That was a little insight into this past Friday morning. Needless to say, I survived my first day on the general med-surg floor! I was slightly overwhelmed and intimidated, but I greatly appreciate that we are given our patient's profile in advance, so that we can be adequately prepared for our duties and responsibilities in caring for our patient's specific needs. My patient, bless him, kept me on my toes. I was busy from 7 until 1, including following him to a procedure in the ECHO lab where they did a TEE - transesophageal echo - to scan his heart for any signs of infection with a probe that went down his esophagus. Quite an interesting procedure to witness, especially when the machine wouldn't calibrate! It's slightly funny... we rely on advanced computers and technology to perform these medical exams, and then get frustrated when they freeze up... they are computers after all! I chuckled when the doctors tried to "turn it off and on" to see if it would restart itself... haha. Unfortunately, they weren't able to fix the problem, so another machine from a different unit was brought in to use in the interim, and thankfully that machine worked. After the delay, my patient received good news - despite all his other ailments and health issues, his heart was in great condition. And believe me, he needed some good news. His initial complaint of fluid overload, as brought on by end-stage renal disease and liver failure as a result of hepatitis C (which he contracted from a hospital blood transfusion) was exacerbated by hospital-acquired infection at an IV site and an allergic reaction to a medicine he received as treatment while in the hospital, causing severe itching over his entire body. He was a bit withdrawn at first, and I wasn't surprised... I don't know how much patience I would have with the hospital staff after all that! But at the end of the shift, I wished him well and thanked him for allowing me to work with him that day, and his reply made it all worth it... to hear appreciation for simply taking the time to listen and care -- that is why I am entering this field. I know that my weeks ahead won't run as "smoothly" as that first day did (although it was far from smooth...) but it gives me hope that even with my "limited" experience and relative feeling of inadequacy, that I can come out the other side with a sense of accomplishment.
Aside from clinical, school has definitely kept me busy! I'm really excited about my class that focuses on nursing for newborns... we went over neonate assessments and what to expect, and how to recognize any abnormal signs or unexpected symptoms... SO much information. But this is the first class where I am excited to read and actually WANT to purchase the textbook for my own library to have as a reference... I know this is where I need to be! Spending an extra 10 hours a week in class for an elective... that has to mean something, right? haha. Aside from that class, my Adult Health class is focusing on major health issues that plague our society. First on the agenda: OBESITY. Not sure you want me going into that, I could be on my soapbox for a while! Let's just say that over 1/3 of our country is considered obese, and it's not getting any better... for the first time in our modernized world, this current generation of kids has a shorter life expectancy than that of their parents. Main culprit: TV and video games. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND GET ACTIVE! And while you're at it, throw out the CheezIts and Oreos.... goodness people. But enough of that (for now at least).... it's time for me to get my study on, SO.... I will leave you all until next week! And here is a parting quote that I heard in one of my classes, that I thought was so appropriate and I just have to share:
"You make a living by what you get, but you make a LIFE by what you give." - Sir Winston Churchill
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