Today was another day in the OR with nothing really exciting to report. The only thing "exciting" that happened today was a 17 year old boy came in because he was in a car accident. I hadn't seen a trauma surgery yet and it was very intense. The boy was fine but he fractured his entire face and the surgeon had to reconstruct his facial bones. To access those bones he made long incisions right under each eye and then stitched his eyes shut to hold the other stitches in place. The boy had a breathing tube and a heavy dose of narcotics before surgery so I didn't get to talk to him, but his parents were there and very concerned. I found out the boy had been driving and fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a tree. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he just made a mistake that anyone could make. He did great through surgery and he was taken to the Recovery Room. I happened to walk past his bed when he was waking up and you could tell he was so confused because he kept trying to open his eyes but they were sutured shut. The nurse told him that he just had surgery and he needed to rest, he responded by nodding his head but he kept reaching up to touch his face.
Most patients don't really make me upset because for some reason when you are working it is easier to take the emotions out of the situation. But this guy really pulled at my heartstrings. He just looked way too young to have a breathing tube and stitches all over his face. It really makes you realize how dangerous cars are and how your life can change in an instant. His parents allowed his friends to come see him when he was in the ICU before surgery and apparently one of them said, "Wow, I guess we aren't invincible." I'm sure it was scary for the teenagers to see their friend in a hospital bed with a very injured face and body, but I bet it was a good wake up call for them. He is expected to have a full recovery but I'm sure this experience will stick with him and his parents forever. I know that I will never forget his face.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
First Week in the OR
I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left of my internship. It has been a great experience but I'm ready to get back to into the school routine too. The rest of my week continued pretty much the same as the first day. My mentor "C" and I go from room to room relieving nurses for about 30 minutes so they can go eat. At first I just observed but little by little C let me start to chart, put things on the sterile field, go get supplies, position the patient, etc. It's hard during surgery for her to teach me because if the surgeon asks for something she has to get it immediately, she can't really take the time to explain to me where it is and have me go get it. But, by Friday I had learned where a lot of things were located and how to give it to the surgeon or surgical tech without breaking sterile technique so she allowed me to do it.
This whole week was pretty slow and there were many times during the day when we would sit and wait for a surgery to start or to go relieve someone. I'm sure it will get old after a while but it was kind of nice to not be as stressed and frantic as it was on Women's Speciality and L and D. Also, since we work 11 AM- 7 PM instead of 12 hour shifts, the day goes by really quickly. The only problem is I have to drive to the hospital 2 extra days which is 2 extra hours of driving.
The atmosphere in the OR is very intense and I am surprised by how harshly people talk to one another. For example, I have seen many surgeons be blatantly upset with a nurse or anesthesiologist for not setting up something correctly. At these times I try to stay out of the way because I don't want to get yelled at! I understand why this happens, time is money in the OR and people's lives are truly on the line but I don't know if I would want to work in that sort of environment day after day. I've noticed most of the nurses and other employees in the OR are very tough and I think that you have to have that sort of personality to function in that work setting...so I think I will stick to L and D!
Speaking of Labor and Delivery, I went early to work on Thursday because I needed T to sign a form for me and when I walked into the L and D nurses station she told me her patient was about to deliver and asked if I wanted to come! Obviously I did so I went with her in the room, set up all of the equipment, helped the patient push and 5 minutes later the baby was there! I then was able to be the baby nurse and hang out on the floor for a while! It was a great way to start the day and really affirmed to me that that is the type of nursing I want to get into. Comparing the atmosphere and responsibility of the nurses on L and D to the OR, I know that it is more of a match for me. But I know these next two weeks in the OR will be a valuable experience and will fly by!
This whole week was pretty slow and there were many times during the day when we would sit and wait for a surgery to start or to go relieve someone. I'm sure it will get old after a while but it was kind of nice to not be as stressed and frantic as it was on Women's Speciality and L and D. Also, since we work 11 AM- 7 PM instead of 12 hour shifts, the day goes by really quickly. The only problem is I have to drive to the hospital 2 extra days which is 2 extra hours of driving.
The atmosphere in the OR is very intense and I am surprised by how harshly people talk to one another. For example, I have seen many surgeons be blatantly upset with a nurse or anesthesiologist for not setting up something correctly. At these times I try to stay out of the way because I don't want to get yelled at! I understand why this happens, time is money in the OR and people's lives are truly on the line but I don't know if I would want to work in that sort of environment day after day. I've noticed most of the nurses and other employees in the OR are very tough and I think that you have to have that sort of personality to function in that work setting...so I think I will stick to L and D!
Speaking of Labor and Delivery, I went early to work on Thursday because I needed T to sign a form for me and when I walked into the L and D nurses station she told me her patient was about to deliver and asked if I wanted to come! Obviously I did so I went with her in the room, set up all of the equipment, helped the patient push and 5 minutes later the baby was there! I then was able to be the baby nurse and hang out on the floor for a while! It was a great way to start the day and really affirmed to me that that is the type of nursing I want to get into. Comparing the atmosphere and responsibility of the nurses on L and D to the OR, I know that it is more of a match for me. But I know these next two weeks in the OR will be a valuable experience and will fly by!
Monday, July 23, 2012
First Day in the OR
Today was my first day in the OR and it was pretty much what I expected. I met my mentor "C" and her job is to relieve people for lunch since her shift is 11 AM to 7 PM. So we went around to different operating rooms and asked people if they wanted us to take over. The job of the nurse in the OR is to chart, get supplies for the tech and surgeon and basically just monitor everything that isn't sterile. We spent about thirty minutes on each case and would then rotate to the next room. The OR at the hospital has over 30 rooms so it is very large. It also has the new da Vinci robotic surgeries, a room just for Pediatric Surgery (I like this because it is so much warmer than other rooms!) and a ton of other high tech equipment.
I was able to see a cheek tumor removed, a hysterectomy, a skin graft, chest tubes placed and a mastopexy (breast lift). The day went by really quickly because we moved so quickly from room to room. I think that I will like this rotation because the hours are pretty good (11-7) and it's very fast paced. However, I know that I would not want to be an OR nurse because there is no patient contact! But that's a benefit of this program, I have gotten to see what I love and what I wouldn't want to do!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Lab Nursing and Male Nurses
The past three days I have experience many different kinds of nursing during our "Clinical Enhancement" week. I remember when I got this internship I was so excited for this week because I would be able to see so many different aspects of nursing and decide which ones I like and which ones I do not like. Tuesday I was in the GI Lab (snore) and then shadowed a Wound and Ostomy Care nurse. The Wound and Ostomy Care nurse was interesting but I don't think I could ever do that as my daily job. If you don't know what an ostomy is, it is an opening in your abdomen (usually) that allows for the elimination of waste products if your body can't eliminate them naturally. You can have one for urine or feces so as you can imagine these things smell and are not appealing to the eye. The most interesting part of the day was when we went to change a colostomy bag (ostomy of the colon) in a patient in the local psychiatric hospital. I don't even have to go into much detail for you to imagine what that experience was like...
Yesterday I was in the Cath Lab all day where they do cardiac catheterizations, place stents, etc. I didn't really connect with any of the nurses there so I didn't have a very good experience. It is fast paced and organized very much like an OR but the nurses have very little responsibility and they seemed bored all day.
Overall, I do not think I would want to be a nurse in a lab like the GI lab or Cath lab. There is very little patient contact and it is very repetitious. I am glad that I was able to see that side of nursing so now I know what I don't want to do!
Today I had a great experience with two different male nurses, one in Radiology and one in Critical Care. I haven't had the chance to work with any male nurses in my clinical experience, especially in OB, so this was something new. I began the day with one of them in Radiology. I thought this was going to be similar to lab nursing so I wasn't expecting much, but so much goes on in Radiology that it was more interesting than I thought. Radiology includes Nuclear Medicine (stress tests, etc.), CT Scans, Pediatric Sedation (to sedate kids for procedures) and Special Services (stent placements, fistula repairs, etc.) The nurse I was with showed me around and quizzed me on different things regarding the procedures and I was surprised by how much I knew (Go Clemson Nursing!). He was very good with all of the patients we had and really seemed to enjoy his job. We even got a free lunch because a vendor came to sell the lab some supplies! My second experience with a male nurse was with a Critical Care Transport Nurse. His job is similar to the PICU Transport Nurse that I was with Monday except he rotates around all of the ER's and ICU's. When he first walked up to introduce himself I was surprised because he was so attractive. I soon learned to find he was not only attractive, but a great nurse. He showed me around the entire Emergency Department which is way bigger than I realized. It includes Adult Emergency, Children's Emergency, Isolation Area for Psych patients, Chest Pain center, Intermediate Care, Urgent Care and Congestive Heart Failure Observation. We took a few patients from the ER up to ICU and helped a few other nurses with procedures. It was a really slow day in the ER but I was able to see some weird, I mean sick, people.
I was so impressed by both of my male nurses today! I wish more guys would choose nursing as a profession! To end this post here are two interesting/funny stories that happened today in the ER...
1. A nurse called my mentor and I over to start an IV on this lady. She was a diabetic and apparently homeless. She had a huge ulcer on her foot and she smelled like a trashcan. I asked her where she was and she looked around and said "Home!"...She had no idea where she was or how she got there. Anyways I went to reach for something and I bumped her. I didn't know she was wearing a wig but it goes flying onto the floor! She has no idea what happened so I just put it back on her head but it was crooked for the rest of the time and my mentor and I couldn't stop laughing because it was just such a ridiculous situation.
2. My mentor and I were trying to start an IV on this guy and he kept telling me how beautiful my name was (Sammy?...) and how pretty I was, etc. Then out of the clear blue sky he tells he me shot and killed someone once. He reallllly knows how to impress a girl.
Yesterday I was in the Cath Lab all day where they do cardiac catheterizations, place stents, etc. I didn't really connect with any of the nurses there so I didn't have a very good experience. It is fast paced and organized very much like an OR but the nurses have very little responsibility and they seemed bored all day.
Overall, I do not think I would want to be a nurse in a lab like the GI lab or Cath lab. There is very little patient contact and it is very repetitious. I am glad that I was able to see that side of nursing so now I know what I don't want to do!
Today I had a great experience with two different male nurses, one in Radiology and one in Critical Care. I haven't had the chance to work with any male nurses in my clinical experience, especially in OB, so this was something new. I began the day with one of them in Radiology. I thought this was going to be similar to lab nursing so I wasn't expecting much, but so much goes on in Radiology that it was more interesting than I thought. Radiology includes Nuclear Medicine (stress tests, etc.), CT Scans, Pediatric Sedation (to sedate kids for procedures) and Special Services (stent placements, fistula repairs, etc.) The nurse I was with showed me around and quizzed me on different things regarding the procedures and I was surprised by how much I knew (Go Clemson Nursing!). He was very good with all of the patients we had and really seemed to enjoy his job. We even got a free lunch because a vendor came to sell the lab some supplies! My second experience with a male nurse was with a Critical Care Transport Nurse. His job is similar to the PICU Transport Nurse that I was with Monday except he rotates around all of the ER's and ICU's. When he first walked up to introduce himself I was surprised because he was so attractive. I soon learned to find he was not only attractive, but a great nurse. He showed me around the entire Emergency Department which is way bigger than I realized. It includes Adult Emergency, Children's Emergency, Isolation Area for Psych patients, Chest Pain center, Intermediate Care, Urgent Care and Congestive Heart Failure Observation. We took a few patients from the ER up to ICU and helped a few other nurses with procedures. It was a really slow day in the ER but I was able to see some weird, I mean sick, people.
I was so impressed by both of my male nurses today! I wish more guys would choose nursing as a profession! To end this post here are two interesting/funny stories that happened today in the ER...
1. A nurse called my mentor and I over to start an IV on this lady. She was a diabetic and apparently homeless. She had a huge ulcer on her foot and she smelled like a trashcan. I asked her where she was and she looked around and said "Home!"...She had no idea where she was or how she got there. Anyways I went to reach for something and I bumped her. I didn't know she was wearing a wig but it goes flying onto the floor! She has no idea what happened so I just put it back on her head but it was crooked for the rest of the time and my mentor and I couldn't stop laughing because it was just such a ridiculous situation.
2. My mentor and I were trying to start an IV on this guy and he kept telling me how beautiful my name was (Sammy?...) and how pretty I was, etc. Then out of the clear blue sky he tells he me shot and killed someone once. He reallllly knows how to impress a girl.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pediatric ICU
Today I spent the day in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for my first day of our "clinical enhancement" week. I had such a great experience but it definitely was an emotional day. My mentor "J" is a Transport Nurse in the PICU so she goes on ambulance and helicopter rides to get patients from other hospitals. When she is waiting for a call she helps out the other nurses and does odd jobs around the PICU which seems like a pretty cool job that would never get boring. She was an amazing nurse and really helpful to all of the other nurses. The PICU is pretty cool because the nurses have a small patient load (1-2 at a time) and have a ton of autonomy. They were doing a ton of bedside procedures and monitoring on their patients and the doctors were letting them do it all.
The PICU had patients ranging from 3 months to 17 years old today so I was able to see a wide variety of things. A lot of patients that come in are Non Accidental Trauma's, which is the politically correct way of saying abuse cases. To protect patient identities I won't go into much detail but these young kids had bruises and signs of trauma all over their body that makes you sick to think about. Sadly a lot of these kids that are abused when they are younger become brain dead or mentally delayed so they never really recover. They have to not only deal with the emotional trauma but it truly effects them for the rest of their life. Another thing I was surprised about is that in the PICU they get a lot of teenagers that overdose on drugs or drink too much alcohol. It was strange to see a three month old baby in a room next to a teenager who was on drugs.
To finish off this post I will tell you about the best and worst (AKA most embarrassing) part of my day! The best part was when my mentor was putting an IV in a baby and I was able to hold the baby and keep his arm straight (he was very very strong so this was harder than it sounds) while she did it. I really felt like I was helping her and I was able to comfort the baby while he was being stuck, poked and prodded. The most embarrassing part of my day occurred when J and I went to find some supplies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and I opened the wrong door and set off the alarm that prevents people from stealing babies in the hospital. Whoops! The NICU nurses didn't think it was as funny as J did because she ended up telling everyone back in the PICU that I tried to steal a baby.
The PICU had patients ranging from 3 months to 17 years old today so I was able to see a wide variety of things. A lot of patients that come in are Non Accidental Trauma's, which is the politically correct way of saying abuse cases. To protect patient identities I won't go into much detail but these young kids had bruises and signs of trauma all over their body that makes you sick to think about. Sadly a lot of these kids that are abused when they are younger become brain dead or mentally delayed so they never really recover. They have to not only deal with the emotional trauma but it truly effects them for the rest of their life. Another thing I was surprised about is that in the PICU they get a lot of teenagers that overdose on drugs or drink too much alcohol. It was strange to see a three month old baby in a room next to a teenager who was on drugs.
To finish off this post I will tell you about the best and worst (AKA most embarrassing) part of my day! The best part was when my mentor was putting an IV in a baby and I was able to hold the baby and keep his arm straight (he was very very strong so this was harder than it sounds) while she did it. I really felt like I was helping her and I was able to comfort the baby while he was being stuck, poked and prodded. The most embarrassing part of my day occurred when J and I went to find some supplies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and I opened the wrong door and set off the alarm that prevents people from stealing babies in the hospital. Whoops! The NICU nurses didn't think it was as funny as J did because she ended up telling everyone back in the PICU that I tried to steal a baby.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Rapid Response
My last day on Women's Speciality turned out to be a very exciting one...it began with my mentor trying to set me up with a 4 foot 11 chubby doctor...sorry, but no. But that wasn't the exciting part. The beginning of the day was really slow with a low patient number so L sent me down to the CVICU (Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit) to see some "cool" (this word is relative to your desire to see chest tubes, blood and other bodily fluids) things. A very nice nurse showed me around the unit and was so patient explaining everything to me. She had just come on the shift so she showed me what an ICU nurse does and how they prioritize patient care. Just being in the ICU setting was very intense and I don't know if I could do that kind of nursing! The patients had a least 10 IV fluids running, wires and tubes coming from all kinds of places and they just looked really sick. I was able to watch her take out a chest tube which was really interesting but looked painful for the patient. By the end of my hour with her I felt more comfortable but I think I'll stick to the pregnant people and babies.
The real exciting part of my day came at the very end. L and I had gotten a new admission around 4:30 and she had just had GYN surgery. She had a medication ordered for her and the ordered range was 1-3 mg. They had given her 1 mg and it wasn't having any effect so L decided to try the 3 mg. She was hesitant because she had never given this much before but the patient said she could handle it and the doctor had ordered it so L thought it should be fine. Fifteen minutes after administering the medication via her IV we heard beeping from her room and I went in to check on her. Her pulse was 147, her skin was blue and her eyes were fluttering. Her daughter was at the bedside and said all of a sudden her mom started acting funny and that was when the machine started peeping to indicate her high pulse. I went to get L and we hurried back into the room. At this point the daughter was crying so I did what I was taught to do and calmly took her outside the room and told her we were going to do everything to make sure she would be OK. L called 2 other nurses in the room and a "Rapid Response". Rapid Response is a step below from calling a full code but basically it is designed to help a nurse with a patient in critical condition. A RR will send 2 ICU nurses and a Respiratory Therapist immediately to the floor to help you out. While we waited for them we put the patient on oxygen, moved everything out of the way in case of a code, put cold washcloths on her face and chest and pushed Narcan which is a narcotic drug reversal agent. By the time RR got there she was doing a lot better but was still having trouble keeping her eyes open. We stayed with her for a while until the Narcan kicked in. Fortunately Narcan works very well to reverse the effects of the drug but it also makes all of the pain come back. Our poor patient was so confused what had happened, was all of a sudden in a lot of pain but was afraid to take any medication. We monitored her for the next hour and then before the end of the shift we convinced her to take a 0.5 mg dose to take the edge off.
It was a scary moment and I truly felt bad for the patient and her daughter but it was also a really educational experience for me. I learned to trust your instinct if you sense something is off, even if the doctor ordered it. With pain medication it is important to keep the pain at bay but also to ease the patient up with dosages, especially with narcotic drugs. Also, I learned to not hesitate to call a Rapid Response. This patient obviously needed help even though she was much better by the time she arrived. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Tomorrow I get to go to Labor and Delivery for one more day so I am very excited. Hopefully it will be less exciting than today though!
The real exciting part of my day came at the very end. L and I had gotten a new admission around 4:30 and she had just had GYN surgery. She had a medication ordered for her and the ordered range was 1-3 mg. They had given her 1 mg and it wasn't having any effect so L decided to try the 3 mg. She was hesitant because she had never given this much before but the patient said she could handle it and the doctor had ordered it so L thought it should be fine. Fifteen minutes after administering the medication via her IV we heard beeping from her room and I went in to check on her. Her pulse was 147, her skin was blue and her eyes were fluttering. Her daughter was at the bedside and said all of a sudden her mom started acting funny and that was when the machine started peeping to indicate her high pulse. I went to get L and we hurried back into the room. At this point the daughter was crying so I did what I was taught to do and calmly took her outside the room and told her we were going to do everything to make sure she would be OK. L called 2 other nurses in the room and a "Rapid Response". Rapid Response is a step below from calling a full code but basically it is designed to help a nurse with a patient in critical condition. A RR will send 2 ICU nurses and a Respiratory Therapist immediately to the floor to help you out. While we waited for them we put the patient on oxygen, moved everything out of the way in case of a code, put cold washcloths on her face and chest and pushed Narcan which is a narcotic drug reversal agent. By the time RR got there she was doing a lot better but was still having trouble keeping her eyes open. We stayed with her for a while until the Narcan kicked in. Fortunately Narcan works very well to reverse the effects of the drug but it also makes all of the pain come back. Our poor patient was so confused what had happened, was all of a sudden in a lot of pain but was afraid to take any medication. We monitored her for the next hour and then before the end of the shift we convinced her to take a 0.5 mg dose to take the edge off.
It was a scary moment and I truly felt bad for the patient and her daughter but it was also a really educational experience for me. I learned to trust your instinct if you sense something is off, even if the doctor ordered it. With pain medication it is important to keep the pain at bay but also to ease the patient up with dosages, especially with narcotic drugs. Also, I learned to not hesitate to call a Rapid Response. This patient obviously needed help even though she was much better by the time she arrived. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Tomorrow I get to go to Labor and Delivery for one more day so I am very excited. Hopefully it will be less exciting than today though!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Back from Vacation
Two nights ago I came back from a wonderful vacation at home to finish up my externship. Since I arranged my schedule to maximize my vacation time I had to work yesterday, tomorrow and the next day. I found out right before I left to come back to Clemson that I would not be able to do my last rotation on Labor and Delivery and would have to be in the OR. I am disappointed but I know I can handle three weeks and I will probably be able some interesting surgeries!
Yesterday was an interesting first day back to work. The twelve hour shift seemed way longer than usual but I'm sure that was due to my relaxing vacation and long travel day the day before. Also, my mentor and I had the first really sick patient that I had seen on this floor and we had to monitor her carefully. This patient had an emergency C-section the night before because she had pre-eclampsia and the only way to help her is to deliver the baby. After delivery she kept bleeding, her vital signs were out of the normal range and she didn't look good at all. We had to carefully monitor her all day as well as take care of three other patients. It was great to see the other nurses step in and help my mentor without a complaint. Our patient ended up being fine and will probably go home tomorrow. It was cool to see someone improve so much just during one shift!
I have one more day on Women's Speciality and I have learned a lot but I'm ready to try something new. On Saturday I get to work for 1 last day on Labor and Delivery because my mentor won't be in on the Saturday that I need to work and she said that I could go to L and D if I wanted! (Obviously I said yes!)
Next week is our "Clinical Enhancement" week where we rotate to different floors in the hospital for 4 days. I just received my schedule and I am really excited about what I am going to do! Monday I will be with the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) Transport Nurse. I haven't done anything with Peds yet so I'm excited about this. Tuesday I am with Mobile Care and this means I get to ride around in an ambulance! Wednesday I am in the Cath Lab and to be honest I am not sure what that entails but I will find out. Thursday I am in Radiology for the morning and the Critical Care Transport Nurse in the afternoon. I then get Friday, Saturday and Sunday off and begin in the OR on Monday!
Yesterday was an interesting first day back to work. The twelve hour shift seemed way longer than usual but I'm sure that was due to my relaxing vacation and long travel day the day before. Also, my mentor and I had the first really sick patient that I had seen on this floor and we had to monitor her carefully. This patient had an emergency C-section the night before because she had pre-eclampsia and the only way to help her is to deliver the baby. After delivery she kept bleeding, her vital signs were out of the normal range and she didn't look good at all. We had to carefully monitor her all day as well as take care of three other patients. It was great to see the other nurses step in and help my mentor without a complaint. Our patient ended up being fine and will probably go home tomorrow. It was cool to see someone improve so much just during one shift!
I have one more day on Women's Speciality and I have learned a lot but I'm ready to try something new. On Saturday I get to work for 1 last day on Labor and Delivery because my mentor won't be in on the Saturday that I need to work and she said that I could go to L and D if I wanted! (Obviously I said yes!)
Next week is our "Clinical Enhancement" week where we rotate to different floors in the hospital for 4 days. I just received my schedule and I am really excited about what I am going to do! Monday I will be with the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) Transport Nurse. I haven't done anything with Peds yet so I'm excited about this. Tuesday I am with Mobile Care and this means I get to ride around in an ambulance! Wednesday I am in the Cath Lab and to be honest I am not sure what that entails but I will find out. Thursday I am in Radiology for the morning and the Critical Care Transport Nurse in the afternoon. I then get Friday, Saturday and Sunday off and begin in the OR on Monday!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Today begins 3 days in a row of 12 hour shifts so that I can squeeze my work days together make my 4th of July break even longer. I am beyond excited to go home so it will all be worth it but right now I am so tired and I know I have 2 more shifts to work in the next 2 days!
I am learning a lot on Women's Specialty but I just don't feel the connection with it that I did with Labor and Delivery. But, I can do anything for 3 weeks and it is a great learning experience in general. However, my next rotation is in the OR and a girl in my program has a rotation there right now with the mentor that I am supposed to have and apparently it isn't going well and she doesn't get to do anything. When I heard this my wheels started turning in my head that maybe, just maybe, I could go back to L and D for my last 3 weeks instead of the OR. I asked the program director and she wasn't opposed to it but L and D will already have 2 externs and she doesn't want to overwhelm them. Soooo I contacted T, my first mentor and asked her what she thought and she's going to talk to the Nurse Coordinator on L and D tomorrow! I don't like to complain and put people in an awkward situation but I realized that this is such a unique opportunity I would rather spend 3 weeks learning and interacting than sitting in an OR just watching. We will see what happens...
Today wasn't too exciting except we had this one patient who was so odd I couldn't figure her out even by the end of the shift. If you follow me on Twitter you saw that I said "People should have to take a test to be able to have children" and while that may sound kind of harsh, this lady would have changed your mind if you disagree with me! She had a C-section and that was the only reason she was still in the hospital. She acted like she had been through the a war. She took forever to get out of bed, sent back all of her food and even refused to even wipe herself. As a nurse I am more than happy to help someone who needs it and even those who kind of need help. This lady did not need our help but refused to do anything by herself, which truly made me worried about her baby she was about to take home. Also, she was...for lack of a better work...nasty smelling and when we were helping her shower (she couldn't do it alone obviously) she went on and on about how "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"...my mentor and I couldn't look at each other in the eye because we were going to start laughing. It's moments like that that bring you back down to earth, I had been so frustrated with this lady all day, and in that moment I realized that it is easier to laugh about it (or blog about it) and let it go. I'm going to end two ways today...1. On a positive note today I realized that you can't enjoy every patient but giving them what they "need" is important. 2. http://whatshouldwecallnursingschool.tumblr.com/post/23555099106/when-your-friends-are-comparing-their-jobs-with-nursing
I am learning a lot on Women's Specialty but I just don't feel the connection with it that I did with Labor and Delivery. But, I can do anything for 3 weeks and it is a great learning experience in general. However, my next rotation is in the OR and a girl in my program has a rotation there right now with the mentor that I am supposed to have and apparently it isn't going well and she doesn't get to do anything. When I heard this my wheels started turning in my head that maybe, just maybe, I could go back to L and D for my last 3 weeks instead of the OR. I asked the program director and she wasn't opposed to it but L and D will already have 2 externs and she doesn't want to overwhelm them. Soooo I contacted T, my first mentor and asked her what she thought and she's going to talk to the Nurse Coordinator on L and D tomorrow! I don't like to complain and put people in an awkward situation but I realized that this is such a unique opportunity I would rather spend 3 weeks learning and interacting than sitting in an OR just watching. We will see what happens...
Today wasn't too exciting except we had this one patient who was so odd I couldn't figure her out even by the end of the shift. If you follow me on Twitter you saw that I said "People should have to take a test to be able to have children" and while that may sound kind of harsh, this lady would have changed your mind if you disagree with me! She had a C-section and that was the only reason she was still in the hospital. She acted like she had been through the a war. She took forever to get out of bed, sent back all of her food and even refused to even wipe herself. As a nurse I am more than happy to help someone who needs it and even those who kind of need help. This lady did not need our help but refused to do anything by herself, which truly made me worried about her baby she was about to take home. Also, she was...for lack of a better work...nasty smelling and when we were helping her shower (she couldn't do it alone obviously) she went on and on about how "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"...my mentor and I couldn't look at each other in the eye because we were going to start laughing. It's moments like that that bring you back down to earth, I had been so frustrated with this lady all day, and in that moment I realized that it is easier to laugh about it (or blog about it) and let it go. I'm going to end two ways today...1. On a positive note today I realized that you can't enjoy every patient but giving them what they "need" is important. 2. http://whatshouldwecallnursingschool.tumblr.com/post/23555099106/when-your-friends-are-comparing-their-jobs-with-nursing
Monday, June 18, 2012
My Second First Day
Today was my first day on my second rotation, Women's Specialty Obstetrics. Basically this is a floor where any patient comes if they have a problem and are pregnant. It is very similar to "Med Surg" nursing which is just general patients in a hospital but the only difference is that these patients are pregnant or just delivered their baby. (I'm getting to the point where it is strange to see a female without a pregnant belly...) While I enjoyed my first day I already know Labor and Delivery is the place for me! However this will be a great 3 weeks because I will get to see many different types of patients with varying issues which is always educational.
I love my new mentor, L. She is sassy and fun and calls me "California." She has had the most patient compliments in the past few months and I definitely know why. No matter how busy we were today she took the time to joke, laugh or even sit quietly with a patient. She made everyone on that floor feel like they were her only patient AND she took the time to explain everything to me!
We had quite a variety of patients today including a pregnant lady with a kidney infection, a post-hysterectomy patient, a hypertensive mom whose baby was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and a mom who had a stillborn baby. I have been used to having the same type of patients every day so this was very interesting. The hypertensive mom was definitely our most interesting patient. L said she has been in and out of Women's Specialty for her other pregnancy and this one. She has behavioral and psychological problems but L was able to deal with her very well. She is the type of patient who will only do things her way and it's usually the hardest way for the nurses. We tried to appease her all day with simple things like keeping her blood pressure cuff off until it was time to take her pressure, getting up to go to the bathroom by herself, wearing her own clothes, fixing her IV by herself, etc. because it was so much easier and it wasn't really hurting anyone. Her and her boyfriend have a history of drug abuse and I've realized now that when minimally educated individuals can name the generic and brand names of every medication we give them I don't need to look at her chart to know that they have that in their history. I took an intense course on pharmacology and I cannot name those drugs like they can! Maybe I should change my study habits...kidding!
I also was able to see a laparoscopic surgery today for an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that didn't make it all the way through the fallopian tube before it began maturing. It needs to be removed from the fallopian tube before it ruptures which can cause serious complications). It is amazing how doctors can perform surgery through tiny holes in the patient's abdomen. The patient was able to leave a few hours later too which saves the patient, as well as the hospital, so much time and money! I loved being in the main OR and I can't wait for my next rotation too. Also, some of those nurse anesthetist's are quite attractive and very eager to explain things to me which I couldn't complain about!
I am exhausted from today and have work bright and early tomorrow morning so I need to get some sleep. We will see what happens tomorrow!
I love my new mentor, L. She is sassy and fun and calls me "California." She has had the most patient compliments in the past few months and I definitely know why. No matter how busy we were today she took the time to joke, laugh or even sit quietly with a patient. She made everyone on that floor feel like they were her only patient AND she took the time to explain everything to me!
We had quite a variety of patients today including a pregnant lady with a kidney infection, a post-hysterectomy patient, a hypertensive mom whose baby was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and a mom who had a stillborn baby. I have been used to having the same type of patients every day so this was very interesting. The hypertensive mom was definitely our most interesting patient. L said she has been in and out of Women's Specialty for her other pregnancy and this one. She has behavioral and psychological problems but L was able to deal with her very well. She is the type of patient who will only do things her way and it's usually the hardest way for the nurses. We tried to appease her all day with simple things like keeping her blood pressure cuff off until it was time to take her pressure, getting up to go to the bathroom by herself, wearing her own clothes, fixing her IV by herself, etc. because it was so much easier and it wasn't really hurting anyone. Her and her boyfriend have a history of drug abuse and I've realized now that when minimally educated individuals can name the generic and brand names of every medication we give them I don't need to look at her chart to know that they have that in their history. I took an intense course on pharmacology and I cannot name those drugs like they can! Maybe I should change my study habits...kidding!
I also was able to see a laparoscopic surgery today for an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that didn't make it all the way through the fallopian tube before it began maturing. It needs to be removed from the fallopian tube before it ruptures which can cause serious complications). It is amazing how doctors can perform surgery through tiny holes in the patient's abdomen. The patient was able to leave a few hours later too which saves the patient, as well as the hospital, so much time and money! I loved being in the main OR and I can't wait for my next rotation too. Also, some of those nurse anesthetist's are quite attractive and very eager to explain things to me which I couldn't complain about!
I am exhausted from today and have work bright and early tomorrow morning so I need to get some sleep. We will see what happens tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Biting My Tongue
You know when you say that something has never happened and then a few minutes later it happens and you wonder if it happened simply because you said it....well that happened to me 3 times today and they were all very interesting experiences on my second to last day on L and D.
1. Power Outage- Today we had a power outage in the entire hospital so everything was running on emergency generators. It wasn't a severe situation because crucial things like ventilators and OR lights still worked but the entire computer system was down. It was ironic because I had JUST been talking to my mentor about how I can't imagine ever doing paper charting because everything is so much easier on the computer, etc. Well, of course the power goes out and we have to spend the next 6 hours paper charting which is just more time consuming and unfamiliar. However compared to my next 2 situations this wasn't too bad...
2. Baby in the Bed- My mentor and some other nurses were joking the other day about how if the doctor didn't come quick enough a patient was going to deliver the baby without him. I asked T if this had ever happened and she said that every L and D nurse has delivered a baby at some point because sometimes a patient pushes and the baby just comes out easily without time for the doctor to arrive... Well, I didn't think I would ever see this but today a nurse said she was going to go check her patient and I went with her because I wasn't doing anything and we walk in the room and this patient was laying in the bed and there is a crying baby between her legs, umbilical cord still attached and all! Unfortunately this patient was from Burma so we couldn't really communicate with her but the nurse essentially clamped the cord, had the dad cut it and I brought the baby over to the table and did what we normally do. The funny thing was that not one person in the room changed their facial expression during this entire situation! They just watched as this occurred as if this is what happens all of the time (but hey, I've never been to Burma...)
3. 22 Weeks- This last situation was ironic but also very sad. I had an "extern update" lunch with the other girls in my program and I was telling them all how I love L and D, how many exciting things I've seen and how I hadn't encountered anything sad yet. Of course, the second I get back to the floor, T tells me that we have a pre term labor patient who is going to deliver at 22 weeks. At 22 weeks there is no chance of the baby surviving past a few hours so they don't even try to resuscitate it when it is delivered. This girl was 17 years old and woke up this morning with abdominal pain, came to the hospital, found this out and delivered 30 minutes later. I can't imagine what that would feel like to have such a 180 degree change in one day. When she delivered it was such a different feel compared to all of the other births because everyone was just silent when the baby arrived. She weighed only 1 pound and was so so tiny. The family was able to hold the baby for a few hours while we got her ready to be discharged and their grief was so obvious and heavy that it was hard to see. We took the baby for a little while into the bereavement room and took pictures of her in a tiny dress, took her footprints and compiled a memory box for the mom. It was so strange to hold the baby and take her pictures but when we gave the memory box to the mom upon discharge you could tell that it was going to help give her closure. While this was obviously a hard day, I know that this comes with the territory of L and D and I'm grateful I was able to experience it before I left the floor.
So, today had it's ups and downs but the moral of the story is be careful what you say because life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. I can't wait to see what my last day on L and D has in store for me tomorrow!!
1. Power Outage- Today we had a power outage in the entire hospital so everything was running on emergency generators. It wasn't a severe situation because crucial things like ventilators and OR lights still worked but the entire computer system was down. It was ironic because I had JUST been talking to my mentor about how I can't imagine ever doing paper charting because everything is so much easier on the computer, etc. Well, of course the power goes out and we have to spend the next 6 hours paper charting which is just more time consuming and unfamiliar. However compared to my next 2 situations this wasn't too bad...
2. Baby in the Bed- My mentor and some other nurses were joking the other day about how if the doctor didn't come quick enough a patient was going to deliver the baby without him. I asked T if this had ever happened and she said that every L and D nurse has delivered a baby at some point because sometimes a patient pushes and the baby just comes out easily without time for the doctor to arrive... Well, I didn't think I would ever see this but today a nurse said she was going to go check her patient and I went with her because I wasn't doing anything and we walk in the room and this patient was laying in the bed and there is a crying baby between her legs, umbilical cord still attached and all! Unfortunately this patient was from Burma so we couldn't really communicate with her but the nurse essentially clamped the cord, had the dad cut it and I brought the baby over to the table and did what we normally do. The funny thing was that not one person in the room changed their facial expression during this entire situation! They just watched as this occurred as if this is what happens all of the time (but hey, I've never been to Burma...)
3. 22 Weeks- This last situation was ironic but also very sad. I had an "extern update" lunch with the other girls in my program and I was telling them all how I love L and D, how many exciting things I've seen and how I hadn't encountered anything sad yet. Of course, the second I get back to the floor, T tells me that we have a pre term labor patient who is going to deliver at 22 weeks. At 22 weeks there is no chance of the baby surviving past a few hours so they don't even try to resuscitate it when it is delivered. This girl was 17 years old and woke up this morning with abdominal pain, came to the hospital, found this out and delivered 30 minutes later. I can't imagine what that would feel like to have such a 180 degree change in one day. When she delivered it was such a different feel compared to all of the other births because everyone was just silent when the baby arrived. She weighed only 1 pound and was so so tiny. The family was able to hold the baby for a few hours while we got her ready to be discharged and their grief was so obvious and heavy that it was hard to see. We took the baby for a little while into the bereavement room and took pictures of her in a tiny dress, took her footprints and compiled a memory box for the mom. It was so strange to hold the baby and take her pictures but when we gave the memory box to the mom upon discharge you could tell that it was going to help give her closure. While this was obviously a hard day, I know that this comes with the territory of L and D and I'm grateful I was able to experience it before I left the floor.
So, today had it's ups and downs but the moral of the story is be careful what you say because life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. I can't wait to see what my last day on L and D has in store for me tomorrow!!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Chemical Engineers and the Ten Pound Baby
So I haven't posted after the past 2 shifts and I have many crazy things that have happened. First, an overview: I am still loving L and D and have only one more week left until I move to Women's Specialty OB. I am so much more comfortable with the patients, nurses, floor and process of labor and delivery and can really see myself doing this in the future. I can't imagine that seeing a baby in it's first few seconds of life will ever get old!
Now, onto some of the crazy stuff. (This seems to be a recurring theme on L and D)...
I had my first two patients who were substance abusers...my shift ended before I was able to see the babies born so I'm not sure how they turned out but I know that since they receive oxygen and nutrition via the placenta, they also have been exposed to the drugs that their mother's were abusing. This means the baby will need to be weened off of the drugs when they are born. I can't imagine that this is a good way for a child to come into the world and this is why education about birth control is so important. My first patient was abusing prescription drugs but my second patient was abusing harder drugs. (Side story: apparently they are being monitored by DSS because the father runs a meth lab. When asked what he did for a profession he promptly reported that he was a, "Chemical Engineer"...nice try buddy). (Second side story: when I walked into their room just to throw something away he had his shirt off and I was so flustered I dropped what I was holding, picked it up, dropped it again on the way to the trashcan, and then got my sleeve caught in the trashcan...awkward...and I never figured out why he too off his shirt). Anyways, while we gave the same care to these patients as all of the other ones, its harder to feel joyous and excited for them, however, it is a good eye opener for me that there are so many different kinds of people out there.
Remember in my last post when I said I had to change my scrubs because someone's amniotic fluid splashed on me? Well today someone was pushing and she squirted pee on me...for some reason it wasn't as gross (is that weird?) but I'm realizing now that in nursing and especially L and D, you have to just roll with it. It's a good lesson for me to apply to my everyday life so I'm just going to look at it positively!
Last small story to end the post...I saw the biggest baby today! He was ten pounds and his mom was tiny. I know ten pounds isn't the biggest baby ever but it was the biggest I'd ever seen! I could barely lift him when we were weighing him (maybe I need to lift weights some more...) and his hands and feet were huge. He was very cute and chubby which I personally think makes babies look cuter.
Anyways, can't wait to see what my last week on L and D has in store for me!
Now, onto some of the crazy stuff. (This seems to be a recurring theme on L and D)...
I had my first two patients who were substance abusers...my shift ended before I was able to see the babies born so I'm not sure how they turned out but I know that since they receive oxygen and nutrition via the placenta, they also have been exposed to the drugs that their mother's were abusing. This means the baby will need to be weened off of the drugs when they are born. I can't imagine that this is a good way for a child to come into the world and this is why education about birth control is so important. My first patient was abusing prescription drugs but my second patient was abusing harder drugs. (Side story: apparently they are being monitored by DSS because the father runs a meth lab. When asked what he did for a profession he promptly reported that he was a, "Chemical Engineer"...nice try buddy). (Second side story: when I walked into their room just to throw something away he had his shirt off and I was so flustered I dropped what I was holding, picked it up, dropped it again on the way to the trashcan, and then got my sleeve caught in the trashcan...awkward...and I never figured out why he too off his shirt). Anyways, while we gave the same care to these patients as all of the other ones, its harder to feel joyous and excited for them, however, it is a good eye opener for me that there are so many different kinds of people out there.
Remember in my last post when I said I had to change my scrubs because someone's amniotic fluid splashed on me? Well today someone was pushing and she squirted pee on me...for some reason it wasn't as gross (is that weird?) but I'm realizing now that in nursing and especially L and D, you have to just roll with it. It's a good lesson for me to apply to my everyday life so I'm just going to look at it positively!
Last small story to end the post...I saw the biggest baby today! He was ten pounds and his mom was tiny. I know ten pounds isn't the biggest baby ever but it was the biggest I'd ever seen! I could barely lift him when we were weighing him (maybe I need to lift weights some more...) and his hands and feet were huge. He was very cute and chubby which I personally think makes babies look cuter.
Anyways, can't wait to see what my last week on L and D has in store for me!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Hoon-gray baby
Today was a crazy day on L and D! Almost all of the rooms were full so we were very busy from the beginning of the day. T and I had two patients who weren't very far along so we were able to help out the other nurses which gave me a chance to do a lot of things. For example, I had never been a "baby nurse" before and I was able to do that three times today! A baby nurse comes in the room right when the baby is about to be delivered and washes the baby off, takes vital signs, gives him/her some medication, takes their footprints, weighs them and swaddles them up (my favorite part) and hands them to the mom or dad. I love this because it gives me a chance to be with the baby which is a part of L and D that I shamelessly am obsessed with. I was also able to be a baby nurse during a C-section which was a little more intense but even more exciting.
Later in the day I was able to help with a delivery which turned out to be pretty interesting...The mom that was delivering was very sweet as was her husband, but they brought their entire family clan into the room and they wanted to be involved in every aspect of the day. These people were definitely hillbillies. Now I'm not saying that in a derogatory manner but they were hillbillies and proud of it. I heard multiple yee-haws when that baby was born so don't even argue with me. (T teased me and said that I'd probably never seen anyone like them in the OC). Anyways, the reason the delivery turned out to be interesting was because the dad was a little queasy so he asked me to get up with the mom and help her push. I was standing right over/next to her when she pushed and something (I'd rather not know what exactly) squirted all over me and my scrub top. This was during the middle of the delivery so I had to spend the next 20 minutes in a soaking wet top while this baby was delivered. I was trying so hard not to freak out because I knew that this moment was about the mom and baby but I couldn't run out of that room and change faster as soon as that baby was born! Other than that, this day was another great one! I'm going to end this post with another ridiculous story that a L and D nurse told me even though I didn't witness it myself...
So this nurse was doing an exam on a patient and during the exam she found...a banana...an entire banana, placed somewhere a banana should not be. This nurse questioned the patient about why there was a banana there and the patient replied as if the nurse was dense, "The baby was hoooon-gray." The nurse proceeded to explain patiently how the baby is through what the mom eats, etc. While this story is so outrageous I am starting to realize that this is not that far fetched based on some of the people/things I've already seen after just 4 days! At least she was trying to feed her "hoon-gray" baby with something nutritious, it could have been a donut!
Later in the day I was able to help with a delivery which turned out to be pretty interesting...The mom that was delivering was very sweet as was her husband, but they brought their entire family clan into the room and they wanted to be involved in every aspect of the day. These people were definitely hillbillies. Now I'm not saying that in a derogatory manner but they were hillbillies and proud of it. I heard multiple yee-haws when that baby was born so don't even argue with me. (T teased me and said that I'd probably never seen anyone like them in the OC). Anyways, the reason the delivery turned out to be interesting was because the dad was a little queasy so he asked me to get up with the mom and help her push. I was standing right over/next to her when she pushed and something (I'd rather not know what exactly) squirted all over me and my scrub top. This was during the middle of the delivery so I had to spend the next 20 minutes in a soaking wet top while this baby was delivered. I was trying so hard not to freak out because I knew that this moment was about the mom and baby but I couldn't run out of that room and change faster as soon as that baby was born! Other than that, this day was another great one! I'm going to end this post with another ridiculous story that a L and D nurse told me even though I didn't witness it myself...
So this nurse was doing an exam on a patient and during the exam she found...a banana...an entire banana, placed somewhere a banana should not be. This nurse questioned the patient about why there was a banana there and the patient replied as if the nurse was dense, "The baby was hoooon-gray." The nurse proceeded to explain patiently how the baby is through what the mom eats, etc. While this story is so outrageous I am starting to realize that this is not that far fetched based on some of the people/things I've already seen after just 4 days! At least she was trying to feed her "hoon-gray" baby with something nutritious, it could have been a donut!
Friday, June 1, 2012
16 and Pregnant
Today was another great day on the Labor and Delivery floor! My mentor, T, had a family member who was induced for labor so we were able to help deliver her baby. I was able to be with her all day and through the delivery. The family didn't know the sex of the baby so I videotaped their reaction when they finally revealed it was a girl. That was very fun and a touching moment to witness. (Side note: All nursing students should have to take a class in videography because I have handled so many video cameras since I started my externship! I find it so stressful because I don't want to mess it up for the family. I am way more comfortable putting in an IV than videotaping!)
As the title of this post shows, my the rest of my day was straight up out of an episode of 16 and Pregnant. I only saw one patient who was over the age of 20! I understand that people come different backgrounds and lifestyles and age doesn't always correlate with being a good parent, but these patients didn't seem to want to even deliver the baby. It's amazing to see the difference in the excitement between a patient who is older and has a partner than a younger patient who is alone. I enjoyed spending my day with these girls but I also felt for them, and the baby, because I know the responsibility of a baby calls for maturity, etc. I just hope that these women receive some sort of education regarding family planning before they are discharged from the hospital. Annnyways, I'll get off of my soapbox now end with a funny story that happened yesterday...
I was admitting a patient (also 16 but besides the point) and she had a guy with her. As part of the admission process I needed to identify the relationship of the patient to the people in the room so I asked him what his relationship was to the patient. He quickly (and seriously) replied "Baby Daddy". Now, as you can imagine that is not one of the options in the drop down menu so I asked if I should just put "Significant Other" and both of them shouted, "No!!" I felt thoroughly awkward at this point because they were glaring at me as if I had tried to marry them on the spot so I said, "I'll just put Father" and he was like "Yeah, yeah, that's what I said...Baby Daddy"... Ohhhkayy, after being thoroughly embarrassed (and a little confused), I finished the admission as quickly as possible and left the room. But, even with moments like this I still love every minute on the L & D floor!
As the title of this post shows, my the rest of my day was straight up out of an episode of 16 and Pregnant. I only saw one patient who was over the age of 20! I understand that people come different backgrounds and lifestyles and age doesn't always correlate with being a good parent, but these patients didn't seem to want to even deliver the baby. It's amazing to see the difference in the excitement between a patient who is older and has a partner than a younger patient who is alone. I enjoyed spending my day with these girls but I also felt for them, and the baby, because I know the responsibility of a baby calls for maturity, etc. I just hope that these women receive some sort of education regarding family planning before they are discharged from the hospital. Annnyways, I'll get off of my soapbox now end with a funny story that happened yesterday...
I was admitting a patient (also 16 but besides the point) and she had a guy with her. As part of the admission process I needed to identify the relationship of the patient to the people in the room so I asked him what his relationship was to the patient. He quickly (and seriously) replied "Baby Daddy". Now, as you can imagine that is not one of the options in the drop down menu so I asked if I should just put "Significant Other" and both of them shouted, "No!!" I felt thoroughly awkward at this point because they were glaring at me as if I had tried to marry them on the spot so I said, "I'll just put Father" and he was like "Yeah, yeah, that's what I said...Baby Daddy"... Ohhhkayy, after being thoroughly embarrassed (and a little confused), I finished the admission as quickly as possible and left the room. But, even with moments like this I still love every minute on the L & D floor!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Baby Fever
Today was my first day on Labor and Delivery and I loved every minute of it! Before I get too excited and just ramble on, let me walk you through the highlights of my day...
I got to the hospital around 6:15 in the morning which is 45 minutes too early but luckily my mentor (we will call her T) was there. I changed into the hospital scrubs because the L & D floor tries to be as sterile as possible, and T showed me around. T has worked at this hospital on the L & D floor for over 30 years so she really knows what she is talking about. I'm lucky to have someone like her take me under her wing.
We began prepping rooms for two incoming pregnant ladies. During this time a very nice nurse asked if I wanted to watch a C-Section so I ran with her to the OR and watched the procedure. It was amazing to see a baby emerge from someone's abdomen, blue and screaming, and then all of a sudden turn a nice pink color and settle down. I started to feel lightheaded during the procedure but I didn't want to be "that girl" so I put my hands on my knees and bent down as if I was looking intensely at the surgery (Veryyy tricky).
I then went with T to visit our two patients, one of which didn't speak any English so I was able to communicate briefly with her in my broken Spanish before the interpreter arrived. My other patient was a nurse, as was her husband, and they were very open to letting me help and observe.
I was able to put in 2 Foley Catheter's which turned out to be pretty easy, but exciting, and later I inserted an IV and was able to draw blood. For the rest of the day I saw 1 more C-Section and 2 more births which lasted only about 10 minutes each because the babies were so tiny!
The real exciting and most special part of my day occurred around 6 PM, an hour before my shift ended. T and I had been with the pregnant lady who was a nurse since 7 AM and she was finally ready to start pushing! Her husband and I got on either side of her and helped her push while T prepared the room. She pushed for 1 hour and 20 minutes before her baby was born and I know I shouldn't be talking but I was so sore from helping her! When the baby was finally born I almost started crying but I didn't want to be "that girl" either so I refrained. (If it were up to me I'd be in that baby's first picture, smiling between her mom and dad, ha ha).
The baby was then cleaned, suctioned (they have a surprising amount of gunk in their throat from the amniotic fluid) and swaddled. It was so cool to be a part of that entire experience. I know this was my first day and my first rotation but I can't see myself ever getting tired of helping/watching babies be born. I can't wait until tomorrow, but for now, I'm exhausted!
I got to the hospital around 6:15 in the morning which is 45 minutes too early but luckily my mentor (we will call her T) was there. I changed into the hospital scrubs because the L & D floor tries to be as sterile as possible, and T showed me around. T has worked at this hospital on the L & D floor for over 30 years so she really knows what she is talking about. I'm lucky to have someone like her take me under her wing.
We began prepping rooms for two incoming pregnant ladies. During this time a very nice nurse asked if I wanted to watch a C-Section so I ran with her to the OR and watched the procedure. It was amazing to see a baby emerge from someone's abdomen, blue and screaming, and then all of a sudden turn a nice pink color and settle down. I started to feel lightheaded during the procedure but I didn't want to be "that girl" so I put my hands on my knees and bent down as if I was looking intensely at the surgery (Veryyy tricky).
I then went with T to visit our two patients, one of which didn't speak any English so I was able to communicate briefly with her in my broken Spanish before the interpreter arrived. My other patient was a nurse, as was her husband, and they were very open to letting me help and observe.
I was able to put in 2 Foley Catheter's which turned out to be pretty easy, but exciting, and later I inserted an IV and was able to draw blood. For the rest of the day I saw 1 more C-Section and 2 more births which lasted only about 10 minutes each because the babies were so tiny!
The real exciting and most special part of my day occurred around 6 PM, an hour before my shift ended. T and I had been with the pregnant lady who was a nurse since 7 AM and she was finally ready to start pushing! Her husband and I got on either side of her and helped her push while T prepared the room. She pushed for 1 hour and 20 minutes before her baby was born and I know I shouldn't be talking but I was so sore from helping her! When the baby was finally born I almost started crying but I didn't want to be "that girl" either so I refrained. (If it were up to me I'd be in that baby's first picture, smiling between her mom and dad, ha ha).
The baby was then cleaned, suctioned (they have a surprising amount of gunk in their throat from the amniotic fluid) and swaddled. It was so cool to be a part of that entire experience. I know this was my first day and my first rotation but I can't see myself ever getting tired of helping/watching babies be born. I can't wait until tomorrow, but for now, I'm exhausted!
Friday, May 25, 2012
End of Orientation...Finally!
We have finally finished the very long orientation process, and on Monday I start bright and early on the labor and delivery floor! I found out today that the hospital delivers over 3,500 babies per year which is about 10 per day! I can't wait to participate in the labor and delivery process.
The past two days we finished learning about policies at the hospital and learned which skills we can perform as externs and which we cannot. We started today with Nurse Extern Boot Camp which was essentially a skills check off. It wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be and it gave a boost of confidence that I remembered skills that I had learned over a year ago. As externs I think one of the most "advanced" skills we can perform is inserting a Foley catheter. (Seasoned nurses would probably laugh that I consider this advanced) Apparently on L & D and in the OR Foley's are put in all the time so I hope to actually perform this on a human being in the coming weeks, rather than a mannequin!
We also took a tour of the hospital today so we would know where to go when we started working and I was amazed at the size and diversity of the floors of the hospital. There is essentially a unit for any complication or illness, and every employee we passed seemed busy but happy. The Pediatric Oncology floor was very cool because it had a giant fish tank as a wall in front of the nurses station and tiny trikes and big wheels in the hallway for the kids to play with! When we were walking through the ER we saw a trauma patient coming in from the helicopter with the team of flight nurses which was a very intense looking situation. We also passed by the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where there are 3 OR's on the floor (as opposed to the OR floor) just for that unit. We happened to see a surgical team running from the OR into the NICU pushing a tiny tiny tiny baby in an incubator. It was obviously sad because the baby was premature and had other complications, but it's pretty amazing to think that there is such advanced technology and capable people that can save the babies life!
This whole week has been very educational but very tiring as well! I can't wait to not set an alarm tomorrow, enjoy the weekend and get refreshed for Monday!
The past two days we finished learning about policies at the hospital and learned which skills we can perform as externs and which we cannot. We started today with Nurse Extern Boot Camp which was essentially a skills check off. It wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be and it gave a boost of confidence that I remembered skills that I had learned over a year ago. As externs I think one of the most "advanced" skills we can perform is inserting a Foley catheter. (Seasoned nurses would probably laugh that I consider this advanced) Apparently on L & D and in the OR Foley's are put in all the time so I hope to actually perform this on a human being in the coming weeks, rather than a mannequin!
We also took a tour of the hospital today so we would know where to go when we started working and I was amazed at the size and diversity of the floors of the hospital. There is essentially a unit for any complication or illness, and every employee we passed seemed busy but happy. The Pediatric Oncology floor was very cool because it had a giant fish tank as a wall in front of the nurses station and tiny trikes and big wheels in the hallway for the kids to play with! When we were walking through the ER we saw a trauma patient coming in from the helicopter with the team of flight nurses which was a very intense looking situation. We also passed by the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where there are 3 OR's on the floor (as opposed to the OR floor) just for that unit. We happened to see a surgical team running from the OR into the NICU pushing a tiny tiny tiny baby in an incubator. It was obviously sad because the baby was premature and had other complications, but it's pretty amazing to think that there is such advanced technology and capable people that can save the babies life!
This whole week has been very educational but very tiring as well! I can't wait to not set an alarm tomorrow, enjoy the weekend and get refreshed for Monday!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Orientation Continues
Today continued with Extern Orientation, 2 more days and we are done! Today was better than the previous days because the information applied directly to our program, I had more interaction with the other externs and I began the day with a Grande Vanilla Latte from Starbucks. You determine which reason was more influential...
Anyways, we met some of the head nursing staff at the hospital and learned some nursing specific policies. We also learned the computer documentation system (paper charts are so 2010), how to label specimen per protocol and did basic training with the glucometer which reads patient's blood sugar levels.
I learned something else that stuck with me today and I hope to use this concept when I begin working on Monday. The hospital I am working at is beginning a new initiative to "take the mystery out of medicine" for the patient's which I think is a great idea because unless you are educated in medical terminology, let alone medicine, you probably don't understand half of what is said in a health care setting. So basically the hospital is hoping by explaining everything to the patient clearly and involving them in their treatment, there will be less confusion and anxiety from the moment they are admitted. I had never really thought about this but when you tell a patient that the Doctor put in an order for an X-ray for them they assume that they will be taken to radiology in the next hour or so. However, behind the scenes we know that means that realistically tomorrow morning they will be taken for an X-ray. If we communicate this to the patient from the beginning then there will be considerably less frustration on their end and it will enhance the nurse-patient relationship.
I will meet my first mentor tomorrow afternoon at a reception we will have at the end of the day and like I mentioned above I will begin work this Monday on the Labor and Delivery floor! I am very very excited but I am assuming I will see a live birth that day for my first time so I may rent "The Miracle of Life" this weekend to prepare myself (You probably think I am kidding but I am definitely not).
Anyways, time to relax for the rest of the night and get ready for tomorrow!
Anyways, we met some of the head nursing staff at the hospital and learned some nursing specific policies. We also learned the computer documentation system (paper charts are so 2010), how to label specimen per protocol and did basic training with the glucometer which reads patient's blood sugar levels.
I learned something else that stuck with me today and I hope to use this concept when I begin working on Monday. The hospital I am working at is beginning a new initiative to "take the mystery out of medicine" for the patient's which I think is a great idea because unless you are educated in medical terminology, let alone medicine, you probably don't understand half of what is said in a health care setting. So basically the hospital is hoping by explaining everything to the patient clearly and involving them in their treatment, there will be less confusion and anxiety from the moment they are admitted. I had never really thought about this but when you tell a patient that the Doctor put in an order for an X-ray for them they assume that they will be taken to radiology in the next hour or so. However, behind the scenes we know that means that realistically tomorrow morning they will be taken for an X-ray. If we communicate this to the patient from the beginning then there will be considerably less frustration on their end and it will enhance the nurse-patient relationship.
I will meet my first mentor tomorrow afternoon at a reception we will have at the end of the day and like I mentioned above I will begin work this Monday on the Labor and Delivery floor! I am very very excited but I am assuming I will see a live birth that day for my first time so I may rent "The Miracle of Life" this weekend to prepare myself (You probably think I am kidding but I am definitely not).
Anyways, time to relax for the rest of the night and get ready for tomorrow!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Orientation
I'm back in the South (Carolina, not of California) and have already had one busy day of work. Today was day 1 of New Employee Orientation where we learned basic information about the hospital, it's policies and what are our expectations as employees. The day began with a visit from the CEO of the hospital. Apparently he comes to 98% of New Employee Orientations which occur every Monday and Tuesday, 51 weeks out of the year! For such a busy person, that is a lot of time welcoming new employees. He was a great speaker and shared his mission and goals for the hospital, which were inspiring and realistic. The day continued with many different speakers from areas of the hospital such as Worker's Compensation, Diversity, Employee Health and Wellness and Employee Benefits (how grown up do I sound?!).
It was an interesting assortment of presentations although most of it didn't quite apply to my program since it is only a summer job, but it was still interesting to hear and important to know down the road. The entire day I kept asking the other externs whether or not they knew when we'd get our schedules, when we'd be working, which floors would we be working on, etc. No one else knew, but everyone was as excited as I was to find out! Well...we finally did! This summer I will be spending my first three weeks on Labor and Delivery (L&D), my second three weeks on Women's Speciality Obstetrics (this is for high risk pregnancies and severe gynecological issues) and my last three weeks in the operating room (OR). I am so so excited for this summer to really start because these are all areas that I'm very interested. Tomorrow we continue on with New Employee Orientation and Wednesday-Friday we learn more about the Nurse Extern program specifically.
It was an interesting assortment of presentations although most of it didn't quite apply to my program since it is only a summer job, but it was still interesting to hear and important to know down the road. The entire day I kept asking the other externs whether or not they knew when we'd get our schedules, when we'd be working, which floors would we be working on, etc. No one else knew, but everyone was as excited as I was to find out! Well...we finally did! This summer I will be spending my first three weeks on Labor and Delivery (L&D), my second three weeks on Women's Speciality Obstetrics (this is for high risk pregnancies and severe gynecological issues) and my last three weeks in the operating room (OR). I am so so excited for this summer to really start because these are all areas that I'm very interested. Tomorrow we continue on with New Employee Orientation and Wednesday-Friday we learn more about the Nurse Extern program specifically.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Anticipation
I have been home in Orange County, California for about a week and a half and I am getting very excited for my externship to begin in South Carolina on the 21st. If you know me at all you know I have a minor (major?) obsession with organization, itinerizing and planning ahead. For that reason I am having a very hard time relaxing at home when I don't know exactly what I'll be doing this summer. Since we have 3 different clinical rotations there are so many options of what I could be doing this summer. I am hoping that I get my first choice which is Labor and Delivery (babies!!!!) but I won't find out for a week or so and it is driving me insane!
In the meantime I've purchased new scrubs (white bottoms, brown tops...brown, really?!) and new shoes (the comfiest I could find, 12 hour shifts!!). I've also entertained myself on websites such as: http://
In the meantime I've purchased new scrubs (white bottoms, brown tops...brown, really?!) and new shoes (the comfiest I could find, 12 hour shifts!!). I've also entertained myself on websites such as: http://
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Intro
I am a rising Senior Nursing Student at Clemson University from Orange County, California and this blog is about my summer as a Nurse Extern at a hospital in South Carolina. An externship is basically an internship, but in the hospital setting they use the term extern to differentiate nurses from doctors (interns). Also, externs are more supervised than interns. I will have a preceptor during each clinical rotation who I will follow around and learn from. As externs we technically aren't allowed to perform many skills or administer medication but hopefully I will gain the trust of my preceptor and be able to do something!
My externship is 9 weeks long in addition to a 1 week orientation and 1 week vacation for the 4th of July. The Nurse Extern Program allows us to work for 3 weeks on 3 different floors of the hospital to experience as much as possible. We will work 36 hours a week during the day shift which will allow me to enjoy the hot South Carolina summer and hopefully visit some friends and family!
I have many reasons for writing this blog...First, I have strange, funny and touching encounters with my patients on a day to day basis and I like to share these stories with my family and friends. Second, it is hard to respond succinctly when people say, "Tell me about your summer!" So now, in a true a 21st century manner, I can just give them a link to my blog. Conversation over. And finally, and on a more serious note, I want to use this blog in the future when I desire to reflect on my experience. I anticipate this summer to be challenging both emotionally and mentally, but also rewarding, and I want to remember every detail!
**To protect the identity and information of my patients, I won't reveal the name of the hospital or any identifying information about the patients.
My externship is 9 weeks long in addition to a 1 week orientation and 1 week vacation for the 4th of July. The Nurse Extern Program allows us to work for 3 weeks on 3 different floors of the hospital to experience as much as possible. We will work 36 hours a week during the day shift which will allow me to enjoy the hot South Carolina summer and hopefully visit some friends and family!
I have many reasons for writing this blog...First, I have strange, funny and touching encounters with my patients on a day to day basis and I like to share these stories with my family and friends. Second, it is hard to respond succinctly when people say, "Tell me about your summer!" So now, in a true a 21st century manner, I can just give them a link to my blog. Conversation over. And finally, and on a more serious note, I want to use this blog in the future when I desire to reflect on my experience. I anticipate this summer to be challenging both emotionally and mentally, but also rewarding, and I want to remember every detail!
**To protect the identity and information of my patients, I won't reveal the name of the hospital or any identifying information about the patients.
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