Placements

Re: Placements

Kimberley Conahan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:02:58 GMT

Sorry i shouldn't have really said monitor anaesthetic. I monitored tpr and when the nurse changed the oxygen and gas thats all. I was never left on my own, there was always a veterinary nurse there. I think i would panic like hell if i was haha. I should have said that when i wrote it. My fault.

Re: Placements

bonny10 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:39:15 GMT

My uni found me placments although i have had to stay away from home for one as i was let down at the last minute. More practices are beginning to take students from HE courses as they don't have to pay them. I really don't think having a degree affects how employable you are-my course is 2.5 years long and i do the same amount of placement as NVQ students and am capable of everything they can do.

Unfortunatly, it is the only way of getting into vet nursing without waiting for years on end for a placement and although i didn't want to go down this route at first, i am very happy i did now.

Re: Placements

hobbits — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:14:18 GMT

I did the BSc and we had to find all our own placements, though if you struggled the college did help as much as they could. I was really really lucky and filled all my placements at practices close by.

[quote user="Kimberley Conahan"]Only just finished my second day and i have already learnt how to monitor anaesthetic and restrain animals correctly[/quote]

sorry it is a bt off topic, but this really worries me!! It is not a personal thing at all Kimberley, but how can someone be taight to monitor anaesthetics properly (or at all!!) after being in practice 2 whole days?!? I know i is legal under the VSA (dont get me started!), but really. It makes me so mad, also please tell me that you arent left on your own with an anaesthetic? It would totally unfair on you in that situation! what if the animal crashes and you dont know what to do? The guilt (which would be misplaced) would be awful and students should never be put in that position. Also if nurses of 10+ experience still have anaesthetics they wish they had done better and could monitor more closely how can you say you can monitor them correctly already? I am sure this is what you have been told, and as I said before, not personal, but what is properly? HR, RR, eye position, jaw tone? pulse deficits,core and peripheral temperatures? Blood pressure, ECG? the different results from different premeds, different induction and maintenance agents, different surgical procedures? different times in even the most routine of surgeries?

Sorry rant over - just makes me very worried that students get shown the basics quickly and are given the impression that it is enough . not the students fault at all, but please be aware anaesthesia is complicated and very important! x

Re: Placements

Kimberley Conahan — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:37:45 GMT

I was rather lucky with my uni because they did all the work to get us a placement. Maybe..2 or 3 didn't get placements where they wanted and had to move but out of 40 odd students i think that is rather successful. And yeah whatever they offer you, you can accept, decline or basically say i need somewhere closer.

Thank god i got one rather close to home. Still sucks abit to have to leave at 7 when i start at 9 then dont get home till half 6ish but it will be worth it i hope! I'm really enjoying it so far. Only just finished my second day and i have already learnt how to monitor anaesthetic and restrain animals correctly. Think i nearly threw up when they asked me to do those things ha but i'd rather be thrown in than stand around and just wait to clean after anything that happens to leak some form of fluid ha.

Re: Placements

Doolally — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:51:02 GMT

oooh sorry went off on one there :)

Re: Placements

Doolally — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:49:32 GMT

IME practices are more willing to take on degree students rather than employ NVQ students as they don't have to pay them!! We currently have a 1st and a second year degree student, on their normal placements they don't get paid, but if they're in when an employed member of staff is off, or we need to call them in in the holidays they'll get paid as it saves my boss having to get a locum nurse in. We do really rely on them and really appreciate their help, we could do with another employed member of staff, but that's not happening, so we just make sure they dont forget to put down all the hours they can get paid for.

At my uni if they couldn't find you a placement near where you lived they'd expect you to stay on campus and do your placement at the uni hospital.

But as lots of people stay at uni for teaching weeks then go home to every corner of the country there's a good possibility of them finding placements near home.

The people who have the most trouble are those who live closest to the uni as lots of people do.

The uni asked if you had a preference over where to go and they'd try to get you that place, otherwise they'd offer you a place somewhere....The first placementy they offered me was nearly 2hrs away so i said there was no way i could do that, but you do have to be flexible and the one i ended up staying at was still an hour drive away from home.

Like I say placements do vary though, I got to do loads on mine, and near the start I went back to uni able to say i had intubated a cat and placed an iv catheter and some others hadn't even given s/c injections!! Think i'm repeating myself, but if you do get a placement where you dont feel you're doing enough, then do say and try to go somewhere else

Re: Placements

hissycat — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:24:43 GMT

I feel for people trying to find degree placements as it can be very difficult. There are so few places out there looking to take on unqulaified staff at the mo. I sometimes think those that do might be looking for some cheap labour rather than helping you progress. I worked in a practice that took on a few degree students and they were often expected to have a lot more practical skills than they actually did. (not their fault just unrealistic expectations i think). I would try and crack on with the the portfolio asap, just remember it is always hard starting somewhere new and it will take a while to settle in. Just ask loads of questions, help as much as poss and always be willing to get your hands dirty! Hope all is going ok?

Re: Placements

Laura James — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:11:59 GMT

I'm in my 3rd year degree and I've always arranged my own placements so far, although most colleges will help you to find a placement if you ask. In my first and second year i was really lucky finding excellent placements although this year im having a horrible time finding a placement.

From talking to others in my year its far easier getting degree placements in bigger cities as they are more used to degree students and are more willing to take them on than practices in more rural areas. Good luck!!

Re: Placements

Vicky RVN — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:01:54 GMT

From my experience finding degree placements are not easy! We had to find them ourselves. Some people dropped out of the course because they couldn't find placements. I was very lucky to get my placement, another girl in my class had it arranged then dropped out of the course so i phoned to see if i could take her place! If that hadn't happened who knows where i'd be today...prob not working where i am!

Re: Placements

albatross — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:54:02 GMT

I'm slowly starting to think that the only way to become qualified is to do the degree - didn't want to as a) i have an HND which is 2/3 degree and don't want to do another 3 years on top), and b) people keep ssaying that nvq VN's get more chance of jobs than degree VN's.

So if you're doing the degree, do you have to find the placements (as in the normal nvq route which is where I've been stuck for the last 3 years not being able to find a TP to take me on), or does the college etc find you the place(s) and then you have to accept what they give you, or can negotiate etc ?

good luck on your placement Kimberley, hope it's a great place, with lots to do, and loads of helpful staff.

Re: Placements

Doolally — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:48:52 GMT

i did the foundation degree. Placements definately vary! Ive always found the people at placements to be very friendly and accomodating. Some placements will be really busy and you can get loads of cases, but some can be very quiet. If you don't get on in a placement, or don't get to see enough cases, do make sure you say and get moved to a different one next time.

I went to a few different placements to start off with...but the last 18mths or so i kept returning to the same one, after about 6months i started helping out on saturdays doing aid work, then evenings, then when i had 6months of my degree left i was offered a full time job there.

To start off with it is scary going into a placement, but you'll soon get into it.

Some people get settled in their 1st placement and like to stay there for all the subsequent placements, but go to a few at least because you'll pick up different ways of doing things and it'll help you decide what sort of place you want to work in when qualified.

Good luck!

Re: Placements

bonny10 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:44:57 GMT

Im doing the foundation degree and just started my second year. I like doing the placements and although it is scary at first show enthusiasm and you will soonget into it. 60% of portfolio by september is do able if you work hard and get the right support.

If you find a good placement return there for all your placments if you can as there are some not so good practices out there who will use and abuse you.

Re: Placements

Vicky RVN — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:49:13 GMT

I started the degree (only got as far as the end of the first year). Did a 3 month placement in which time i did 60% of my portfolio. The placement went very well...in fact i am now working at my placement practice as an NVQ trainee, have been for 2 years in aug. Some practices can be wary of degree trainees, because there are some (from my experience) who think they are one better than the rest because they are on the degree. I wasn't treated as a skivvy at all, more one of the team (which included nights out to town with them lol!). Good luck, hope it goes well.