Final Entry - Rotation 1

Now that I have completed the first of my placements for the year I am much more prepared for the year ahead. On the first day I was thrown in the deep end to assess and treat a patient, which although being tough/daunting at the time put me in good stead for the remainder of the placement. This was shown by all 3 of my supervisors (everyone was taking holidays) feeling comfortable to leave me to my own devices & operate independently on a daily basis, with regular catch-ups through out the day. As I mentioned in my Initial Entry having just completed the cardio unit last semester I didn’t have to delve to far in the memory bank to find out what I needed to know. This made reading up on assessments and treatments far easier and consequently more effective in the hospital setting.

Before starting my placement I was anxious about getting treatments right given a patient may have multiple co-morbidities that complicate their cardiorespiratory problem. As I found almost all patients had a co-morbidity of some description but it was simply a matter of just scaling back the treat intensity and progressing as the patient improved. Surgical patient’s for example are regularly treated for respiratory complications following surgery under GA but their may concern obviously is their wound & main medical problem. I encountered this many times but it’s just a matter of working out what the patient can managed within pain limits without adversely impacting on the wound or the goal of the surgery itself. Thorough reading of the notes and effective communication with the patient are crucial to deciding what direction the intervention needs to head in.

My supervisor/s and I developed a great rapport over the period of the placement which translated into effective learning and confidence in me to conduct sessions independently. This meant that I spent the majority of the time working alone and running sessions and my case load to my own time schedule. This enabled me maximum time to develop the skills needed to treat patients in the hospital environment. Parts of those skills are liaising with other health professionals which was necessary on a daily basis. I developed a good relationship with the OTs and nursing staff and consulted with the medical team when necessary. This enabled more effective development of treatment options for each patient since it used the skills and knowledge of many instead of operating in my own little physio bubble. It also allowed effective planning of patient goals and ultimately discharge into the appropriate living environment

In my Initial Entry I mentioned that wanted to develop my communication and documentation skills. I believe that I improved markedly in both areas through developing strong rapports with patients and constantly working on time management and being concise with documentation. Both made it easier to decide on the treatment required and progression as well as patient compliance with ongoing exercise programs prescribed.