PMCV concerns with last placement
Hey everyone, so I’m just looking for some advice on a situation.
As everyone knows PMCV opens next month for the third years, and I’m currently on my last placement before we apply. The one I’m on currently is an outpatient setting, and I’m just a little bit worried regarding how the fact I’ve been on an outpatient area is going to effect my chances of getting a grad year, along with other aspects that complicate things.
My preceptor has marked my formative assessment, and when we were going through it she conveyed to me that it was very very hard to mark me in some areas simply because it doesn’t apply to the environment we’re in. In areas she could, I was achieving 4s and 5s, but in those she couldn’t I was getting 3s. I know just how competitive grad years can be, and in addition to this being a non-acute area I’m just worried these scores will negatively impair me.
I spoke to my educator about my concerns and she’s encouraged me to talk to my preceptor about ways I could achieve better scores in those areas even in the environment we’re in. Some ideas the educator gave me was to run through hypothetical situations during down time, and I’ve also started making a list of possible questions, activities, etc I can run through with my buddy nurse’s to do so, which I will share with my preceptor next shift. I also intend to ask her if there’s anything she can think of that would improve those scores. I guess I’m just looking to see whether this is likely to impair getting a grad year or not.
The other complication is the fact that despite being my main preceptor, I only work with her once a week. The rest of the time I am paired with a number of different nurses, and my preceptor has to rely on feedback from them in order to mark me. As this is my last placement before PMCV applications, one of my two references have to come from here. Once again, because I am not with my preceptor very often and due to the outpatient setting, I’m worried having someone from here as a reference will hinder me too. I have three options, one is to use my preceptor anyway, second is to ask the nurse I’ve worked with the most frequently to be the reference, or use the educator.
The problem with using my preceptor or educator is the fact that they either have never been with me clinically or are with me rarely, and the nurse I have been with most frequently is someone with only a couple years of experience, so I’m unsure if her word will be taken with as much weight
If it matters at all, my second reference is my buddy nurse from an inpatient mental health unit who I worked with closely. This placement was in second year. I also have the option of contacting someone a little more acute from another placement in second year, but I feel health services would rather one from third. For this aspect, I’m just looking to see what the best option would be.
I’m likely overthinking this entire thing, but I’m an individual who likes to be prepared so I’m just looking to have the best chance possible. Thanks and I’m sorry for the long read.