Supervision & Independence

My neuro placement was quite an interesting one. The hospital I attended did not have a specific neuro ward and instead was to be move and see neuro patients all around hospital. In addition to this I didn’t have a set supervisor, instead I was to report to the physio on the ward I was currently treating a patient on.

Initially it was quite disorientating, as I was constantly changing wards and supervisors. But eventually as with most placements you become accustomed to the routine and the structure. Due to the fact that I was on many wards and had many different supervisors it was often unfeasible to have a supervisor present with every patient. Although it was made clear that if I needed help or was unsure of something with a patient I was to come and get the supervisor on that ward, it was often hard to gain feedback on how I progressing on my handle skills and alternate treatment methods that I could employ with different patients.

Although this situation gave me independence and lead me to develop my organisational skills it left me a little unfulfilled as I felt I was learning as much as I could. I spoke to my curtin tutor about this and she suggested that I try and get at least one supervisor to see me with a patient at least once a day. I tried this but realised that it was unrealistic to get seen everyday, so I managed to get seen a couple of times a week by a supervisor. This initially worked well as I picked up a few incidental things that helped me to deliver a better treatment and assessment, but I still felt that it wasn’t enough. So I asked specific supervisors if I could observe them with some of their patients, and arranged times that I could have a chat to supervisors about patients regarding possible alternative treatment methods. This turned out quite well, enabling me to get a few different perspectives on treating similar patients.

Reflecting back on this placement I think I got the best of both worlds, by developing my independence (and finally feeling like a real physio) as well as still having that support there to be accessed (with some organisation on my part-which was also a learning experience) if needed. I think often we are “spoon fed” a little bit as a physio students by being told how to do everything with step by step instructions that often leave little room for creativity which can stifle us in the long run. With that in mind I think it is important to develop a little bit of independence while still keeping the training wheels on.