Initial entry

I will be starting at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital on my cardio-respiratory placement. Firstly I would like to note that I believe the “cardio” placement to be a very prominent one. By this I mean there is a substantial theoretical basis behind it, which I will obviously have to have a firm grasp of. SCGH is a big tertiary hospital with a prominent emphasis on “cardio” so as far as my placement is concerned I believe im doing an important placement which I have looked forward to, in an advanced and challenging setting. I found the cardio theory to be quite interesting and rewarding and I only hope that I can apply that effectively to the practical element. I think the nature of the cardio unit means there is quite a gap between the prac and theory components, so I am quite nervous about my practical knowledge and how much I can do by myself.

I was advised a few days before my first day that I would be working on the oncology and general surgery wards. This information gave me mixed emotions. Firstly I hoped that this would still give me adequate exposure to cardio-respiratory cases because I believe the cardio-respiratory placement to be of very high importance. However I was also very excited to be able to see and experience some general surgery cases and unique cases which I otherwise would not be exposed to. Whilst reading the clinical mix I did notice an expectation to be able to talk about death. I have had very limited exposure to cancers and the very real subject of its mortality. Also my oncology knowledge is very limited, so therefore I was very nervous about entering an environment that was very confronting, whilst having fairly limited knowledge. As for the general surgery, am I mentioned, I was excited about seeing unique cases which I might not normally get to see

So I would say im nervous about applying my knowledge practically, and nervous about working in oncology and general surgery which I otherwise would not be as confident in. I always think about my supervisors before I begin, and I guess always hoping that it’s someone who I can work well under. There are a lot of things that go through my head such as trying to be confident but not intimidating. If you come across too confident I believe the supervisor sometimes can feel a need to exercise their superiority. This is not something im worried about, but I just want to give a good impression and be confident enough so they feel confident in my abilities. I also hope I meet their expectations of a 4th year Notre Dame student. I guess by this stage I want them to be confident enough to let me treat patients and work as if I was a new graduate. However I realize the gap in experience between a new graduate with 4 prac experiences under their belt and myself. So I am trying to keep my goals realistic. In conclusion im excited about working at SCGH and considering I really enjoy a hospital setting, I cant see why I cant make the best out of this opportunity and learn lots with invaluable experience.

as i mentioned, this prac will be in a hsopital setting which is something i very much enjoy. therefore i expect to be working within a multidisciplinary team and gaining a lot of knowledge and expectations of different allied health professions. i expect that i will be working in a hsopital setting upon graduating so i therefore expect to excel on the ward setting and gain good confidence in dealing with doctors and nurses and the other professions. therefore i am using this prac as a gage of where i am and what i need to improve on and how i can prepare for graduation. first and foremost im very excited and as the clinical mix form said "we expect student to enjoy themselves and have fun so that they can maximise their learning" and thats what i expect.