Preparing for Practicum

It’s really hard to explain how I feel right now in terms of having completed the theoretical portion of my studies and moving into the practical experience. To be honest I’m definitely anxious about how it is going to be at the hospital site and how my supervisors are. I also made up a list what I need to pack in my backpack for the practicum. I had to make sure that I brought my stethoscope, student booklet and study notes with me. One week before the practicum I commuted to the hospital to see how long it takes me to get to the site and also which bus gets me to the UBC Hospital fast. When I got to the hospital, it was very nice to get familiar with the location and also check where the Cardiology Department is located. At the same time I also got my VCH student identification card provided by the hospital. After I have visited the hospital, I’ve realized that I need to make sure to wake up early which means at 5:30 am so that I will leave home at 6:30 am to get to the hospital at 7:40 am. Even though it is a long commute, it’s definitely worth it as these 3 month will give me a lot of experience to shape me ready for my career.

The closer I got to my first day of practicum the more I got anxious about how the first day is going to be. But I always had to remind myself that I’m not going to be perfect at the first couple of days and that it is going to take me a couple of weeks to get good at the skills. To be honest, I definitely miss the school days when I got to do ECG Interpretations, stress tests and holter scans. Now I really feel like that I will be put on the hot seat. But I know that the more feedbacks I will get, the better I will be at the end. Since we had a one week online course which has given us a review on the CSCT Examination, it was definitely helpful to do a complete revision on ECGs, placements, and all of the theoretical portion from the basics to the more advanced levels.

I really feel that this course has prepared me a lot before the practicum just to make sure that I have all essential knowledge before entering my preceptorship. Besides all of the fundamental aspects, I have also practiced how I should introduce myself to my supervisors, doctors and more importantly the patients. It definitely is very important to gain trust from the patients as I will be practicing on them with my supervisor’s guidance. So giving a good first impression to the patient and informing them that I’m a student and asking them for their consent prior to the test is very important as it makes the test procedure much easier since trust and acceptance from the patient is all you need for a successful test.

So let’s see how my first week at the site is going to turn out. I will keep everyone of you updated. Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To know more about Cardiology Technologist Program and Career, check out this video.