Monday, November 12, 2007

Manual Handling Talk

Hi guys
Myself and the other student have been asked to give a few talks on our country prac, which is great, and one if them which we're doing tomorrow is a manual handling presentation to nursing staff. At first I felt a bit intimidated when asked as some of the nurses at the hospital have been there for at least 30 years and I felt that they would know more than I would about the topic, and may resent being 'taught' how to do what they have been doing for years. This was made more apparent when I had to ask one of the ENs to assist me with a standing hoist as I wasnt completely confident with using it. However, since first being asked I have noticed some staff doing transfers that look unsafe to the backs of both the nusring staff and the patients, such as prapping a belt around their backs/chest and literally yanking them from chair to chair. Since then I have realised that even if I dont have the experience that the staff do, because I know the theory and/or can look it up easily, and also have a greatly deeper knowledge of injury mechanisms, I still have something to offer them in terms of helping to prevent injuries. I now feel more confident going in to do the talk. Hopefully it goes well!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Mel
The nurses don't get the same training as we do re manual handling. If they feel that they don't have anything to learn from you then thry risk injury as you have noticed. Hope the talk went well!
martin