Wow, so it's been one and a half weeks since I've been attached to the hospital here in Ipswich. It's really quite interesting and exicting to finally be able to understand the whole clinical picture from seeing patients and learning practical skills instead of just burying myself in books (not that I've done a lot of that =P). Oh, and there's internet connection in my room after all! Although it's quite bad but I'm not complaining!
In the short time here, I have seen a really jaundiced patient, a patient who's had 10 drug overdoses (!!!), taken lots of bloods! and put cannulas in (I failed several times arrghhhh!). But the proudest and scariest moment was when I had to do CPR on a dying woman! My firm was on call that evening and suddenly my SHO got a fast bleep.. which means someone's on cardiac arrest!! So the whole firm + some nurses dashed out of the ward and ran down this bloody long corridor to another ward at the other end of the hospital.
By the time I got there, I was all sweaty and panting.. I was really impressed at how everyone else was able to remain calm and doing what they had to do to resuscitate this patient with no pulse. This nurse was doing chest compressions for a few mins now and must be getting really tired, then my SHO turn around and asked ME to take over!?
Up to that point, I was just standing at the corner, shocked and observing everything that's going on around me, like watching an emergency case on TV. But alas, I was called back to reality and I had no choice but to step in to this scary world.. I had only learn Basic Life Support a couple of weeks ago and to do this on a real dying patient just scares the hell out of me. So I did what I could barely remember from that short lesson that I had and did the chest compression with all I had, as my heart was pounding like mad. And when I looked at the patient's face to see if there was any reaction, I got another shock as she had only one eye.. as if I'm not frightened enough already.
Thank god after a minute or so, her heart started beating again and I breathed a sigh of relief. I can't imagine how I would feel if the first patient I did this on had not made it... I would feel really guilty and think its all my fault. But now I'm really proud of myself for playing a part in saving someone's life. =D
In the short time here, I have seen a really jaundiced patient, a patient who's had 10 drug overdoses (!!!), taken lots of bloods! and put cannulas in (I failed several times arrghhhh!). But the proudest and scariest moment was when I had to do CPR on a dying woman! My firm was on call that evening and suddenly my SHO got a fast bleep.. which means someone's on cardiac arrest!! So the whole firm + some nurses dashed out of the ward and ran down this bloody long corridor to another ward at the other end of the hospital.
By the time I got there, I was all sweaty and panting.. I was really impressed at how everyone else was able to remain calm and doing what they had to do to resuscitate this patient with no pulse. This nurse was doing chest compressions for a few mins now and must be getting really tired, then my SHO turn around and asked ME to take over!?
Up to that point, I was just standing at the corner, shocked and observing everything that's going on around me, like watching an emergency case on TV. But alas, I was called back to reality and I had no choice but to step in to this scary world.. I had only learn Basic Life Support a couple of weeks ago and to do this on a real dying patient just scares the hell out of me. So I did what I could barely remember from that short lesson that I had and did the chest compression with all I had, as my heart was pounding like mad. And when I looked at the patient's face to see if there was any reaction, I got another shock as she had only one eye.. as if I'm not frightened enough already.
Thank god after a minute or so, her heart started beating again and I breathed a sigh of relief. I can't imagine how I would feel if the first patient I did this on had not made it... I would feel really guilty and think its all my fault. But now I'm really proud of myself for playing a part in saving someone's life. =D
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