final entry- prac 2

On review my intial expectations of the placement's structure was fairly accurate, however I only spent three mornings a week on the ward. In this regard I would have preferred to be on the ward every morning for routine purposes and also because I missed out on three mornings due to the easter long weekend and a sick day. In terms of content this placement was predmoninantly focussed on antenatal and postnatal care and I sat in with my supervisor on the incontinence appointments.

I found that I had a good relationship with my supervisor and didn't find her intimidating, it was important to be able to take constructive criticism and also accept that they had a particular way of doing things which they wanted me to follow. It became evident early into the placement that education was pivotal and as predicted the ability to translate information into layman's terms was very important.

In conclusion I really enjoyed this placement as it offered a unique aspect to physiotherapy which I could definitely see myself specialising in. Throughout the placement I found that to be an effective women's health physiotherapist requires you to have a large and multifaceted scope of knowledge in the area. I feel that as a new graduate it would take some time to acquire the required knowledge to be successful and that further education such a masters or post-graduate degree is essential.

Post 3- 2nd placement (assessment)

Situation: A lady who is 25 weeks pregnant presented with a right subluxing patella, right hip pain and lower back pain. On subjective questioning it was evident that her subluxing patella was her priority for treatment followed by her hip pain and then her back pain.


Task: Conduct a full assessment to ascertain the cause of the above issues and provide a management plan for her to follow independently at home.


Action: I conducted a subjective assessment for each pain however I focussed on her subluxing knee as it was of most concern to the patient. After thorough questioning of the knee subluxation and associated pain I realised that she would benefit from musculoskeletal outpatient care rather than women's health as she was allergic to taping and would likely benefit from a brace. I then went on to question her about her hip pain and back pain and through doing this she realised that her back was actually quite irritable however she had been too focussed on her knee to realise.


Result: As a result of subjective questioning I realised that the back pain that I had subconsciously disregarded would be the focus of this treatment because I felt it was influencing her hip pain aswell. After objective assessment she was found to have SIJ pain and after trialling a SIJ belt the pain instantly reduced.

Evaluation: On reflection I realise that my instant prioritisation was almost detrimental to the patient. Although the patient was most concerned about her knee did not mean that her back pain was any less signficant, and through subjective and objective assessment I found that it was quite irritable. So as a result the patient gained some benefit from the session as although I didn't treat her knee subluxation I did improve her backpain which instantly improved her mobility.

Strategy: In future I will endeavour to explore each pain thoroughly before I make my priorisation for treatment because I could potentially overlook important aspects of the patient's presentation.

Round two- post 3

Situation: Every tuesday morning there is a community post-natal fitness class run in Girawheen for women 6weeks post-partum onwards. It is a circuit based program with 3 levels of difficulty to cater for all and the women are able to bring their child along.



Task: Today my task was to run the aerobic warm-up for ten minutes at the beginning of the class.


Action: My warm-up consisted of several aerobic components to two tracks of music, it was important to count in the next progression so the transition between steps were fluid.


Result: I found it hard to get in time with the music intially because I had not familiarised myself with the music sufficiently. Therefore the first few steps were out of time and the women found it hard to keep in rhythm. This resulted in a few having to stop so they could get back in time with the music. The second track of music had a much clearer beat so I managed to get back on track and lead the class.


Evaluation: On reflection the first part of my routine was out of time and this made it hard for the women to effectively warm up. This was due to my poor preparation as I didn't realise that the first track had a confusing beat and as a result it looked bad on my part as I was unable to lead the class sufficiently.


Strategies: In future I will practice my routine with the music thoroughly beforehand so I am familiar with the beat and I can easily keep in rhythm. In doing this I will be able to effectively lead the other women in the warmup as they will be able to follow my lead and keep in time resulting in a full and efficient warm-up.