Excitement and eagerness were my feelings during the first day of practicum. I tried to block out any nervousness because I know worrying won’t help. I have been prepared for this and that is what I kept on my mind. Be positive and everything will fall into place was my maxim that day. Having that thought manifested into giving me a wonderful learning first-day experience. I am so grateful to the school I was assigned for making the effort to explain their program for their students with special needs. I actually felt like a guest there instead of someone providing a service. They wanted me to get a well rounded experience in a special education setting. So, I am involved in the adapted and modified learning program. In addition to that plan, all the staff I met was very welcoming and accommodating.

We were told that the first meeting with our supported student may be challenging. The change – working with new person, may be quite difficult for them to handle. Fortunately, the students that I am assisting are very cooperative. It is also amazing how all the lessons you have learned are coming back one by one once you get to work in an actual setting. As early as it may seem, I already found rewarding moments during this week. The kids I am supporting are warming up to me and starting to initiate the conversation. Even a mere waving of the hand when they (and other students) see me in the hallway made my heart grow.

Well, I do hope that the rest of my classmates were also having fun at their designated practicum site. While I was writing this, I just can’t help but miss them. A shout out to SEA0909 – enjoy and take care!

I can’t believe that I’m almost finished practicum. The time has simply flown by but here I am with just four more shifts to go and I’ll be done. Every single day I learn something new and more and more I’m working on my own. Even though I don’t have a set unit, I think I’ve been fortunate in that working the float position; you get to see and do things that are so different that working in one unit you might not usually get to see or do. I’m also spending a lot more time searching for a job now – it’s become my obsession (and necessity) and the closer I get to completion of practicum, the more stress I’m feeling about not having anything yet (especially as some people have already been hired from our class). I have to trust myself more and trust in my instincts (which are usually correct). I was really proud of myself last night – I caught that a doctor had ordered a medication to which a patient was allergic, and got a big ‘well done’ from my preceptor – that made me feel good.

So my focus is on being the best student I can be and the best person I can be, putting my resume out there and creating contacts, trusting to the universe that things will work out in the end (and it doesn’t hurt to have my fingers crossed at all times). Not to make light of the stress side of it – I cannot deny this is causing me some lack of sleep at the realization the end of the course in near and now the hard bit of getting my foot in the door is one final hurdle that must be overcome.

As far as I know, the tasks of studying, doing homework, submitting case studies, etc is over for our course. We just need to attend one last module that will teach us the interview process and how to prepare job winning resumes and cover letters. To my surprise, we would be graded based on our interview skills and how we prepared our resume and cover letter. The writing requirements are my least concern but the interview aspect is definitely an anxiety booster. We had to undergo a one-to-one, panel and a group interview. I had experienced doing the first two types but the last one is new to me. The panel interview is for sure intimidating as I thought our instructor would pull other teaching staffs/ program advisors to be part of the panel. It was such a relief learning that we only had to do the one-to-one and panel interview activity with our classmates.

We each had the chance to act as both parties – interviewee and interviewer. It was fun doing the activity. We get to release our tensions and were able to relax once we had our first try. Acting was quite amusing, especially when we pretended to be the employer, as we got to ask tough questions. But that in turn became enlightening because we learned not only what the response could be but also how the questions could be answered in different ways. In group interviews, we were faced with a challenge on how to appease a disgruntled parent. An actual dialogue was done. It gave us an idea of what to expect when we get to work in an actual educational setting. The feedback at the end was very helpful. Areas of our strengths and where we could improve  were pointed out. I truly appreciated going through these interview activities as it surely developed our skills and confidence in getting a job.

Though we still have the body mechanics training before the end of this week, I can safely say now that our in-class tasks are finally over. And yes, we did survive!

I remember the endless vocabulary and other medical information we had to memorize in such short periods of time. The task each day seemed daunting and next to impossible at that time. My friends and I discovered the usefulness of FLASHCARDS. (so much so, that we would buy out the dollar store at the mall there!)

We would split the work and make up the flashcards for all the important information before a test. Then we would study and quiz each other. To this day, I still have a small rubbermaid that has my bunches of flashcards!

I remember the MOST important ones I made all on my own were my Drug cards. They are so important, and I still refer to them to this day, and I still add to them. You will be surprised at the endless amount of drugs you run in to. There are always new ones to learn. By using the flashcards it is the quickest and easiest way to learn the basics you need to know about the drug. (Hey, it beats looking it up in the giant CPS book!)

So, that is my tip for this week! I am not sure where in the program the Practical Nurses reading this are at, but it is never too late to learn a good study tool. Believe me, when it comes time to study for that big licensing exam, you will be thankful to have some of the most important information easily accessible!

Next time you are in class, keep a pack of index cards with you and anytime you hear or read something valuable make note of it!

Any one want to buy my old flashcards? LOL J/K

Best of luck

Seeing Stenberg post a note on their facebook page about an upcoming career fair with Fraser Health reminded me of when I was first on the job search. The excitement of graduation was short lived as then I realized I needed to find work in order to start paying back that student loan I accumulated. Oh, not to mention in a couple months I would be writing my licensing exam! Oh, no stress at all…..

If you are on your preceptorship or are going to be starting it, the most important thing you can do is make contacts! Find out who the manager of the unit is, and get to know them. They will be the one making the decision to hire you or not. It is important to make a great impression while working there. Of course, you need to work hard and have the staff on your side as well.

There is a backlog when it comes to hiring, as it takes a long time for them to go through ALL the resumes they receive. It is a major competition, so any advantage you can get, please do!

I was very lucky to have a job right after school. I was working as soon as I had my interim license. I took the time to establish a good working relationship with my co-workers and proved I was good at my job. By the end of my preceptorship the manager came to me to ask me to come work there!

I work for Fraser Health, at 2 hospitals. Go check out the career fair, they are great to work for!

We had two training days scheduled last week. First was WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Material Information System), which was held in the morning till noon. And next was our Standard First Aid and CPR program which lasted until 8:30 pm.

I found our WHMIS training lively. Aside from our trainer being a very good speaker, everyone got the chance to interact. I thought the questions at the end of each topic were a good way to review the subject. The instructor in our first aid program was the one who gave us the CPR training, so we already felt comfortable during that period, especially when we are practicing some first aid.

What I learned most from these training sessions is that we can’t afford to be ignorant or negligent when it comes to our safety as well as those we are going to work with. It is extremely important that we have all the information we could get. This will help us to determine hazards, learn precautions and be able to act fast during emergencies. It was repeatedly pointed out during our WHMIS training never to follow the principle that ignorance is bliss. And I truly agree with that view – that ignorance is never a good thing. It is always better to be aware and educated. Dealing with circumstances becomes easier when you are prepared or know how to handle it. Our WHMIS and First Aid training gave us something to always keep at the back of our mind. That is, it is a big deal to be safe and protect those around us.

I have learned so much from our two trainings last Monday. Yes, it was a long day but it was definitely worth having!

I just finished a shift last night at the hospital. As it was Easter Monday it was very quiet – with the exception of Emergency, which I’ve come to realize is hardly ever quiet. Up on the units, when we did our first round as the float nursing unit clerk, we got the same story; nothing happening due it being a bank holiday. So we settled in to what I thought would be a very uneventful night – I don’t like it so much when it’s quiet, and even though the night didn’t really get very busy, there were still a couple of lessons waiting to be given to me.

The first lesson was to do with awareness; how aware you have to be to what is occurring around you at all times. While admitting a patient to CCU, one of the machines started sounding an alarm and my preceptor said in a low voice, ‘Be prepared, we may have a code blue.’ Now, I’ve been waiting for a code blue (which we have to attend as the float), but at the same time dreading it a little. I continued on with my work, all the time with one ear to what was happening over in the corner. We never did have an official code blue – a couple of STAT orders were called for and entered into the computer and the immediate crisis was over – but just the mention of the words code blue were enough to get my heart pumping. My preceptor then advised that what we had just done was like what you would do in a code blue situation; this has made me feel a lot more at ease with what I will need to do when my first code does happen.

This lesson was quickly followed by a lesson in speed and accuracy; a patient needed blood and we were asked to pick it up ASAP from the bank – so I had to quickly complete the previous chart orders (making sure I didn’t make any mistakes) and hoof it down to the Lab to pickup some packed red blood cells – you must check and double check everything when picking up blood – so this was an interesting lesson (and kind of cool in the neat sense of the word, not the heat sense of the word). Finally, when we made it back to CCU with the blood, feeling rather pleased with myself, a lesson in clarity; if you order STAT blood work, make sure to mention STAT to the Lab when you call it in, and not urgent as they are two different things – the Lab called back to clarify if the blood work just ordered was STAT as in now, or urgent as in ASAP as I had entered in the computer as STAT and mentioned it as urgent when I phoned…I will be sure to be specific in future when I call in any blood work.

I thought the night was going to be quiet and boring – it was quiet for sure, but it certainly wasn’t boring, there were still lessons to be learned on a quiet night on a bank holiday when nothing is happening.

Since last week, I’ve felt light and happy. This is because our major exams are over. No more late nights of reviewing, no more stress. Working in Canadian Schools was our last module that has a final exam. But even before the end of the program, I felt that nothing could deter me. I think when you have gone through a lot of tests, nothing surprises you anymore. I guess I gained a lot of confidence in test taking.

So what will keep our class busy in the coming days? Well, we have at least two weeks that include Personal Care as well as Job Search Strategies courses. Aside from the training in Food Safe, Body Mechanics and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), we are going to take First Aid again. I said again, because we’ve had level 1 of CPR. Although it was explained that CPR is enough to meet the job requirement of a Special Education Assistant, our class had a consensus that it is vital for us to take the full First Aid training. I think it was a smart move for our class to advocate taking the full training, not just for job purposes but also for our personal benefit. I did not have first aid training before and I can see now how important it is to take this course.

The highly anticipated part of our program is the near approaching practicum. We will have three weeks each in elementary and high school setting. I can’t wait to apply the knowledge I have learned and at the same time, acquire enough practical skills that will gear me up to take the role of Special Education Assistant (SEA) in an actual work setting.

How did I do it?

Most importantly, I stuck to a schedule. I literally did the same thing every day, during the same times.

I would drop off the kids, go to school, pick up the kids, play with the kids, cook dinner, put the kids to bed and then STUDY! During this study time I was not to be disturbed. I dedicated a solid 3 hours or more to reading and work I had to do for school. My days were so busy and I was exhausted by the end of it, but I made it through. (And did quite well you know, top of the class!)

Of course, a schedule alone is not going to make you do well at school. You need to do the work and understand the work! There was SO much reading to do, how on earth can one remember everything in the numerous chapters we needed to read? Well, you can’t. It is not possible and you need to understand that right away.  Yes, you really do need to read it all, but make your highlighter your best friend! If there is something you read that you feel is important, highlight it and leave the rest alone!! lol

Even though your teacher may not check your homework or punish you if it is not done, do it! You may say that you will do it another time, but you won’t. The work will pile up and you will not be able to step back to complete it, you need to keep moving forward. And, your teachers give you the work for a reason….things may pop up again in a future test!!

Think of it this way. You do the reading (learning the information the first time), you write the answers (learning the information the second time) and you go over it in class (learning the information the third time). That is three times learning the same information. Chances are you are not going to forget it! Doing the work, will make your life much easier, and trust me you will see your work pay off.

Until next time….get reading!

I’m just coming to the end of the first part of my practicum and it is amazing to me how much I’ve learned during these past two weeks and how much I’ve grown in myself as a unit clerk actually doing the job. You really do learn just the theory stuff in class – how that all works once it is all put into practice is so different. My advice is to be flexible – that was something that we had drummed into us by our instructors, but it is so important.

You simply cannot be tied in to what was explained to you as being the way things are done because they change even from unit to unit in the same hospital. This week was really good for me. I feel that finally I am contributing and getting things done on my own – I’ve let go of fearing that I’m going to make mistakes (because I’ve made them) – the secret is to realize that you will make mistakes and to own up to them, learn from them and move on.

I take copious notes that I transcribe at home – I do feel that these will be invaluable to me when I get hired. It’s hard not to put yourself in to the future and I try not to worry about getting a job as I want to do the best I can do where I’m at right now – but those thoughts are definitely there.

You know, during the course I did question if this is the right path for me – but now I have no doubts. I have found something that I truly love to do that challenges me and leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment that I rarely got in my previous work.