You'll get there, afternoons are hard, but not really that bad once you consider that bubs is likely to be in bed for a large part of that, hubby will get really good at cooking meals too if he already hasn't (that's a big plus!!)
It does seem scary and hard, I remember my first health assessment examination freaking me out soo badly. But remember, in the end it's only one thing.
Taking vitals comes pretty quickly but it's lots of practise that's getting you there, also, remember though that the health assessment test is there to actually help you figure out what to brush up on or any areas you need to look back over. I always found the hwole "role playing" part hard. I could never talk to my classmates in anursey way, i felt silly. Gimme real patients and no probs. I actually had my lecturers say that to me too.
As for blood pressures and cuffs... Am unsure where you are studying but our ucol would have lab sessions at least once a week in addition to our scheduled ones where we could go in and practise anything - i think that came from us actually requesting them and a great teacher saying "yeah sure". We also bought our own stethoscopes, and many girls actually got bf cuffs with them as a package. Let me track down the site you can buy them from - last i looked they were fairly reasonable, plus it means you can practise on family/hubby lol anyone whose arm you can grab.
Will have a look for the site and post it on here tomorrow if i can.
As for sick kids.. ick, every placement i had probably about 3 days off nearly cos of sick kids - it's like they had a radar to get sick every placement and every time i had an assignment due.
Clinical placemements feel like you are spending heaps of time away from them, it really does. There were nights where i would look out the ward windows up high and could see out over to our neighbourhood and be thinking "i wonder what they're doing right now" same with daytimes - i could see out over to the daycare, i could actually see ucol. that was hard too.
The main thing to remember, is that placements are short 2 - 3 weeks at a time, mostly you'll have alternating shifts as well. With travelling, make sure you let them know your circumstances and most places will be really great. I was lucky enough to only be asked to travel once - they wanted me to do a placement in masterton once, I told them no.... basically for the fact that it was due to finish a week before i had one of the kids.. being stuck down in masterton in labour was not something i wanted to risk lol.
The other thing to think about with placements is that. really, they are setting you up slowly for working... It took me a while to realise this. I lived from placement to placement, until i got the job up at the hospital, with rostered shifts, and realised, that THIS wasn't going to be over in 2 or 3 weeks... this was IT. and that's when i realised that those placements in short bursts not only taught me the skilss, but slowly got my family used to the routines etc, and got us all into workable routines for different shifts.
And once you're working - you can kinda dictate the number of days you do. I only work 4 days a week. Once mike finishes his study, I will likely cut down to 3 days a week to spend more time with my kids.
And whereas on placements you do like a week of afternoons and then a week of mornings and such, when you start work you can work a mix of them in - I try to get a good mix of 2 days mornings and 2 afternoons, same as i request every second weekend off so that i get family time, but also still get the perks of earning time and a half for weekend work. You work into a routine that fits for you. and it does make you miss them, it does. But, you see hubby take on more roles in caring for the little person - you see their bond develop, and it makes a different dynamic, gives them a new respect for what you usually would be doing too.
The idea about a small notebook is realllly handy. I got myself a small little pocket address book which then i could organise things into alphabetical setions for easy referal - i still do it now at work. a few of my colleagues do too. one of them has been there for about 10 years i think - you should see her book, it's like the neonatal bible!
Good luck for your test, you'll be fine. In a couple of years time, when you graduate, you'll look back and laugh about how scared you were about taking blood pressures etc. I remember giving antibiotics for the first time at my job - god i took slow push to a whole new level. lol.... I still am not happy with injections - cos the ones i have to do it on are so so so tiny, finding the right muscle on a 1kg baby, is darn impossible.
Anyway, you live and learn and find things easier as you go along - just like parenthood.
Edited by mum2paris
Feeling low...
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Yeah next week I'll be fine.....Im not even worried about the 4 other exams/tests I have lolz. Am worried about yr 2 and 3 though, well clinicals anyway. But I should worry about that next year lol. But it's making me think I should change my study to something so it doesn't impact so much on Kahtrell and dp, doing the arvo shifts for clinicals will probably cause that to happen...then again its 3 days a week for clinicals next year. I dunno!
Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
) and have more of a routine set up.
