Yesterday was my first 12 hour shift and boy it was crazy. I believe I went through close to a dozen emotions...frustration, fear, encouragement, success, and humor.
When I arrived to the hospital I was assigned to a a unit which took me FOREVER to find...no one knew where it was and sent me every which way to find this "hidden" unit. Anyways, I finally found the unit and was assigned to sitting for lets just say "Mr. Jones." When I got to the room I got a quick report on him which consisted of the sitter telling me make sure his oxygen stays on his face since it keeps coming off. After 2 hours and only reading about 8 pages in my book (to give you an idea of how previous sitting assignments have been, I've been able to read close to 200 pages during the 8 hours) I was getting a little frustrated. He kept on pulling his oxygen off his face about every 1 to 2 minutes. But it definitely kept me awake...hahaha!!!
I continued to put the oxygen mask back on his face but all of a sudden his oxygen saturation rate dropped...and FAST!!! I put the call light on and the nurse came in right away (she must have been right outside the door...because I really mean RIGHT AWAY)!!! She began to assess him and called the respiratory team. Then his heart rate started to fluctuate and before I knew it we had hit the code blue button and about 20 people were in the room with over 10 people waiting outside. I have never seen so many people flood a room so quickly and work so efficiently. It was also the first time I had seen CPR performed (after all those classes, nothing could have prepared me to take it all in). A weird shiver went down my spine watching it all...a little fear overcame me. But thankfully that emotion did not enter my mind until my job was done and I had left the room.
I went into the conference room to talk with the house supervisor who was incredibly nice. She had to ask me about what had happened since I was the one person who had been with him the past three hours. I was really encouraged when she told me I did everything right. Then the nurse who had been with me came into the room to tell me good job and I had done everything correct. It was still a little scary, but I am happy they were so encouraging to me. I am also encouraged to know that after "Mr. Jones" flat lining, he was revived.
Since he was being transferred to the ICU, he no longer needed me as his sitter, and quite honestly I don't think I could have stayed with him the next couple of hours. I was transferred to be a PCT for the next half of a shift. I was happy to be busy working without stopping for 4 hours straight...one call light after another. Quite a few of the patients were going home on this unit, so I took out multiple IVs which I think I've perfected that skill to not spill blood on my uniform :) I felt such success after the shift was complete...14 patients and all :)
The last 4 hours of my shift I was sitting once again. This was a little different though. I was with a patient who had dementia. She was very upset about everything in the world...telling me how "you people have ruined this world" and "you are so ignorant of this world." It was hard to listen to her rants about how horrible life is. I sort of felt bad for her and the mindset she was trapped in. On the other hand between her mean comments, some of which were directly toward me sometimes, I found some humor. I cannot even remember the ridiculous things she would say at times, but some of it was funny. She was yelling at the crucifix on the wall for a while and through that in an odd way I was able to witness to her a little bit. I am not entirely sure where her faith was before and where it is now, but I was happy to have had that experience. It would be incredibly difficult to have a someone close to you have dementia and I now have such respect for people who are going through that.
I know that today was a good day, it was just VERY tough. I do believe I will always remember my first code blue, but it is encouraging that he was revived.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sitting...
The last two nights I was working at a new hospital which brought about a whole new crowd of people. The hospital was made up for more of a rough bunch of patients.
The first night I was assigned the ER to be a suicide watch sitter. My patient was only a few years younger than I which was the closest in age I've ever had in terms of a patient. It broke my heart the more I learned about my patient. I had to keep my composure while the family was talking with her and let me just tell you, it was hard. I have never experienced such heart break for a patient situation.
Then last night I sat with an elderly man. He was falling asleep all day which made me a bit tired as well...hahaha. It was funny to me that I got paid to sit while he slept all day.
Hopefully in the next couple shifts I will have the opportunity to be assigned to be a PCT :)
The first night I was assigned the ER to be a suicide watch sitter. My patient was only a few years younger than I which was the closest in age I've ever had in terms of a patient. It broke my heart the more I learned about my patient. I had to keep my composure while the family was talking with her and let me just tell you, it was hard. I have never experienced such heart break for a patient situation.
Then last night I sat with an elderly man. He was falling asleep all day which made me a bit tired as well...hahaha. It was funny to me that I got paid to sit while he slept all day.
Hopefully in the next couple shifts I will have the opportunity to be assigned to be a PCT :)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A slow evening...really!!!
Last night actually was uneventful! I was assigned to be a suicide precaution patient sitter. He did not talk to me practically the entire time, so I did not really do anything but watched television, finished my book & magazine and completed well over a dozen sudoku. I never realized how tiring sitting can be...try it sometime. Try sitting for 8.5 hours with one bathroom break and 15 minutes for dinner. It does not sound too bad, but trust me...it is...hahaha. I am still really grateful for the job though. I was able to watch two PCTs do vital signs on him and I figured out a more efficient way to do them. I also was able to watch a nurse's physical assessment at the beginning of his shift (he was African and had a sweet accent :) ) Anyways, last night was kind of boring, but it still is a great job!!!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
First day on my own...uneventful, I THINK NOT!!!
So last Thursday I had a CRAZY shift to say the least!!!
Where do I start...well probably in the room of a patient who I will call "Joe" for the sake of privacy. I met Joe on my orientation shift a couple nights before but he was now in a different room. The previous PCT had given me a warning to make sure he didn't "escape" to the lobby...hence the reason for change of rooms. Now he had to walk past the nurses station before leaving the unit. I walked into his room and he started sharing choice words about how upset he was and how he was going to leave the hospital. The nurse heard him yelling all the way down the hall so she quickly came in and started talking with him. The unit had called security earlier in his stay due to his outbursts in fear he would hurt a staff member. And quite honestly he towered over every single staff member at 6'2" and 325lbs. I did NOT want him anymore mad at nurse or me, so thankfully we managed to get him calm enough to agree to stay. It sometimes surprises me the way patients react sometimes. No, we are not a hotel and never claim to give "hotel service," but we will do everything that you will allow to help you get better. Unfortunately this patient cared more about the timeliness of getting to eating dinner then making sure his health was under control. He claimed that it did not come at a "reasonable hour" and in his mind that was at 4:30 in the afternoon! Later in the night we had to call the doctor to talk to Joe about the importance of staying at the hospital until his health problems had been resolved. Thankfully, security did not need to be called anymore for him :)
Once again I had a pleasant, but busy evening after that point. I did everything you can think of...vitals, washing my hands, emptying commodes, washing my hands, emptying cath bags, washing my hands, BGMs, washing my hands, changing diapers, washing my hands. I think I spent most of my time washing my hands...NO nosocomial infection from me! Hahaha, but seriously!
On my second half of my shift was was transferred to be a sitter for a patient who was going through alcohol withdrawal. At first she was really pleasant, so it seemed like I was going to have an easy rest of the night. But boy, was I wrong! Her IV started leaking and the pain medications were beginning to wear off which is not a good combination. Two nurses and four attempts later, a new IV was started on her which was good because they needed to hang a new bag of medication. While this new bag was suppose to help her, it made her extremely suspicious of EVERYONE. At times it was quite humorous in a sad sort of way. She kept on asking me why I was in her room and why I had stolen all of her silverware. Then she started to get a little worse, she called people on the phone saying that she did not know why this "babysitter" (meaning me) was in her room. It was a little odd having someone talk about me to someone else when I was only 3 feet from her. Her phone would not hang up and she became agitated, until I told her she was hanging the phone up on the remote control!
The purpose of me sitting in her room was to make sure she didn't fall due to the strong medications she was taking. She did not appreciate that as the night went on because that meant I had to keep her from getting out of bed. I do not think I have every had a person saying so many words to me in my life...I do not even know how she managed to fit all the choice words into sentences. If there was an award for swearing like a sailor for the night she would have gotten it! I sort of surprised myself by not being fazed by it all. She was uncomfortable. She had lost all of her independence. And she could no longer drink to solve all of her problems. She even told me at the end of the night, that she would not be that "crazy" if I just gave her a drink. She also told me that she would not forget me yelling at her...little did she know that I was not the one yelling or even saying a word back to her when she went on a rant about how horrible of a person I was...lol.
By the end of the night, I was ready to clock out, let my feet rest (comfortable shoes are a MUST), & drive home listening to soothing music. This job is already creating some crazy memories and learning experiences and I am so grateful to have it. The staff I work with is amazing and I am blessed to be able to learn from them. This weekend I went shopping for comfortable shoes with a friend, so tomorrow night I cannot say it will be less eventful, but at least my feet will be happier :)
Where do I start...well probably in the room of a patient who I will call "Joe" for the sake of privacy. I met Joe on my orientation shift a couple nights before but he was now in a different room. The previous PCT had given me a warning to make sure he didn't "escape" to the lobby...hence the reason for change of rooms. Now he had to walk past the nurses station before leaving the unit. I walked into his room and he started sharing choice words about how upset he was and how he was going to leave the hospital. The nurse heard him yelling all the way down the hall so she quickly came in and started talking with him. The unit had called security earlier in his stay due to his outbursts in fear he would hurt a staff member. And quite honestly he towered over every single staff member at 6'2" and 325lbs. I did NOT want him anymore mad at nurse or me, so thankfully we managed to get him calm enough to agree to stay. It sometimes surprises me the way patients react sometimes. No, we are not a hotel and never claim to give "hotel service," but we will do everything that you will allow to help you get better. Unfortunately this patient cared more about the timeliness of getting to eating dinner then making sure his health was under control. He claimed that it did not come at a "reasonable hour" and in his mind that was at 4:30 in the afternoon! Later in the night we had to call the doctor to talk to Joe about the importance of staying at the hospital until his health problems had been resolved. Thankfully, security did not need to be called anymore for him :)
Once again I had a pleasant, but busy evening after that point. I did everything you can think of...vitals, washing my hands, emptying commodes, washing my hands, emptying cath bags, washing my hands, BGMs, washing my hands, changing diapers, washing my hands. I think I spent most of my time washing my hands...NO nosocomial infection from me! Hahaha, but seriously!
On my second half of my shift was was transferred to be a sitter for a patient who was going through alcohol withdrawal. At first she was really pleasant, so it seemed like I was going to have an easy rest of the night. But boy, was I wrong! Her IV started leaking and the pain medications were beginning to wear off which is not a good combination. Two nurses and four attempts later, a new IV was started on her which was good because they needed to hang a new bag of medication. While this new bag was suppose to help her, it made her extremely suspicious of EVERYONE. At times it was quite humorous in a sad sort of way. She kept on asking me why I was in her room and why I had stolen all of her silverware. Then she started to get a little worse, she called people on the phone saying that she did not know why this "babysitter" (meaning me) was in her room. It was a little odd having someone talk about me to someone else when I was only 3 feet from her. Her phone would not hang up and she became agitated, until I told her she was hanging the phone up on the remote control!
The purpose of me sitting in her room was to make sure she didn't fall due to the strong medications she was taking. She did not appreciate that as the night went on because that meant I had to keep her from getting out of bed. I do not think I have every had a person saying so many words to me in my life...I do not even know how she managed to fit all the choice words into sentences. If there was an award for swearing like a sailor for the night she would have gotten it! I sort of surprised myself by not being fazed by it all. She was uncomfortable. She had lost all of her independence. And she could no longer drink to solve all of her problems. She even told me at the end of the night, that she would not be that "crazy" if I just gave her a drink. She also told me that she would not forget me yelling at her...little did she know that I was not the one yelling or even saying a word back to her when she went on a rant about how horrible of a person I was...lol.
By the end of the night, I was ready to clock out, let my feet rest (comfortable shoes are a MUST), & drive home listening to soothing music. This job is already creating some crazy memories and learning experiences and I am so grateful to have it. The staff I work with is amazing and I am blessed to be able to learn from them. This weekend I went shopping for comfortable shoes with a friend, so tomorrow night I cannot say it will be less eventful, but at least my feet will be happier :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A trip to the morgue and back...EKKK!!!
Yesterday was my first day...and it was quite a day to say the least!!! It took over 90 minutes to get to the hospital when my new GPS said that it would only take 45 minutes when I left home. Good thing I left so early (2 hours...just in case)!
I found the unit perfectly fine and was impressed with it right away. It was a clean looking unit with a very wide hallway and huge window at the end. I felt welcomed right away when I got to the nurses station. One of the nurses helped me find the PCT who I was to "orient" with for the day. We started answering call lights and such. The call lights entailed getting confused 80 year olds out of the bathroom after they got "lost" in their private room...hahaha! It was quite enjoyable actually.
The PCT and I then began taking our vitals. We went all the way down the hall to begin. The first room had the door shut which was a little different but I didn't think much of it. When I got inside the room I noticed three beautiful bouquets of flowers on the counter. The PCT shut the door behind us and walked over to our first patient. I turned around and noticed she was sleeping. She also had a very yellow color, so my first thought was that she had jaundice. I brushed her hand and noticed it was ice cold which immediately sent the chills through my body-she was dead! I then realized that we were no longer taking vitals, but cleaning her up before she went to the morgue.
The communication to me about what was happening was lacking, but I quickly bounced back. Needless to say i was shocked in that situation, but impressed with how much dignity the staff gave her. The staff never referred to her as a "body" but she was still a patient and was handled with much care. I had the opportunity to help prepare her for "rose cottage." Our nurse manager told us that when she lived in England they would refer to the morgue as "rose cottage" because if someone else overhears they won't understand...oops, I guess I just let the secret out!
The rest of the evening was a little less eventful. I emptied urinals, helped patients to the bathroom and camodes, took vitals (for real this time), filled waters and answered call lights. Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly :)
I found the unit perfectly fine and was impressed with it right away. It was a clean looking unit with a very wide hallway and huge window at the end. I felt welcomed right away when I got to the nurses station. One of the nurses helped me find the PCT who I was to "orient" with for the day. We started answering call lights and such. The call lights entailed getting confused 80 year olds out of the bathroom after they got "lost" in their private room...hahaha! It was quite enjoyable actually.
The PCT and I then began taking our vitals. We went all the way down the hall to begin. The first room had the door shut which was a little different but I didn't think much of it. When I got inside the room I noticed three beautiful bouquets of flowers on the counter. The PCT shut the door behind us and walked over to our first patient. I turned around and noticed she was sleeping. She also had a very yellow color, so my first thought was that she had jaundice. I brushed her hand and noticed it was ice cold which immediately sent the chills through my body-she was dead! I then realized that we were no longer taking vitals, but cleaning her up before she went to the morgue.
The communication to me about what was happening was lacking, but I quickly bounced back. Needless to say i was shocked in that situation, but impressed with how much dignity the staff gave her. The staff never referred to her as a "body" but she was still a patient and was handled with much care. I had the opportunity to help prepare her for "rose cottage." Our nurse manager told us that when she lived in England they would refer to the morgue as "rose cottage" because if someone else overhears they won't understand...oops, I guess I just let the secret out!
The rest of the evening was a little less eventful. I emptied urinals, helped patients to the bathroom and camodes, took vitals (for real this time), filled waters and answered call lights. Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)