First week of clinicals

Thursday was my chance to go to the operating room and observe a few surgeries. I got the chance to watch a gallbladder removed, hysterectomy, and a total hip replacement. They tell you to make sure you eat before hand to help prevent passing out. When you arrive they tell you that if you feel faint, or not well to step out of the room and that if you can't do that then just sit down. Well, I did not have to do any of that. The first two were done without any major incision and there were cameras placed inside to do all the work. I got to watch the screen the doctor was viewing for the procedure. The last one they cut into the persons leg, sawed, and hammered but it didn't bother me.

For the hip surgery it was interesting to watch the whole process. First they have a really strong tech hold the leg in position up in the air while they prep and clean the leg. Then they rest it down and start the incision. 3 doctors are in the room for the procedure. 2 are there to assist the main doctor. When they were sawing the guys top of his femur off to replace the arthritic ball and socket it was kind of a weird smell. Then they worked a rod into the guys femur, slowly making it bigger and bigger. The guy lost a lot of blood but the cool thing is that they have a machine called a cell saver where as they suction they are saving that blood to then give back to the guy as he needs it.

When I left the surgery they were doing an x ray to see if the guys femur was fractured. I wish I could have seen the end of that procedure.

It was interesting because the nurses were very intent on us realizing that they do nursing care. The funny thing is, why do they have to convince us. Some benefits to working as an OR nurse is the fact that you work mon-friday and are on call only one weekend. Most nurses have to work every other weekend in the hospital. It used to be that one nurse scrubbed in (gowned and became "sterile"). this nurse could touch the patient and was responsible for handing the doctor their tools. Then there is the circulating nurse who was not considered sterile and could not touch anything related to the surgery or the patient. This person is the one who charts, and also is the runner. At the hospital I was at, and probobly becoming more common, they are not having nurses scrub in. This person is now often a tech. who makes less money. To be honest, neither had a real exciting role but the circulating nurse had the least exciting role in my mind. I think I would be bored as an OR nurse. I don't like to stand around and I need something to do to keep me busy. In the total hip surgery the circulating nurse spent much of her time sitting there watching not doing much more than me.

Today, I was on the pediatric floor. It is a bit tough because we are at a small peds hospital, so not as many clients, and the "sick" kids are sent out. So this makes it tough to truly experience life as a pediatric nurse. I had a six yearold with a brain tumor though she was discharged by 10 am. I then got to take care of a young boy with pneumonia. Neither of the patients needed much so it was tough for me, again, trying to find something to at least look busy. I really think of myself as a pediatric nurse or a trauma/critical care nurse. I think I could do either but I wish I had a better chance to evaluate peds and see what it is truly like. I still have 3 more days so maybe in that time I can see a little bit more.

After next week I get to go to mother baby and hold lots of little newborns. Talk about a tough job. It will be hard not to want to take them all home with me.

Monday is my first exam. Hoping for a great start to the semester to take some pressure off. This semester is not so much a tough semester acidemically. The material is not as overwhelming so far, but the time commitment is. I often leave around 6:45am and dont get home till 4;30 or 5pm. By 9pm I am so spent I am ready to fall asleep. It is tough to get good quality studying in with this little of time so if anything that is what will make this semester tough. They keep adding stuff on top of it, as if we don't already have enough. Oh but Aug 14th is on the horizon. We are already nearing the half way mark of June. Thank God for that.