Sept. 25th - Dec. 5th 2015

 

Overall, I had an excellent experience at my placement, as the staff were very

friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable about their job, and gave myself

and my partner lots of feedback on how we were doing throughout. In the first

few weeks, my partner and I got into a difficult beginning, as we were given no

direction about our project. We had given them a summary of the expectations

of the course the very first day, but they sounded unclear as they were still

questioning us. Once we got onto our feet, the project started running smoothly,

but lacked available time to be able to work on our project during placement hours.

 

During my experience in the PHIT clinic, I got the privilege to be able to sit in on

client appointments, which included medical, physical, nutrition, and mental assessments of clients, and their families. I really appreciated this opportunity as a nursing student, as this was a very unique experience. Additionally, I was able to apply concepts learned in nursing courses to this obesity population. We learned many techniques such as motivational interviewing that could be used even in our own personal lives. The skills we learned gave us an excellent foundation for future nursing placements. Unfortunately, we did not have the chance to be accompanied by a community health nurse, but we got to see the perspective of a dietician, social worker, psychologist, physical fitness specialist. All of these aspects contribute to overall health of an individual, which is very important.  

 

Even though I really enjoyed my placement, I don’t think community placement is an area that captures my attention as a future nurse as it is not as fast paced as I would like it to be. I found myself sitting around a lot, even when assessments were not being conducted at that point in time. My partner and I had a very strong work ethic, and would complete tasks efficiently, when given the time. However, this slow atmosphere provides lots of time to think about what’s happening around you, which is beneficial as a nursing student. It allows for individuals to think more deeply, and allows them to understand why certain things may be of a particular issue to this population.  Overall, I had a fantastic time, and definitely recommend it to future nursing students.