Third-year Unitec nursing student Venus has been on a five-week community placement here at Hospice West Auckland.
Over the weeks she has spent time with Hospice’s Clinical Nurse Specialists out in the community, as well as our Doctors, Respiratory Therapist and Physiotherapist, Social Workers, and other members of the clinical and social care teams. She has even completed some training workshops, and has found that the wide variety of mentoring, shadowing, and training has provided invaluable insights into the nature of holistic care at Hospice. “I’ve really enjoyed my days here and all of the learning processes I’ve had,” says Venus. “It’s been varied and well-rounded. It’s reinforced all the knowledge that I’ve learned at Unitec with practical experience.”
Venus says that shadowing different team members both at Hospice House and out in the West Auckland community has given her a sincere appreciation for their unique skills.
“They have a different way of approaching things, it’s been really eye-opening,” she explains. “They have a special way of interacting with people and handling difficult conversations. I’ve learned how they listen, how they validate and explore the patients’ and caregivers’ concerns and emotions. It is more of a user-led approach than other specialist fields of nursing. With palliative care you are truly supporting the person with what they need and allowing them to make informed decisions so they have some control over what is happening.”
This is Venus’ first placement in palliative care, and she says there are lots of learnings she will be able to add to her skills. “I’m very grateful to everyone here at Hospice for sharing their experiences and knowledge with me,” she says. “It’s been great to be exposed to all of that, and I will be able to choose which learnings will work for me in the future.”
Venus has found working in the specialist palliative care space to be a lot different to past placements, which have been largely hospital-based. “I think at Hospice, people can pass on their own terms,” she explains. “They are comfortable, and it’s very dignified. The whānau are more prepared. The palliative care team prioritises comfort and dignity, whereas it’s quite a different environment in hospital and they have to juggle a lot of priorities.”
Venus says she was impressed by how quick and easy it is to make referrals to the wider team for wrap-around care. “You can make a referral to the Massage Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Social Worker or anyone else, and it doesn’t take a long time – everyone is onto it,” she says. “There are Healthcare Assistants who can help the whānau, and volunteer companions – there is so much support in place.”
Another aspect of Hospice care that surprised Venus was the integration of the multidisciplinary team. “Everyone’s involved from the very start, which is very different to hospital where it is nurses-to-nurses and doctors-to-doctors handover,” she says. “Here, the multidisciplinary approach means that the doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, and social care team are all there so everyone has input and referrals can be made during the meeting. So it’s a system that’s very thorough and efficient, but also it allows for all of that holistic care very easily, rather than being lots of steps in the process, or separate people in separate boxes. I’ve found that collaborative approach amazing.”
Venus says that she would recommend for any nursing student to be open to learning about Hospice care. “Be open to the experience – this is where your interpersonal relationship skills come into play, because you learn to really listen,” she says. “You learn to listen, to advocate, to reassure and empathize. You can see how they ask the hard questions, and how they explore the feelings and concerns of the patient. You see how starting with good communication builds trust and relationships, which are so important for supporting the patient and the whānau. And this is where you get to see multidisciplinary teamwork first-hand!”
Although she’s not sure what area of nursing she will specialise in when she’s completed her studies, Venus is grateful for her placement at Hospice West Auckland. “I’ve loved it!” she smiles. “I’ve learned a lot and I’m going to miss coming here.”
