**~ So you think you deserve the brownie? ~**

Monday, March 07, 2005

The 1st Coupla Days...

*Note: Due to author's laziness n busyness (yes! i'm a v busy person u noe!!), the following is an excerpt out of my cms regarding my clinical experience. NYP mates: My deepest apologies for succumbing to my overwhelming temptation of simply cutting n paste... heh... =P.*

"Hi all!! Was quite exciting at TTSH for this last couple of days as I consider this to be my "first" placement at an acute hospital setting (my first placement was at NUH, but being 1st years, couldn't do any hands-on at all, and then had a community placement for 2A). So as I was saying, it's really quite different from community setting and everything's quite fast-paced there, unlike community, where you can spend up to an hour for therapy. Here, it's really "chop chop" finish and go!

Felt an overwhelming sense of incompetence on my first day, but that's normal, cause I ALWAYS feel incompetent at first. Ha ha... Am settling in more nicely now. One thing bad would be that we were given no orientations unless needed, so I had a great time this couple of days running around the mazes of all 4 wards on 1 level (my supervisor covers all 4 wards of 1 level). Kept getting confused about where all the stuff (e.g. linen, w/c, BP machine, therapy equipment) were kept and kept running in circles when my sup sends me on errands (which is like for EVERY case)... and quite sad when my sup asked me to be faster. No matter! I shall strive hard to improve my poor topograhical orientation! =)

Well, mainly we do initial assessments, dressing, shower assessments, caregiver training and home visits there. Was quite happy when I was allowed to do initial ax, but that quickly turned into frustration when I realised that my pt was speaking in dialect and my dialect "cannot make it"!! spent a long time saying "you... you... er... you... (in dialect)" when i tried to ask if she's staying on a lift landing floor! argh! Brushing up of dialect and Malay is duly noted by this student. But all the "ah mas" and "ah gongs" there are quite nice and cute, with only a precious few who tend to scold or get agitated and requires restraints.

Witnessed a pt's son - doctor fight yesterday, which displayed the inadequacy of S'pore's healthcare services. Apparently doc wants to d/c pt day before yesterday, but only told son yesterday! ???!! Pt is a max assist. (personally, I feel it's nearer total dependence) tall male and doc only referred him to OT day before yesterday!!!! So yesterday, when son was told, apparently doc said something like if he wants pt to continue staying in TTSH, they will have to go A class ward, cause there are not enough beds in TTSH. Son got angry and felt that doc was throwing pts out cause of lack of beds, like his father was not important enough as a pt (and I totally feel the same way too!). Son then requested for maid to be able to do bed - chair transfers independently for min. 6 times a day cause son doesn't want pt to go nursing home. He wanted rehab from AMKCH, but it was rejected and pt will have to be cared for at home by maid alone. OT only got 1st transfer session with maid yesterday and maid was clearly not competent in transfer since she was new and it was her first time in transfers. Son got angrier and pointed at doc. Doc felt insulted by finger pointing and left after telling son that he'll talk to him on another day. And so, my poor sup was left to placate son until case manager came and finally managed to placate him. *Sigh* How realistic can the healthcare system get? And there seem to be limited things that we can do for cases like this within such a short time in an acute setting... Any suggestions or comments for this pt who's son doesn't want nursing home, doesn't have enough rehab potential to go TTSH rehab, got rejected by AMKCH maid is not competent enough to take care of him at home and is supposed to be d/c asap (docs are not really noting OT's input that he's not safe to be d/c)??"

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**jojo is still pouting @ |10:10 PM|

1 Comments:

.::.dor.::. said at 8:34 PM: wahahaha~ u feeble-minded creature!!!! Fancy succumbing to your temptation!!! hahax.