Hmmmmm. Medicine is very different to nursing. I never expected to say this, but the doctors could learn a hell of a lot from nurses on how to train someone to do a job.
Example 1. By Thursday I think the three of us (My clinical partner, German playmate and me) were the ward sport (We imagined them taking bets in the sluice of how quick they could make us crumble)
Halfway through the morning, one of the SHOs told us to "Sort the bloods out" Wanting to look eager, and terrified of upsetting them anymore than we had already done, I said "But we have never taken any bloods"
"Then this is the ideal time to learn then, isn't it" She snarled back. Oh shit - I did a venepuncture course two years ago (It was during the lunch time of this course that I found out that my dad had been admitted with his stroke - See early posts) but have never practised it. Our German mate had also trained in it but used a German blood taking system and so wasn't really up to the job either)
I asked the SHO if she would mind doing the first one so that we knew which colour bottles to use and so that we could work out really small matters like where you stuck the needle in. She told us to "Work it out" so off we shuffled to form a battle plan. Luckily, the ward clerk saw us looking terrified and came to show us which colour bottles to use. We made an executive decision that our German mate could do the deed and followed him on to the ward. He actually managed to take the blood reasonably well from the patient and so off we shuffled, triumphant!
I hate reflecting but I would have to say that I am HORRIFIED at my actions. I should have dug my heels in and told the SHO to go and take a running jump. How STUPID was she though - surely it it dreadful practice to expect us to do something we haven't been trained to do, without at least showing us the correct way of doing it.
This would never happened as a nurse. When I qualified, you had to do 6 months on a ward before being allowed to attend a venepuncture course. You then had to be supervised in taking blood off five patients before being signed of as fit to practice.
I need to work out what I am going to say the next time this happens because from what I can see so far, being a medical student is like being thrown to the lions on a daily basis and if I don't learn how to speak up now, I am going to get eaten up.
Example 1. By Thursday I think the three of us (My clinical partner, German playmate and me) were the ward sport (We imagined them taking bets in the sluice of how quick they could make us crumble)
Halfway through the morning, one of the SHOs told us to "Sort the bloods out" Wanting to look eager, and terrified of upsetting them anymore than we had already done, I said "But we have never taken any bloods"
"Then this is the ideal time to learn then, isn't it" She snarled back. Oh shit - I did a venepuncture course two years ago (It was during the lunch time of this course that I found out that my dad had been admitted with his stroke - See early posts) but have never practised it. Our German mate had also trained in it but used a German blood taking system and so wasn't really up to the job either)
I asked the SHO if she would mind doing the first one so that we knew which colour bottles to use and so that we could work out really small matters like where you stuck the needle in. She told us to "Work it out" so off we shuffled to form a battle plan. Luckily, the ward clerk saw us looking terrified and came to show us which colour bottles to use. We made an executive decision that our German mate could do the deed and followed him on to the ward. He actually managed to take the blood reasonably well from the patient and so off we shuffled, triumphant!
I hate reflecting but I would have to say that I am HORRIFIED at my actions. I should have dug my heels in and told the SHO to go and take a running jump. How STUPID was she though - surely it it dreadful practice to expect us to do something we haven't been trained to do, without at least showing us the correct way of doing it.
This would never happened as a nurse. When I qualified, you had to do 6 months on a ward before being allowed to attend a venepuncture course. You then had to be supervised in taking blood off five patients before being signed of as fit to practice.
I need to work out what I am going to say the next time this happens because from what I can see so far, being a medical student is like being thrown to the lions on a daily basis and if I don't learn how to speak up now, I am going to get eaten up.
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4 comments:
hey, I am a final year medic (graduating in 2 months) and have came across your blog incidentally...
Don't be put off by people expecting you to be able to perform a procedure that you have never learn out of the blue, or expecting you to know the pathophysiology of some random syndrome, or expecting you to be able to give a fantastic clerk-in...
As there are a zillion things that we need to learn in medicine... it is virtually impossible to have formal teaching in everything... We don't have the luxary of being 'formally trained'in the nitty gritty stuff or be taught about something more than once... we are expected to take the initiative to teach ourselves in alot of things (most things actually)... and be competent for the final exams... the trick is to be really 'thick-skinned' and take every opportunity to pester someone to teach you on the wards... usually the FY1s are friendly enough as they remember what it was like being a medical student... or even observe or ask other senior medical students how to do certain things... don't be put off by people who says 'NO' to you... it happens all the time and you'll get used to it...
just keep trying :)
Hello
Thanks very much for your message. I think you are spot with what you have said. My skin is getting thicker by the day!
That SHO sounds like a jerk with no regard for her patients. We have a right to learn, but in a safe controlled environment (for the patient and ourselves).
I wonder how that SHO would have felt if her mother or father had been the lucky recipient of your first unsupervised attempt.
Chin up. Don't let the bastards get you down.
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