Arrived in Canberra safe and sound with my cat after a 7.5 hour drive from Melbourne. Exhausted yesterday but recovered today in time for my first day.
A bit of a shaky start, nothing too bad but they didn't even know I was coming! I had called the 'clinical educator's mobile about a week ago to confirm and ask where I have to go and what time to be there etc and I didn't get any reply. Tried again a couple of times but always straight to voicemail. So this morning I called the hospital phone number the from my uni's info and no answer. Ended up just called the main hospital reception and asked to be put through to the nurse's station in the psych ward. They told me that clinical educator doesn't work there anymore and just come down and we'll get you sorted out. When I got there they said they didn't even know I was coming! But there were three other students from Albury-Wodonga campus that were all totally organised. My campus' clinical placement office lived up to their terrible reputation of being very disorganised. Anyway, not my fault, and luckily they said it's no problem.
As usual didn't do much today being the first day. Got a tour around the hospital and the ward. It's the only involuntary mental health ward in the state and has a high dependency unit where patients are monitored every 15 mins. Read through all the policies and procedures and welcome pack and sat in on handover. The nursing staff seem nice and welcoming and my clinical educator is very nice and accomodating. Patients are mainly bipolar, schizophrenia and depression (suicide risk).
For the first two weeks I'll be doing afternoon shift (1:30 - 10:00pm) and for the second two weeks I'll be on morning shift (7:00am - 3:30pm).
Should be a very interesting placement and I will keep you posted!
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