How was it?

Well, the first day on the ward was brief but good. I'll spare you the gory details but the patients we saw included:

1. An agitated bi-polar woman with a tertiary wound and hemovac drain. She was in pain and unhappy and not very nice. But then, if I were in pain, I might not be very nice either. She was mean to all the nurses including the wound specialist. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see her wound.

2. A homeless man with a femur and tibial fracture who didn't smell so good. Also, he was still in his clothes and not a hospital gown. He wasn't wearing underwear. Don't ask me how I know that. I asked the nurse how he hurt himself but she didn't know. She says that when the homeless come to the hospital they've usually been hit by a car. That makes me sad.

3. An older gentleman who had recently had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). We almost got to observe the insertion of a foley cath on him but then he went and voided 4 oz of urine and the nurse decided he didn't need one inserted just then. Good for the patient but unfortunate for us.

4. Another older gentleman who was post-op for the removal of a melanoma and a partial parotidectomy. He was vomiting a bit and still fuzzy from anesthesia. Melanoma, ewww.

On Monday we got to hear about the experiences that some of the other students had. Some of them were on an oncology ward and most of their patients were not long for this world. A number of the students were caring for dementia patients. 2 students were working with a patient who died during their shift so they did post-mortem care (they wash the deceased's face and hands, do a quick shave of the face--basically they make them presentable for family). All in all, lots of different things to see and experience.

Also, there was more paperwork. Big surprise, I know. And the handwashing thing? Well, some were more lax about it than others. All I can tell you is that when you are in a clinical setting, your provider, be it nurse, doc, respiratory therapist, etc., should wash with soap and water or use alcohol gel when she comes into the room and leaves the room. If you are ever at the doctor's office or the hospital and they don't wash please, for your own sake, ask them to do so.

More soon!