Welcome PackSurgical Triage Unit

Salford Royal Hospital

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Contents

Surgical triage unit……………………………………….. Pg 3Introduction ……………………………………………… Pg 4Shift Patterns ………………………………...................... Pg 4The Unit Philosophy ……………………………………. Pg 5Activity on the Unit …………………………................... Pg 5Learning Opportunities ……………………………......... Pg 6Learning Resources …………………………................... Pg 6Link Roles of Nursing Staff ……………………………. Pg 7Your First Day …………………………………..…........ Pg 7Uniform/Dress Code …………………………..……….. Pg 8Useful Information ……………………………………... Pg 8Spoke Placement Contacts ……………………………... Pg 9Expectations of Staff towards Students ……................... Pg 10Expectations of Students towards Staff ……................... Pg 11University of Salford – Students as Escorts for Patients. . Pg 11Action Plan ……………………………………………..

Pg 13Surgical Terminology …………………………………. Pg 14Placement Charter ……………………………………. Pg 16Placement Evaluations………………………………… Pg 17

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Surgical Triage unitWelcome to STU, We will work hard to ensure your time with us will be both

pleasant and instructive. Staff on the unit will endeavour to aid your learning and

help develop a sound knowledge around general surgery. The intention of this

welcome pack is to provide you with information for your orientation and as a guide

to:

Health & Safety

An overview of the surgical assessment ward

Guide you throughout your stay

The surgical triage unit covers general surgery, urology patients and gynaecology

patients.

We deal with both inpatients and outpatients and also manage a nurse led clinic,

as a result of this the unit can get very busy as we admit, discharge and transfer

patients to appropriate wards.

During your allocation you may have the opportunity to undertake spoke

placements in theatre, Urology clinic, Gynaecology clinic and A&E, although this

will be subject to student allocation at that time.

Introduction

Patients are admitted from A&E. These patients are to be accepted by the general

surgical/urology or gynaecology team. Once transferred to the unit the patient will

be reviewed and a plan of care formed. Usually, the team will arrange

investigations and patients will transfer to a in-patient ward dependant on bed

pressures.

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The unit as a whole comes under the surgical division. We are situated in the

Humphey Booth building in the blue area- Next to ANU.

The unit has a ward manager (Kath Ryan) and a ward Sister (Natalie Blake); a

Lead Nurse (Anne Myers) whom are responsible for the area and will provide

professional leadership for nursing along with the Practice Educator

Shift Patterns

You will be expected to work the shift patterns that are relevant to each area. On

the STU there are various shift patterns, however you will be expected to work the

shifts which most closely match you mentors. Team mentoring is practiced on the

ward.

Shift patterns consist of Long days and short shifts if required. To be discussed

with Mentor if any concerns.

Long days- 07:00hrs – 19:30hrs

Nights- 19:00- 07:30hrs

Spoke Placements:

You will be able to book on to spoke placements whilst working on STU. These

would include theatre, Pain team (year 3 only) Early pregnancy unit, Urology

outpatients, A&E (for a short period) and work in the units HOT clinic.

The Unit Philosophy The STU unit endeavour to deliver to their patients’ safe and effective physical and

psychological care throughout their stay. We aim to provide an holistic approach to

care with the nursing team acting as the patient’s advocate throughout their time

on the unit.

We aim to achieve our philosophy by working as a team towards a common goal.

We will strive to act in a professional manner at all times, employ new and up to

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date evidence based nursing practice, question our own practice as to facilitate the

maintenance of high standards of nursing care. STU uses Orem’s Model of Self

Care

Learning opportunitiesYou will be expected to participate fully according to your ability and state of

training.

On the ward:

Admission of patients

Discharge of patients

Transfer of patients to appropriate wards

Nursing admissions-

Medication administration

Preparation of IV antibiotics

Clinical observations

Ward rounds

Referrals/follow up care

Opportunities for Health Promotion

Monitoring/Wound checks

Surgical clinics

Learning ResourcesThe unit has internet access, and resources for you to learn. We pride our selves

on patient focus. Your patients can be the best source for you to learn. Ask them

about their experiences, care and plan.

The nursing team will always be ready to help and answer questions. The unit also

has medical students and junior doctors leaning so we have plenty of opportunities

to develop your knowledge.

A multi-disciplinary team works within the unit including Consultants, Registrars

anaesthetists, advanced practitioner’s, clerical staff and the nursing team. On the

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ward there is a Practice Education Lead – Nicky Fishburn EXT: 65387/65375 or

Nicky.Fishburn@srft.nhs.uk., Contact: 0161 295 6480

Your first dayYou will be greeted by a member of staff and introduced to your mentor or Practice

Education Lead

You will be oriented to the unit and introduced to the staff on duty. You are

expected to bring your welcome pack, which you should have obtained on request

prior to commencement of your placement. You are advised to read through and

complete this as necessary. Ensure you have your student documentation and any

supporting evidence required e.g., evidence of having completed essential training.

Your off duty will be done 1-2 weeks in advance where possible and this is

negotiable with your mentor. Various shift patterns are employed on the unit. There

is a notice board in the office which may contain information useful to you during

your placement.

If you need to contact the ward for any reason our number is:

0161 206 4942

or

0161 206 4965

Uniform / dress code

When you are on the ward you must wear the uniform provided by the university.

Please ensure your uniform is clean and that you are presentable. There is a

uniform policy within the Trust, which you are expected to adhere to. This can be

provided to you on your first day on request. However in brief your hair must be

worn up off your collar if it is long, no false nails or nail polish to be worn, jewellery

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is restricted to a pair of ear studs and a plain wedding band (no rings with stones

are permitted).

Useful informationSwitchboard – 0

CRASH/FIRE – 2222

Location of fire alarms/extinguishers/assembly point – see page

Policies/Protocols – SYNAPSE

International Association of Ambulatory Surgery www.iaas-med.com

British Association of Day Surgery (Internet) www.daysurgeryuk.net

NMC Student Guidelines http://www.nmc-uk.org/Students/Guidance-for-students/

The Hub and Spoke Policy can be found on the Pre-Reg Website in the

‘Mentorship & Assessment’ section under ‘Policies and Guidelines’.

There is a staff canteen (close to the ward) and within the Hope Building where

food and refreshments can be purchased. There is limited locker availability on the

ward. Handbags, coats, personal possessions are kept in the office at the

individuals’ own risk. Please leave valuables at home

Students will be supervised by their named mentor either directly or indirectly for at

least 40% of their time on placement. Mentors are allocated their students more

than one week in advance. We endeavour to roster students first day on duty to

coincide with their named mentor.

Expectations of staff towards students

1. Students will arrive punctually on a shift and inform the nurse in charge and

university as soon as possible if they are ill or delayed. Students are

expected to provide a contact number on commencement of their

placement-A Contact number should be placed in the back of the off duty

2. Students are expected to show initiative to learn and participate in care

whilst acknowledging any limitations in their knowledge and competence

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3. Students are expected to develop competency in core clinical skills as

identified by their university. Students may be exposed to skills outside this

framework but these should not be considered essential.

4. Should any personal or professional problems arise during placement, these

must be raised as soon as possible with an appropriate member of staff to

prevent the problem escalating

5. Students must adhere to the uniform policy as set out by their

university/place of work

6. Students will, wherever possible, work the same shifts as their mentor or

mentor team; this should be a minimum of 2 shifts per week.

7. Students should bring relevant documentation (assessment of practice

documentation, action plans, profile) on a daily basis, for use at

appropriate/planned times

Expectations of students towards staff

1. Students can expect to be welcomed as ‘part of the team’ by staff

2. Students can expect an appropriately timed orientation to the unit including

layout, routines, staff, policies and procedures, fire evacuation plan and

receive a welcome pack

3. Students will have a named mentor and will be introduced to them and their

mentor team as soon as possible

4. Students can expect to receive their ‘off duty’ at least one week in advance

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5. Students will receive continuous feedback on their progress, and any

problems/issues as perceived by staff will be raised with the students as

soon as possible

6. Students will not be regarded as ‘an extra pair of hands’ and their role as

learner will be respected

7. Students will have the opportunity to learn and participate in new skills whilst

acknowledging any limitations in their knowledge or competence

8. Students will be made aware of appropriate learning opportunities before/as

they arise

9. Wherever possible, initial, mid-point and final assessments will be carried

out in time

10.Students will be made aware of their role during emergency procedures

such as fire evacuations and crash calls

University of Salford policy

Students acting as escorts for patients/clientsThe School Management Committee has requested that a policy statement should

be produced to clearly outline the School’s position with respect to students acting

as escorts for clients/patients. The general view of the School Management

Committee (SMC) is that students must be supervised in the workplace at all times.

BackgroundStudent nurses are allocated to practice placements in order to gain the necessary

practical experience to enable them to achieve the required learning outcomes and

competencies demanded by statute.

Students are not employees of the NHS and must never be regarded as an

essential part of the workforce in terms of the delivery of care to clients/patients. It

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is the responsibility of the Trust to ensure that sufficient numbers of appropriate

staff are available at all times in order to care for the clients’/patients’ in their care

in a safe and competent manner.

Students exposure to clinical situations must be guided by their education needs

and not determined by the needs of the service.

StatementAt no time must first year students be utilised as the sole escort for clients/patients

who are required to leave their care base for any form of investigation or treatment

or social care activity. This includes client/patient transfers to and from radiography

department and theatres.

First year students may accompany qualified health care practitioners who are

escorting clients/patients in order to observe investigations and treatment as part of

their educational programme at the discretion of their mentor.

Students in the second and third years of their programmes may act as the sole

escort for clients/patients who are required to leave their care base for any form of

investigation or treatment or social care activity at the discretion of the student’s

mentor.

Students at any stage of their programmes may accompany a client who is

required to leave their care base for any form of investigation or treatment or social

care activity if the client would normally be permitted to go to the

department/activity without being accompanied by a member of staff.

Over the next few pages are checklists for achievement whilst on spoke

placements. Please ensure you have these with you and ensure they are signed

and dated accordingly. They are evidence for your portfolio.

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On the next page is a weekly action plan. It may help you to structure your placement time and achieve your aims and goals. Please photocopy the page for subsequent weekly uses.

Action Plan

Week:

What would you like to achieve this week?

Using your preferred learning style, how are you going to achieve this?

What resources are you going to use?

At the end of the week – did you achieve the goals you set?

COMPLETE REFLECTION

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Surgical

Terminology

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Prefix Meaning Example

A Without or not before Aseptic

Ante Before Anteversion of the

uterus

Anti Against or opposite Anticoagulant

Ecto On the outside Ectopic

Endo On the inside Endometrium

Hemi One half Hemiplegic

Hyper Above or Excessive Hypertensive

Hypo Beneath or Deficient Hypotensive

Inter Between Intercostal

Intra Within Intra-abdominal

Pan All Pan-endoscopy

Retro Behind Retroversion of the

Uterus

Sub Under Sublingual

Prefix Meaning Prefix MeaningAdeno glands Mast breast

Arterio artery Nephro kidney

Arthro joint Oculo eye

Broncho bronchus Oophro ovary

Cardio heart Opthalmo eye

Cele, coele sac Orchio testicle

Cephalo head Osteo bone

Cervix Neck of the

womb

Cervical Neck, or the neck of the

womb

Chole bile Oto ear

Chondro cartilage Phlebo vein

Cole colon Pneumo lung

Colpo vagina Procto rectum

Costo rib Pyelo pelvis or kidney

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Cysto bladder Rhino nose

Encephalo brain Salpingo fallopian tube

Entero intestine Thoraco chest

Gastro stomach Trachelo neck

Glosso tongue Tracheo trachea

Hepato liver Uretero ureter

Hystero uterus Vaso Blood vessel

Ileo ileum Vesico Urinary bladder

Kerato cornea

Prefixes related to body parts

Achieving excellence in learning and care...Placement CharterThis Charter demonstrates the Placement’s commitment to provide a safe and high quality learning environment for all learners to prepare them for their future roles working collaboratively in multi-professional teams. The ‘Placement Pledges’ and the ‘Rights, Roles and Responsibilities of learners’ instil the values embedded within the NHS Constitution (DH 2013) and Health Education England’s NHS Education Outcomes Framework (DH 2012).

Placement Pledges Rights, Roles and Responsibilities of learners

Ensure all learners are welcomed, valued and provided with an inclusive, safe, stimulating and supportive learning experience.

Prepare adequately for the placement, including contact with the placement in advance. Disclose any health or learning needs that may impact on the placement, or the achievement of learning outcomes.

Promote a healthy and ‘just’ workplace culture built on openness and accountability, encouraging all learners to raise any concerns they may have about poor practice or ‘risk’, including unacceptable

Raise any serious concerns about poor practice or ‘risk’, including unacceptable behaviours and attitudes observed at the earliest opportunity. Be clear who to report any concerns to in order to

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behaviours and attitudes they observe at the earliest reasonable opportunity. Respond appropriately when concerns are raised.

ensure that high quality, safe care to patients /service users and carers is delivered by all staff.

Provide all learners with a named and appropriately qualified / suitably prepared mentor / placement educator to supervise support and assess all learners during their placement experience.

Actively engage as an independent learner, discuss learning outcomes with an identified named mentor / placement educator, and maximise all available learning opportunities.

Provide role modelling and leadership in learning and working, including the demonstration of core NHS ‘values and behaviours’ of care and compassion, equality, respect and dignity, promoting and fostering those values in others.

Observe effective leadership behaviour of healthcare workers, and learn the required NHS ‘values and behaviours’ of care and compassion, equality, respect and dignity, promoting and fostering those values in others.

Facilitate a learner’s development, including respect for diversity of culture and values around collaborative planning, prioritisation and delivery of care, with the learner as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team.

Be proactive and willing to learn with, from and about other professions, other learners and with service users and carers in the placement. Demonstrate respect for diversity of culture and values, learning and working as part of the multi-disciplinary team.

Facilitate breadth of experience and inter-professional learning in placements, structured with the patient, service user and carer at the centre of care delivery, e.g. patient care pathways and commissioning frameworks.

Maximise the opportunity to experience the delivery of care in a variety of practice settings, and seek opportunities to learn with and from patients, service users and carers.

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Adopt a flexible approach, utilising generic models of learner support, information, guidance, feedback and assessment across the placement circuit in order to support the achievement of placement learning outcomes for all learners.

Ensure effective use of available support, information and guidance, reflect on all learning experiences, including feedback given, and be open and willing to change and develop on a personal and professional level.

Offer a learning infrastructure and resources to meet the needs of all learners, ensuring that all staff who supervise learners undertake their responsibilities with the due care and diligence expected by their respective professional and regulatory body and organisation

Comply with placement policies, guidelines and procedures, and uphold the standards of conduct, performance and ethics expected by respective professional and regulatory bodies and organisations.

Respond to feedback from all learners on the quality of the placement experience to make improvements for all learners.

Evaluate the placement to inform realistic improvements, ensuring that informal and formal feedback is provided in an open and constructive manner.

• ‘Learner’ refers to all health, education and social care students, trainees, hosted learners.

• ‘Placement’ relates to all learning environments / work based learning experiences.

• ‘Mentor’/ ‘placement educator’ relates to all trainers / supervisors / coordinators appropriately qualified / suitably prepared to support learners.

• ‘Professional and regulatory body and organisation’ relates to standards required to ensure patient and public safety, and professional behaviours.

Developed in the North West by healthcare learners, service users, carers, and health and social care staff from all professions in the North West region.

Health Education North West

Placement EvaluationsYour evaluation of your placement learning experience is very important to us.

Please ensure you complete your evaluation on the PARE website at

https://onlinepare.net/

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