That time of the year is here again...where we split up with our friends for our various postings! In preparation, we've come up with a list of things we wish we knew before we started.
Year 1: Community Health
The first posting is always a bit intimidating. Regardless of whether you’re posted to a community hospital or nursing home, there are plenty of opportunities to be found when it comes to practising your skills.
Be brave! Don’t be ashamed or afraid if there are certain things that you’re unsure of. Always make sure you have a staff nurse or junior nurse with you, and be unafraid to learn! You’re always going to be guided, and you definitely won’t be alone.
Always be humble. You may be excited to apply what you have learnt and share your knowledge, but remember, you are entering a new place where people are accommodating the nursing students on attachment. We have to respect our primary role as students who are here to learn. So, be open-minded, gracious, and patient when it comes to receiving information and handling patients, and talking to the nurses working there and teaching you!
Beyond being observant, always have a pen and a notebook with you! Write down the things you learnt everyday and things you need to find out more; it'll be useful for future postings as well. Follow the nurses, ask questions, and talk to the patients. Ask nicely for the chance to practice your nursing skills. Don’t be afraid to ask for the opportunity to practice serving medications with the nurses. The learning opportunity is in your own hands and you have to be proactive enough to take it.
You will definitely experience a lot of things on this first attachment! Be prepared for a mismatch between what you have learnt and what is practiced, but always remember the core principle behind that particular skill. It’s important to be open and embrace the new things you will see. Agree to disagree, but most importantly, embrace and seek to understand first before being understood. This applies to conversations with patients and staff nurses as well as the learning opportunities you are given.
Year 2: Mental Health
Try to enter with an open mind! The ward environment in IMH and NUH’s psychiatric ward might be slightly different as compared to the ones in the hospitals, but don’t be afraid, take your time to learn about the ward routine and participate proactively in the care of the clients.
Make sure that you know the common mental health illnesses and their treatment methods. It’ll help you make sense of what the nurses are doing!
Safety first! Make sure that you have a buddy looking out for you whenever you roam around in the wards.
Make conversation with the patients. Sometimes you can learn more about how they end up there, the progression of their illness and will even have the opportunity to do mental assessments with them. It’s also a brilliant opportunity to connect with people with mental illnesses and learn how you can support other people in the future. It’s important to understand that people with mental illnesses can be as kind and gentle as those without.
Majority of the patients, particularly the older adults, enjoy musical activities. It stimulates their brain and makes them happy. Reminiscence therapy in the form of playing older songs helps them recall their past, and can lift their mood.
Year 3: Critical Health (Emergency Department)
Don’t be afraid and do as much as you can! For many of us, it was our first time doing resuscitation on an actual person and a lot of us panicked. But just remember to refresh the steps before you start your posting, so that you’ll be able to help as much as you can.
Be mentally prepared, and be very supportive of each other. I remember seeing the patients get rushed in with their family members/friends looking in from the other side of the entrance, wondering if their loved one was going to be alright. Hearing about what happened or how the patient collapsed really broke my heart, and I couldn’t help but start tearing up while giving compressions or when i we were doing last office.
It will be intimidating to talk to the staff because they’re especially busy in the ED. Be smart about finding small pockets of time to ask them more about their job! It’ll be helpful if you’re interested in working there in the future.
Some EDs can be busier than others, but don’t be discouraged if you happen to be part of a “quieter” ED! There are plenty of skills to practice and a lot of things to learn even if you’re not doing resuscitation every day.
Year 3: Polyclinic
This posting was slightly more relaxing, because the tasks being performed may not be as complex or rushed as compared to other postings. However, do be prepared to try new things and have some hands on experience!
Ask the staff as much as you can during patient consultations or during the pockets in between! Take as many brochures as you can to learn more about the different treatments provided by the polyclinic as well.
If you’d like to find out more about working in a community setting and caring for chronic conditions in particular, this would be a great place to start.
On top of treatments and check ups provided for more chronic conditions, you may also get opportunities to learn more about women and child health!
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