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For my first osteopathic skills exam I got 58%. Part of my feedback was to use more technical language rather than using lamens terms, I also need to remember to do the opposite when talking to the patient (so use lamens terms instead of technical language so they clearly understand what I mean). I also need to remember to repeat the treatment on both sides of the patient. However my patient communication was good and I clearly gained consent.

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PPE-
- masks
- aprons
- gloves
- hand sanitiser
- spraying couches down after use
-social distancing
- lateral flow tests
- having to work on only one partner means we can’t compare different bodies.
- when wearing PPE it makes some of the techniques harder to do, for example, palpating through gloves, or doing the lumbar spine, side lying, the patient’s legs slip off the apron so it makes it harder to maintain control.
Due to Covid-19 we have had to be extra safe and careful when around others. Luckily as we are classed as health professionals we were able to continue with our face to face lectures throughout the whole pandemic.

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Clearly asking the patient for consent and making sure they are comfortable throughout. I have to ensure every time I do a new technique on my patient that I clearly ask them for consent and make sure they are fully informed about what I am going to be doing. Consent is such an important part of an appointment and it is an important practice standard to GOsC.

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Due to Covid-19, it means we have been limited to the number of people we are allowed to work with. This makes it harder for us to compare different bodies and work with different patients. This has also meant that i haven't yet had the opportunity to go and observe patients at clinic. This is such an important experience to have but unfortunately, due to the restrictions, i haven't yet been able to observe.

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Due to the Covid-19 situation we have been unable to go and observe in clinic, to make up for this we had a couple of case discussions with one of the clinic tutors. I found this really helpful as we were looking at real life cases and going through everything together. At the end we also got to practice some techniques that would have been relevant to that specific patient. This is as close as i have been to observing a real patient in clinic so hopefully this has made me more prepared for when i can actually go and observe.

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Having completed my first piece of coursework I managed to get 46%. Having looked back through my feedback on turnitin I have realised a majority of my mistakes were from not using citations, this is something I’ll have to remember for my next piece of coursework so I don’t make the same mistake again. In the beginning I did struggle with the referencing technique and as i struggle from learning difficulties it takes me a lot longer to understand things and adapt to new things, so as i had never had to do this before i really struggled but i managed to get used to it after a while and with the help of my class mates.

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During our first piece of coursework i really struggled to understand the correct way we were meant to reference our quotes. I had never had to do this before so it took me a while to understand it. Some of my class mates helped to explain it to me and i was finally starting to understand it.

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I have tried my best to work with as many new patients as i can (as much as i can respecting the Covid restrictions), and i find the patient will generally relax a lot quicker if i have constant communication with them, even if this is just asking if they are comfortable or if the pressure is ok, or even just making eye contact to check that they are ok, this shows me that they are comfortable and relaxed, and it shows the patient that i am fully focused and aware of how they are feeling all the way through. It will also mean they will feel more comfortable to tell me if something is painful or if they are uncomfortable as we would have had a constant for of communication going.

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Due to Covid restrictions our pathophysiology exam was online. This was ok until the network cut out for everyone halfway through the exam and we all had to start again. For me this really put me off and made me really stressed so i was really worried about receiving my results. Luckily i managed to still get 67%. But our reliance on technology isn't always a good thing, once the connection was lost it put me off so much and i really struggled to get myself back focused.

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I failed my Anatomy OSPE due to the stress of having 2 exams so close together and becoming too overwhelmed with all of the information and the little amount of time. I had to resit my exam in August. The stress was overwhelming, however I spent most of summer studying and managed to pass my resit and continue onto Year 3. This showed me that I am starting to learn how to deal with my exam stresses and how this can then improve my overall performance.

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In the Christmas holidays I completed a sports massage course. Since doing this course it has really helped improve my soft tissue work and supplying me with even more techniques that I can integrate into my treatment plans. It also helped me understand that different patients prefer different pressures and that I need to check how the pressure is for every patient I do soft tissue work on.

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Taking the case history of my first patient in clinic was very scary and didn't flow as smoothly as I had hoped. I made lots of pauses and was not as thorough in my questioning as I should have been and did not come up with the diagnosis on my own. The nerves made the process a lot harder and meant I forgot to go into more detail when needed on specific questions.

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After the Covid-19 restrictions were reduced I was able to go and start observing patients in clinic. This helped me understand what was expected of me next year when I start treating patients myself. I also observed an external osteopath to see how clinics and appointments run in a real working practise. This opened my eyes to how slick the appointments are and how I can narrow down and fine tune my questioning and examination.

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Having started clinic it really shows the importance of professionalism within an appointment. Even with small things like wearing a smart uniform with hair tied up, it already gives a professional first impression. I feel the patients almost respond better to treatment if they believe you are professional and they also trust you more as they believe you are competent and confident in yourself as a trainee osteopath.

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Before completing my first cervical HVT on my first patient, I had to explain (in detail) all of the risks that came with this technique. My patient did consent but I need to work on explaining this to patients in a way that doesn't make them feel very worried. My patient said they were happy to continue but i felt their muscles slightly tighten, which shows some nerves before receiving the HVT.

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January 2024 I had my Mock CCA exam - with 1 new patient and 1 returning. I wasn't confident with the set up of the exam so this cleared a lot of things up for me. My new patient came in with lower back pain, something i feel very confident with. Due to this, the feedback i received was very positive. This was a massive confidence booster for me, however I feel i would have preferred a presentation that i didn't feel as confident with.