August 5, 2010
Time: 10:00-3:00
Total Hours: 5 Hours
I went to the orientation of the hospital where I learned the general rules and layout of the hostpital. I had to take a urine test to make sure i was clear in order to start working at the hostpital. I learned the different color codes that could be in effect while I am working at the hopital. I leistened to a seminar and then took a small test on the information that I obsorbed. I recived an identification card so that I would be able to enter into the nesessary rooms that i would be accessing while mentoring under Ms. Costantino. They also took us on a small tour of the Hospital so we could see where different departments are, and where the cafeteria is.
September 8, 2010
Time: 3:00-5:30pm
Total Hours: 7 hours and 30 minutes
I went to my mentor site at Montgomery General Hospital, and I met with my mentor, Beverly Costantino, for the first time. Beverly Costantino works as a Registered Nurse and alternates shifts working in different areas, today I worked with her in the Post anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). I started out by getting a tore of the floor that she works on, changing into scrubs, and meeting a lot of the other nurses and doctors. The unit that she works in seems like a really cool place to work because all of the nurses and doctors know each other well which makes it a fun and warm environment to be in. I accompanied Ms. Costantino in her work in PACU by retrieving the patient’s warm blankets and heat lamps to keep them warm because they are generally very cold after getting out of surgery. As the anesthesia is finishing wearing off we looked at the heart rates, blood pressure, and monitored their vital signs to make sure that everything was coming back to normal. I also got the patients juice and graham crackers because they are staving after surgery since they have not eaten since the midnight before their surgeries, this is a precaution used so that they will not get sick during/ right after the surgery. I stayed with Ms. Costantino in PACU for most of the time, but for the last 45 minutes I got to sit in on two surgeries. One of the surgeries was on a woman and it was called an
Endoscopy which was very cool to experience. I went back into the operating room with another nurse, Ms Baker, who introduced me to the doctor, nurse anesthetist, and another nurse who were all assisting in the Endoscopy procedure. I sat down in a chair directly in front of the patient and got to witness the entire procedure first hand! The Nurse Anesthetist put the patient to sleep, and then the doctor put the endoscope, which is like a little camera, down the patient’s throat. The doctor controls the scope with what looks like a remote control, and he can navigate through her. It was really cool because they have two big plasma screen televisions in the operating room which showed what the camera was seeing inside of the lady. The procedure was done to look for stomach ulcers inside of her, which the doctor found and took pictures of. At the end of the procedure the doctor took the scope back out and the Nurse Anesthetist woke her back up, which I think was a really interesting job and I think I might want to do one day. The second procedure that I saw was another Endoscopy, but this time they were looking for internal bleeding inside of the man. They also preformed a Colonoscopy, which is the same kind of procedure but it is up the butt, and they found that was the source of the internal bleeding. I found this procedure kind of disgusting but still tolerable. At the end of my first day I really liked my mentorship spot and my mentor, so I was really excited to be going back in a week.
September 16, 2010
Time: 2:30-6:00
Total Hours: 10 and a half hours
When I went to my mentorship today I navigated around the PACU and surgery unit and into the girl’s locker room to get changed into scrubs all by myself. I was proud that I was learning the layout of the area, and not getting lost. There are many hallways and doors leading into different operating rooms and units. I assisted Ms. Costantino in taking care of an 82 year old man who just got out of surgery and was recovering from the anesthesia. I brought him a warm blanket, cranberry juice, and graham crackers. It was not very busy in PACU, so I hung out and talked with the other nurse on duty at the time. After we ordered a dinner for the man who was in recovery I was allowed to go and sit in on another surgery. The surgery was on an 85 year old man’s neck. The essential artery in his neck was clogged, so blood was not flowing to his brain at a fast enough pace. When enough blood is not reaching your brain you are more likely to have a stroke. When I came into the surgery the doctor already began the operation and the patient’s neck was cut open and he was removing the build up. When he took out the blockage material he showed it to me, it was red and a spongy looking red material. Watching the surgery was particularly cool because I was literally standing right next to one of the OR Nurses and across from the doctor, and just inches away from the patient. I found it very interesting how relaxed the doctor was, as he was operating he was singing along to the music that was playing, talking to me, and to the other three nurses in the room. The doctor was explaining to me everything he was doing throughout the procedure, and why he was doing it in a certain way. It was also very shocking when he told me their was going to be a little bit of blood when he unclamped the value that he cut of during the surgery to restart the blood flow, and what was a little bit of blood to him was a lot of blood to me. The blood got all over him, and he acted as if it was nothing, I guess he is just used to it. It was such a relaxed and fun environment in the operating room, and I really enjoyed it.
October 14, 2010
Time: 3:00-6:30
Total Hours: 14 hours
There were three patients today in PACU, and the one that I was helping my mentor with a man who was actually the father of one of her high school friends. Because she knew him on a personal level, she allowed me to take out his IV as a trail run since I had never done that before. I also helped to hook him up to the machine that takes his heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. What you do is hook three color coordinated clips onto the pads attached to his body. I observed that it is very hard for people to remember conversations and where they are when they are still waking up from the anesthesia. Ms. Costantino had to repeat herself over and over because he couldn’t remember the previous conversations. She said it was very normal for the conversations to be forgotten especially the ones that are had when the patient is first coming back to reality. I also was able to push a stretcher through the halls and on the elevator, so I saw the upstairs area of the hospital, where the patients are taken after they are released from PACU if they have to stay at the hospital over night. I also observed Ms. Costantino dress the man, and bring him out to his family in the wheelchair. She had to explain all of his instructions for the next few days, and his medicine intake to his family so they knew how to properly take care of him.
Date: October 25, 2010
Time: 3:00-5:30
Total Hours: 16 Hours and 30 Minutes
Today was kind of slow. Not many patients were there, Ms. Costantino said that they were busy earlier today but it has died down alot. Imostly just hung around with the nurses that were on duty, and i got to talk to them about their lives. They are really nice people and I am glad to see that most nurses are nice, so I will be around a lot of nice people in my schooling years, and following that in my career years.
Date: November 2, 2010
Time: 2:30-6:00
Total Hours: 20 Hours
Today I helped Ms. Costantino take vital signs of patients and provide them food and drink after their surgeries. The hospital was not very busy as it got later in the aternoon, so one of the doctors, Dr. Yang, i believe his name was came in and talked with us. He spcializes as a hand doctor and two of the nurses were complaining about a crick in their finger when they wake up in the morinings. Dr. Yang diagnosed them and came back five minutes later with two vaccines which he then inserted into their fingers. He said that you have to inject in the the exact right palce or else it will not work. One of the nurses that recieved the vaccine said that she could feel it move up through her finger. Dr. Yang said that their hands shouldnt have that crick in the morning any longer, but if they do that in a few weeks he can inject them again. It was cool to see how doctors and nurses can administer their friends necessary medications and vaccines when they need it becasue they are all certified. I want to be able to do that!
November 22, 2010
Time: 3:00 - 6:10
Total Hours: 23 hours and 10 minutes
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