ever 5 seconds and remaining sane. That's a tough one.

I really feel that being a paramedic has prepared me for being a mother in all of the above ways.

And, as I think I blogged about in an earlier post, after having my first baby I felt I had gotten smarter and did an online IQ test where I scored much higher (about 10 points) than in previous attempts.

I also have a reduced requirement for sleep, a more profound sense of being present, and the ability to  make more rationale decision to prioritise (such as saving versus spending on things I don't need). My home is much cleaner and more organised.

They negative effects of becoming s mother, for me, is the deep feeling of fear. If anything happens to my child, it scares the absolute crap out of me. I suppose that is somewhat normal, especially for someone who has seen way too much scary shit at work.

Retrain your brain to find Netflix boring and textbooks interesting

^^This is what I have done.

Today, I'm at work. I have a mild headache from working on-call. I want to just relax, so I watch a little Netflix on my laptop. A few minutes in and I'm bored. I find it SO hard to find a show I actually like. I'd rather be reading textbooks or intellectual articles on the internet.

Dammit.

I never used to be this way.

However, if you take enjoyment from activities that ADD VALUE to your life, then I reckon you're onto a winner. Learning for enjoyment has got to be one of the best ways to spend leisure time if you are after an investment into your future. Investing into your mind, health, and spirit are the best investments that can be made (in my humble opinion).

Today I'm reading Cecil's Textbook of Internal Medicine and the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine in preparation for my IM rotation coming up.

I have also been reading articles about Justin Wolfers, the Economist, and trying to think of how applying economic principles to my everyday life may be of benefit.

What is an ILIan?

So, I posted a few weeks ago that I was going to try and raise my IQ.

It is actually really difficult to find 20 minutes a day for something you're not very passionate about; that is not in your Top 3 goals for the day.

Sadly, so many competing priorities get left behind as I am busy with being a great mum, a great partner, and maintaining the household and providing 3x daily nutritious meals for the three of us. Oh yeh then there's work, med school, and other pursuits.

Anyway, I was decluttering some more (I can totally recommend Marie Kondo's method) and stumbled across an old test I did for special university entrance and it has allowed me membership with Intertel! Yay! That is the high IQ society for people who score in the 99th percentile or above.

So, anyway, it's not Triple Nine Society (aka TNS, 99.9th percentile) but it's a double nine society lol

Taking little wins where I can.

A member of Intertel is also sometimes known as an ILIan.

The test score I used placed me in the 99.8th percentile. Just a small 0.1% increase would be enough for TNS membership. It correlates with an IQ of 143. My goal was for 146 for TNS. I think this is a reasonable gain I could expect from proper nutrition, hydration, rest, sleep, and brain training.

From Wikipedia:

Some societies, including widely known societies such as Mensa, accept the results of standardized tests taken elsewhere. Those are listed below by selectivity percentile (assuming the now-standard definition of IQ as a standard score with a median of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 IQ points).

• Top 2 percent of population (98th percentile; 1 person out of 50; approximately IQ 130):
  • Mensa International – as of January 2014, ~110,000 members from ~100 countries; annual dues for American Mensa are $70 (dues differ by country).
• Top 1 percent (99th percentile; 1 out of 100; approximately IQ 135):
  • Intertel – as of January 2014, 1,300-1,400 members; annual dues are $39.
• Top 0.1 percent (99.9th percentile; 1 out of 1,000; approximately IQ 146):
  • Triple Nine Society – as of January 2016, 1,700 members from 50 countries; annual dues are $10.
• Top 0.003 percent (99.997th percentile; 1 out of 30,000; approximately IQ 160):
  • Prometheus Society – as of January 2014, ~120 members; annual dues are $50.
• Top 0.0001 percent (not reliable with current tests):
  • Mega Society – as of January 2014, 26 members

Life lessons

A couple of interesting things happened to me this week. One is that I bought my first Louis Vuitton handbag and first pair of LouBoutin shoes. If you are like my boyfriend and have no idea what this means, well it means that these are luxury items. Think of Mercedes in the car market and transpose that into handbags and shoes.

Here's the thing: the bag is good, but not THAT good. I like it. I bought it preloved and I'm so glad I did because there is no way it is worth the original $1800 price tag. Also, I am so bloody self-conscious carrying it. I don't like leaving it lying around just in case someone thinks its worth more than it is. Then there's the worry that people will think I bought it new and was so wasteful with my money.

The shoes: they're not that good either. I prefer the ones I got from the opshop. I don't know what brand those ones are but I like them. I'm reselling the shoes as they don't fit properly anyway. I am also glad I bought them pre-loved and not the original $1500 price.

So far my experience of these items is not what I thought it would be.

Then, today, I saw a post on Facebook that asked you to "choose" any one of a number of special gifts. By far the most popular was the ability to know the number of every scratch card (to get rich), and the second-best popular was to have the worlds highest IQ. Now, being in Mensa (and potentially Triple Nine Society) and knowing some super-dooper intelligent people with genius IQs, I know that having the world's highest IQ is not the "magic bullet" that people think it may be. People think they would be able to learn everything, to know everything, and to therefore make really good decisions and figure everything else out to get what they want. Not so. People are more than just rational thinking machines. And having the world's highest IQ doesn't necessarily make learning things about life simple.

That got me thinking about whether being rich isn't actually as good as some people think it might be.

So I Googled it. Turns out that being rich isn't the "magic bullet" some people think it may be.

Once I heard a saying that went something like: Money isn't important unless you don't have any.

I have being participating in a manifestation course (like the principles of The Secret). I am an avid vision-board maker. I bought a Law of Attraction Planner (I think it helped me secure my latest clinical placements).  I know people think it is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but what it does do is make you really focus on what you want. What you ACTUALLY want. These exercises made me think about whether I wanted to manifest that mansion on the hill nearby. The truth is: no, no I wouldn't want to live in that mansion. It's too big, too much maintenance, and draws too much attention. I already feel the house I live in is more than big enough for the three of us. Any bigger and I'd need staff. I don't want "staff" in my personal home. AS it turns out, I LOVE my house that I currently am in. I want to do more to the garden and buy new curtains, but overall I love it.

After I manifested my Louis Vuitton bag and LouBoutin shoes, I have realised I need to be careful what I wish for. I am grateful for them as they have made me realise the joy I thought they would bring me didn't happen. It makes me able to imagine if I did have that expensive luxury car: would I be constantly worried where I parked it? I heard a surgeon's Audi got keyed at the hospitals. It drew too much attention.

So, where to from here?

I truly believe that sometimes you have to go off course to know when you're on the right one. I think that's how heat-seeking missiles and sniffer dogs work.

I was manifesting 2016 as the year of luxury and celebration. I may need to rethink what this means to me.

Anyway, no big conclusion or pearls of wisdom; just some rambling.

Placements booked!

So, very exciting. I booked a 4-week IM placements and another 4-week EM placement (which I will do as an elective "rural emergency medicine").

I start IM in 4 weeks. I have been on annual leave and at home with the baby so not studying happened for me. I can get that done at work. I have 16 work days until my placement commences so in that time I need to get well enough prepared to make the most of my placement, feel more confident in myself as a medical student and future doctor, and not make a fool out of myself.

EM begins after a 4-week break between the two.

Both are local hospitals! YES! That means I can juggle being a mum and a paramedic without having to travel away from home.

Both hospitals have hinted that they can potentially give me more rotations. Both hospitals have internship programs that I'd LOVE to get once I graduate and pass AMC.

After these placements I still, therefore, have to find another 24 weeks of hospital placements before I can graduate.