The Wisdom of the NHS

My trust, in its infinite wisdom, have decided to put me on a 2 day study day to provide a "basic knowledge" base for daily practice - measuring and recording vital signs of patients.

I've even been given homework. Label the basic anatomy of the chest and respiratory system, what is pyrexia, hypothermia, how should I take a pulse. (This grade A in A Level biology might finally pay off for me)

This would sound great, if I haven't already been doing it every shift for the last 4 weeks since I started. Make that 9 weeks by the time I start the study day.

Don't even get me started on the fact I have to do a study session for HCG tests, but curiously, not for ECGs...

Another Day...

We have a patient sitting on the floor and shouting for a nurse.



After he's decided to jump off the trolley and take the mattress and bedding with him.

Now, nurses generally don't like things on the floor, just generally (especially patients), but in this case, we let it slide.

Welcome to the NHS.

HCA got back

More like HCA got back pains...

Clinical induction is possibly the most boring thing ever. No offence to the people that have to do the sections, but it's tediously boring and you're just throwing facts at us. It's like being at school, but so much worse, because 1) we don't particularly care and 2) we don't care because barely any of it applies to us or will be of use to us.

However, manual handling today taught me that I'm likely to do my back in because I'm young and because we apparently do everything wrong when it comes to manual handling in A&E. Drag lifts, carrying stuff, not using the hoist.... ever (which was embarrassing when one of the immunology nurses told me we kept it in one of the toilets) and not having slide sheets and handle extensions. I could blame the last one on CAU/ITU/Ward but I can't, because we don't have the equipment. Or at least I've not seen it.


On different note, midwives have some of the best stories ever. (Admittedly if you're pregnant, they're not)

Oh My God

Clinical induction has to be the most boring thing I've ever had the misfortune of sitting through in my entire life.

I'd rather be working. At least it's a 3 day week (unlike the 5 day induction), and I'd be able to get my ucas sorted as well.

It's Day 7...

...in A&E.

I managed to do my UKCAT last week, 650 average, lower than last year (675) but I suppose it'll have to do.

I've been at work for 2 weeks now, and there's been some interesting stuff going on, notably we declared a major incident for something something something*, a prolapsed bowel (which I can only describe as.... intestines falling through the arse. literally) which the surgeons didn't believe. Yes, they didn't believe the bowel had prolapsed. In fairness, I didn't believe it, nor had our middle grade seen it before.

But yes, all in all, work is good. Though I didn't like the 3 long days in a row I've just had. Translation - a 12hr shift (8am-8pm) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

I want to send off my UCAS next week, but stupid trust induction next week. Oh well, a reference from one of the consultants and an academic one from my (former) head of sixth will have to get done during my induction week instead. Arse.

*Nothing personal - just if I said you probably could work out where I work and who I am. Not so sure I'm that comfortable doing so yet. Though probably major incident is enough to work that out - get googling!