Results

The results came out.  Amazingly I passed that shocking competency.  I was so pleased, I was grinning all day.  Today I found I also passed the essay I had to submit after the dermatology SSU I did just before Easter break. I got marked down for silly things that were IN THE HANDBOOK AND WE HAD TO DO(!!), again, but at least I passed.  In the feedback I was told not to reference the BNF, which was a bit weird.  Anyway, it all means that I am only one exam away from being a second year.  Either the AMK I did last week, or the End of Year coming up a few weeks.  How exciting!  I'm confident for the AMK, I really think I've passed it.  Which is dangerous for me.  Given my track record it means I've probably failed it horribly and they have serious doubts about my passing into the second year.  I'm always pants at second guessing exam performance.

Yesterday at work I had to handle my first complaint.  A patient had had an operation and needed their stitches out.  The 7-10 day window they were given to have them removed in falls on a Saturday, Sunday, Bank Holiday Monday, Tuesday.  The only free appointments on the Tuesday are with the HCA.  The patient was as pleasant as you like until I told them it was an HCA they were booked in with, at which point they demanded a nurse or a doctor - someone 'medically trained'.  It didn't matter how much I explained that our HCA was lovely and fully trained to inspect their wound and remove their stitches, they were adamant they didn't want to be seen by a 'sham nurse'.  They asked to speak to the Practice Manager to put in a formal complaint that they felt they were giving us plenty of notice and our services were poor that we didn't have anyone medically trained to see them.
It would seem that perhaps some members of the public don't want a multi-disciplinary team way of working?  In case you're wondering, I sent the patient to the walk in centre where they can wait for hours to have their stitches taken out.  I'd laugh so much if an HCA did it there after all.