The day started out with a 2 hour demonstration on how to modify the 3-stage cast that we performed on each other yesterday. I understand the reason for the demonstration, but they get tough to sit through when you are staring at the clock, knowing you are approaching a deadline in which you have to be finished with your project, and feeling like you have seen the same thing shown three or four times. I have just learned that I do so much better and get so much more out of the experience when I get my hands on the cast or mold myself and really try perform the tasks they are teaching us. I am struggling to understand how to make all of the modifications just by listening to them said aloud and watching someone else do them. After removing my plaster cast, this mold was what I spent most of my morning working on. I added all of my markings and drew in my places for circumference measurements and begin to work on smoothing the entire thing out. This was a really quick project for us - meaning, it was supposed to be completed quickly. Not that it actually was quick. We were given two hours to do the casting yesterday and then about three hours today to go from cast to mold, to modified to plastic pulling, to trimming and cutting out, to grinding and smoothing. Not to mention that we then had to present it to the class and the instructors for a critique at the end of the day. Needless to say, it was high stress level from the moment I walked through the doors this morning.
Ahhh, the look of innocence...of someone who does not yet know the time constraints that will be placed on her in a mere matter of minutes :) This was me while I was waiting for my plastic sheet to heat up so I could make this into a hard socket. At this point in the day, things were going smoothly and everything seemed doable...
And then things got serious. There is a very small window to wrap the plastic around my mold and then go to work creating the perfect seam down the back. I know that this can be a one person job, but I am still at the point where I like to have someone else there to talk it through with me as it is happening. I managed to convince Chad to help me out today - another Orthotics veteran so his experienced hand was much appreciated. I will be honest, I think my favorite part of the whole plastic pulling thing is getting to wear those ridiculous oven mitts. How do they expect anyone to have any amount of dexterity at all in those things!?
As you can tell, I might have the nervous smile on my face before grabbing the plastic, but it is all business when it comes to actually having to handle it and get it in the right place before turning on the vacuum.
And in walks trouble...and by trouble, I mean Mr. R.
Literally, walked into the door unannounced and unexpected. Apparently school has become a walk-in clinic and my sweet patient just thought he could come back for his leg fitting whenever he so pleased. Let us begin with the first stage of stress. I was informed that I would not be having the next couple of hours to work on my current project, I would need to get my prosthesis ready and fit it on Mr. R and present it to my instructors for a critique. My time to work on my knee brace just got cut down to half an hour. I need more than half an hour just to grind this thing to a point where it is not going to cut my patient! I have to be honest, having Mr. R walk in really threw me for a loop. I struggle with the time constraints we are given at school as it is, and to have my time cut short when I typically need more time than most people sent me into a bit of a panic mode.
I managed to inhale my sandwich and trim out my socket before having to run to my car for a change of clothes. Did I mention that a surprise critique still require professional attire!? Thus begins the second stage in the stressing. I am dressed and ready to go and it is time to get my patient up and see if he can still successfully walk on my leg. Just a reminder...the first leg I have ever made...this is a big deal. The quick and short version of the story is that Mr. R walked comfortably and safely in my leg and I gave a presentation that my professor deemed great and told me I had a really wonderful way of engaging the audience. I think that stage two of the stress was just counteracted by the positive critique and affirmation I got in doing a job well done. I will be honest, despite it being a success, I really hope my next patient shows up on the day he is scheduled to be there!
The third stage of stress was immediately after finishing my critique with Mr. R and then having to rush around like a chicken with my head cut off to try and catch up with the rest of the class in my knee brace/socket. I felt like everyone else had their projects completed and ready to be critiqued and mine looked like it had been gnawed off the mold by a bunch of beavers. At seeing my frantic running around (I went to the grinder, realized I had forgotten my safety glasses, ran back, realized I needed a different tool...), one of the grinding pros in the class - Nate - came to my rescue. Nathan gets the award for being my life preserver today. His project was done so he stood patiently by and helped me get mine to as much of a finishing point as time allowed. Nate was already well into his Orthotic residency before coming to school this semester for Prosthetics so he can grind these plastics down with his eyes closed. It is amazing how fast he moves - we all know that I am still leery when it comes to those spinning wheels on the Trautman machine.
So, thankfully (and because of Nate), I was able to get a decent knee socket created. But I was still disappointed and frustrated because I did not get to finish. It certainly is not something I would ever give to a patient and I had to present it in critique anyway because of the time limit of school today. The edges were not perfectly rounded, there were plenty of parts that still needed to be smooth and straightened out and the fit was not exactly right. I am still learning and I know that I will get faster and better at this stuff, it is just because of my personality (one that likes to be in control and have things done fully and correctly), that I was not 100% happy turning in something that I felt like I could have done much better on if I had had more time.
I am still on a crazy high from seeing my leg in action today - that is an indescribable feeling for another post. As long as I do not let the lack of time and the rules of school get me down, I know that I am going to be very successful and very fulfilled in the future. It is funny, I am exhausted and cannot believe that I spent 10 hours at school today - most of it working really hard, but I would not hesitate to go back for an extra hour if I knew that I could get my project completely finished. Once again, just taking another turn on the learning curve...time constraints are a real life issue and things come up - people are late to appointments, people do not show up, and sometimes people come early. I am learning to roll with the punches, I would just prefer to only have one stressor per day. Is that too much to ask??
No comments:
Post a Comment