Isolated prac

For the first time throughout this prac year i felt completely isolated and on my own when i was on rural prac. my supervisor was there 3 days a week but when whe was there she was in conferences and meetings and from day 1 she told me that she preferred if i worked things out on my own than asking for help. i dont mind independent learning but i find that i work better if i can bounce ideas off people and discuss patients and different ways of treating problems. i was the only physio in the hospital and i was thrown into doing peri US and looking after 20+ patients on the wards in only 4 or less hours as the rest of the tme was spent in outpatients or taking exercise classes. i struggled on this prac because i felt that some of the patients in the hopsital required more than a 20 minute session a day but due to time constraints thats all i could give. i had many patients with chest infections which would have benefited from 2 visits a day, one day i spent nearly 2 hours with the pneumonia patient mentioned in my previous blog so i was unable to see some of the other patients and i wsa informed i needed better time managment skills. there were at least 5 patients who were in hospital for rehab due to strokes and complicated fractures, i found myself so frustrated by the lack of effective treatment i was able to offer these patients who deserved more than a 20 minute rush through exercise plan. i found myself having to go back to the hosptial after i'd finished in outpatients at 5 to write up all 20+ notes as i couldnt afford to take 5 minutes out of the patents treatment sessions. although i did actually love rural prac after i became more confidnet in myself and i did learn alot from the vast number of patients i saw, i still think i could have learnt so much more about different treatment options and conditions if i'd had an interactive supervisor or another student/physio to exchange ideas with. i have a much greater appreciation for team environments than ever before!