Community Placements!

[zoy]

hey everybody!

I was just wondering, out of curiosity, how far people had to go in order to arrive at their community placements? I have a driving license and I use my mum's car and I think with a little persuasion she'd let me take it to uni.

I was wondering if by using a car to get to the placements, if it would be easier, or do people manage to get lifts with their mentors? Getting to lectures wouldn't be a problem I'm just scared about getting lost and then yelled at because I was late!!

[midwifemissy]

I don't drive, so have to get 2 buses to my placement hospital. When I was on my community placement, my mentor picked me up each day at the community office in the hospital. We then went and did our visits or clinic etc. I always left plenty of time to get there, so if a bus was late etc, I wasn't.

Hope that helps.

[ollybolly]

no hard and fast rules here im afraid. Everyone's mentors seem to be different. If you are lucky to be placed on community locally to you then you can probably negotiate a central meeting place with them. If however, it is further away, your mentor might expect you to drive and meet them at their house first thing and organise visits from there. Always useful to have access to a car for your on calls as well as you might find yourself going out in the middle of the night and no time for your mentor to come and pick you up first.

[LittleNoo]

How likely is it you'd be required to be on call during the night though. I wouldn't be able to be for a few reasons... 1, my uni would more than likely be 30 miles away. 2, I'd need to know when/if I was going out in the night as I've a 3 year old and would need to be back for when OH went to work in the morning.

[Josie]

Depends on your mentor and the rota (or 'off duty').

Lifts are common with mentors if you live close, but actual visits are done with mentor in mentors car. I have walked to a few bookings close by to me and completed them on my own, as I have other visits and booking where my mentor dropped me off.

The off duty can be anything from one weekend in 4 to every other weekend to 2 nights a week, depends and many teams have their own way of doing it. If you know you are on call you can arrange childcare etc however, you may not get called...... also if you are called you may be out from 4am to 10am etc so it would make it difficult with OH and his work. It will be best to talk to your mentor about it and see what can be arranged, perhaps you are on call until 6am or something so you are home in time for lil man when big man goes to work etc. Theres always ways round these things.

I love being on call, its really exciting getting that call in the night and speeding off to someones house and delivering their baby with them. Not to be missed IMHO.

[midwifemissy]

I couldn't do on call as I live too far away and don't drive, I ws really upset about it, but there was nothing I could do to change things.

[zoy]

Being on call sounds like great fun!! How often do you have be be called out? x

[midwifemissy]

It depends on whether or not a woman goes into labour. You can go through a whole placement and not be called out.

[ollybolly]

on calls for me were really hard. I am on my own with 2 kids and have no OH to rely on, but was still expected to be on call. You have to find ways around these things. Our rota usually consisted on a day on call once a week 8 - 8 and a night on call once a week 8-8. I am so glad i was able to make myself available for them as thats when i was able to deliver women at home which imho is defo the best part of the job. Littlenoo, i would have a rethink if possible about going in and saying cant do them as i think you will miss out on some great stuff!

[smwife]

Hmmm..on calls.

Some placements say on calls are obligatory.

I am off to a birthing centre next week (yippee!) and we have to do on calls. No choice. (I have two next week) At my first community placements we were allowed to do only one a week with our mentor.

I do think it is a good thing to do, even if it is a bit stressful. I don't look forward to doing them, but I do relish the opportunity to see some homebirths and see a community midwife practising proper woman centred care!