Initial Entry

One week prior to the commencement of my placement in Broome i have made contact with my supervisor and read through the details on posted on the clinical mix form and power point presentation. The brome hospital is described as a very friendly environment with only a small physiotherapy group of four practitioners. I am expecting this to be a real "rural" hospital experience in the sense that i will have exposure to all different feilds of physiotherapy and will need to draw upon all of my knowledge and sources throughout the five weeks. My supervisor has confirmed that i will be treating and assessing both in the inpatient and outpatient wards on a daily basis inclusive of one or two rural home visits.
On the impatient ward i expect to be practicing my cardiorespiratory skills and using my background in orthopaedics and gerontology to prescribe aids manage post operative orthopaedic presentations. On the outpatient ward i expect to be applying my musculoskeletal theory and practice to a varied caseload of both chronic and acute presentations. I envisage the home visit to require an indepth environmental assessment, an evaluation of the most effective treatment method and the ability to design a personalised, challenging but acheivable home program.
In regards to the structure of my placement, i think that given i will be working in two different wards with a small team, it is likley that i will recieve less supervision than i have in other metropolitan facilities. This may require me to use more initiative and refer to my books or research .
My role as a student physiotherapist initially will be treating and assessing a varied caseload of both inpatient and outpatients. I will liase with both the physiotherapy team and other members of the multi disciplinary team. It will be my job to familiarise my self with settings and the routines of the different wards, gradually increasing my caseload as i gain increased efficiency. I will need to use my initiative to undergo any required research or readings. Finally i think it is my role to engage with the indiginous culture, and discover the customs and traditions that may effect my communication with patients and my treatment effectiveness.
During this placement i am a visitor in a new and unfamiliar town. I am going to be exposed to many new traditions and cultural experiences both on campus at the broome hospital and off campus in the town. I am concerned that i may be out of my comfort zone in such a new environement. Whilst i am excited about the cultural challenge, i am also concerned that my lack of exposure to indigenous culture will limit my ability to communicate efefctively with my patients. I am looking forward to the challenge of such a mixed caseload and having the opportunity to compile all of the knowledge i have gained over the last three years into one placement.