Being an international student and coming from a developing country, the use of technology in America amazes me. It was overwhelming as well as astonishing for me to see the wide use of technology in the hospitals. I was just amazed to see how technology has become so important in medical field. We go for our clinicals to Overlake, and on the first day of orientation, I was surprised to see the wide range of the use of technology. Right from electronic thermometers, IV pumps to medication administration, technology is used. Even charting is done electronically. Computers are everywhere. The x-ray department and the OR were all so well equipped with the latest technology that my eyes kept travelling all around the unit. More than being stressed about working with patients, I was worried about being able to operate the machines. Working here is a total different experience than what I had in India. It was funny once how I asked my clinical instructor, “Don’t we need to calculate the drops per minute for IV infusion?” She smiled and replied, “No the IV pumps do that, but we need to know how to set the rate and time.” I was thinking to myself, “Wow! In India I had to do all the calculations.”
Technology has advantages as well as disadvantages. Technology does save a lot of time and energy. Though, I still feel there should be a balance so that nurses don’t entirely depend on technology, but focus on giving their patients quality care. As I mentioned earlier, technology does save time and energy, but it can’t love and care for a patient, nor can it empathize with patients and families. Technology is good to the extent that it helps nurses work more efficiently, but not to the extent that nurses need to depend on technology to care for a patient.
As a nurse, my desire is to care for my patient and fulfill my calling to serve God by serving His people. I hope a day does not come where we nurses will be replaced by a new invention in technology i.e. robots. I cannot imagine robots taking care of patients and am sure patients would not like that either, hopefully not. It’s great to see how the world is progressing in terms of technology, but when it comes to caring for a patient, we should keep in mind that no matter how much we appreciate technology for our convenience, nothing can replace human touch.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Prioritizing care! 9th Blog
Finally, we are in our last week of clinicals before Christmas break and it is unbelievable how time flew by. I can say that my experience in Overlake thus far has been a wonderful experience. The nurses i worked with were very helpful and taught me how to operate efficiently on the floor. I got to work with patients with different diagnosis, but mainly with patients suffering from respiratory infections.
Today, i had a very interesting day at clinicals. My patient did not speak english and i was excited instead of being nervous. I wanted something challenging and here was that opportunity. I went into my patients room while she was still asleep. I gently woke her to take her vitals, but she seemed agitated. In broken english she said that she did not get enough sleep last night due to pain and nose bleed. Meanwhile, her daughter came to visit her and she translated on behalf of her. I asked her to rate her pain and she said that it was a 9 on a 10 scale. I knew that her bleeding was caused due to her nasal mucosa turning dry becasue of dry oxygen which was being administered via the nasal canula. I knew that the patient needs to be getting oxygen, but at that time she was not receiving any oxygen supplementation. I checked her vitals and her oxygen saturation was 87 %. I checked for signs and symtoms of distress, but patient had no such signs and symtoms. Even then I placed her in a fowlers position. I went and got her a ventilator face mask as suggested by my instructor as that would not irritate her nasal mucosa. The patient was hesitant to put on the face mask, but after explaining that this would not hurt her or cause any bleeding, she finally put on the mask. I checked her saturation after that and it was 94%. Then i took care of her pain by giving her ice pack and tylenol. I kept monitoring her saturation and it was stable. Her pain level reduced to 5 after an hour and half. She was feeling much better and was able to sleep. In class, as we are taught to prioritze according to ABC, that is what i tried and implemented before taking care of her pain.
Today, i had a very interesting day at clinicals. My patient did not speak english and i was excited instead of being nervous. I wanted something challenging and here was that opportunity. I went into my patients room while she was still asleep. I gently woke her to take her vitals, but she seemed agitated. In broken english she said that she did not get enough sleep last night due to pain and nose bleed. Meanwhile, her daughter came to visit her and she translated on behalf of her. I asked her to rate her pain and she said that it was a 9 on a 10 scale. I knew that her bleeding was caused due to her nasal mucosa turning dry becasue of dry oxygen which was being administered via the nasal canula. I knew that the patient needs to be getting oxygen, but at that time she was not receiving any oxygen supplementation. I checked her vitals and her oxygen saturation was 87 %. I checked for signs and symtoms of distress, but patient had no such signs and symtoms. Even then I placed her in a fowlers position. I went and got her a ventilator face mask as suggested by my instructor as that would not irritate her nasal mucosa. The patient was hesitant to put on the face mask, but after explaining that this would not hurt her or cause any bleeding, she finally put on the mask. I checked her saturation after that and it was 94%. Then i took care of her pain by giving her ice pack and tylenol. I kept monitoring her saturation and it was stable. Her pain level reduced to 5 after an hour and half. She was feeling much better and was able to sleep. In class, as we are taught to prioritze according to ABC, that is what i tried and implemented before taking care of her pain.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Working at Overlake! 8th Blog
I can't believe we are done with three weeks of clinicals. Last week we were oriented to the operating room. Wow!! that area facinates me the most and i was super excited to go there. The OR was a whole different environment. Standing there i was thinking to myself this is the place where i want to work. Now coming back to the medical unit is another exciting experience. We got our assignments and while i was going through my patients folder a doctor comes by. I introduced myself to her and so did she and then she starts asking me questions about the diagnosis of my patient. The previous night i did a lot of research on my patient and so i answered all her questions with confidence. The doctor goes in and tells my patient that she was impressed by the way i answered her questions and knew all about the diagnosis. When i later entered my patient's room she told me what the doctor had to say about me. I felt good not just because i was able to answer her, but I was able to gain my patient's confidence on the very first day. The first day of clinicals itself taught me to always go well prepared to the hospital.
I was wondering, in class we always talk about critical thinking, but when do we apply it. Then I realized that everything we do for our patients require critical thinking. The way we prioritize our care and deal with our patients is the result of our critical thinking. Every intervention we apply has a rationale behind it which is a result of critical thinking. In these three weeks, i learned so much about different disease conditions, and treatments. It's interesting to see how patients cope with their disease conditions and how everyone have different ways of coping. Some of my patients have such a positive outlook to life even when they are suffering which encourages me to be happy with everything God has blessed me with. I am looking forward to working there for the next few weeks and learning as well as gaining more experience with patient care.
I was wondering, in class we always talk about critical thinking, but when do we apply it. Then I realized that everything we do for our patients require critical thinking. The way we prioritize our care and deal with our patients is the result of our critical thinking. Every intervention we apply has a rationale behind it which is a result of critical thinking. In these three weeks, i learned so much about different disease conditions, and treatments. It's interesting to see how patients cope with their disease conditions and how everyone have different ways of coping. Some of my patients have such a positive outlook to life even when they are suffering which encourages me to be happy with everything God has blessed me with. I am looking forward to working there for the next few weeks and learning as well as gaining more experience with patient care.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
First week of clinicals at Overlake! 7th Blog
Finally, we started our hospital rotation at Overlake. It is obviously a whole different experience from the long term care. I will not deny the fact that i thoroughly enjoyed the long term care because i love working with the elderly population. On Thursday we had our orientation and our clinical instructor oriented us to the hospital and the medical-surgical unit where we would be working. It was time to explore and check out everything. There was so much to grasp at one time and everything seemed so overwhelming. The staff seemed really nice and friendly and i was looking forward to working with them. The first day went by with us being familiar with the new environment.
The second day was our day of action. We had to shadow the nurse and help them with the skills we have been taught. Samantha and myself had to shadow the same nurse. We had five patients to care for. Samantha and myself worked together and coordinated our work well. We basically gave primary care to our clients as some of them were bed ridden. I personally wished i could do some invasive procedures, but i will have to patiently wait for that. It was interesting to see how the nurses work and prioritized their plan of care with each client. Everyone has their unique style of working which makes them efficient nurses. I am excited to work and learn as much as i can during my time in the hospital and be able to perform my skills efficiently.
The second day was our day of action. We had to shadow the nurse and help them with the skills we have been taught. Samantha and myself had to shadow the same nurse. We had five patients to care for. Samantha and myself worked together and coordinated our work well. We basically gave primary care to our clients as some of them were bed ridden. I personally wished i could do some invasive procedures, but i will have to patiently wait for that. It was interesting to see how the nurses work and prioritized their plan of care with each client. Everyone has their unique style of working which makes them efficient nurses. I am excited to work and learn as much as i can during my time in the hospital and be able to perform my skills efficiently.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Half way through...
Second week of clinicals at the Nursing home is over and we got two more weeks to go. This week was exciting and challenging at the same time. I actually enjoyed working at the Nursing home and i am surprised i did. My resident makes my day. The moment i enter the Nursing home at 6 a.m i am like a zombie, but the moment i see my resident, i don't know from where i get all my energy. This week i got to do a lot for my resident right from morning care to feeding, checking her vitals, and administering medications. I even enjoyed working with the CNA's and the nurses. They are very helpful and cooperative. The second weeks experience was a whole lot different than the first weeks and i am glad my perspective of that place changed. Working with older people can sometimes be very interesting and i always enjoyed working with the old age group.
The difficult part is to see them in their present condition. I think to myself that at one time they were like us and now the same people are so dependent on other people for their basic needs. I know as nurses we have to be strong, but in situations like this it is emotionally very challenging. Anyways, i know through these experiences, i will be a stronger individual and will be able to cope with difficult situations. Another important thing i have learned is to be patient. Well, several of us have fed our residents and we all know how long it takes to feed them and especially when you have two or more residents to feed. In the Nursing home, there is definitely not much to do, but just being with the residents and doing small things for them makes them happy and they appreciate everything we do for them. This in turn gives me so much joy and satisfaction. On a whole, this week has been a wonderful learning experience for me and am looking forward to working there again next week even though waking up at 4:30 a.m is the hardest thing to do.
The difficult part is to see them in their present condition. I think to myself that at one time they were like us and now the same people are so dependent on other people for their basic needs. I know as nurses we have to be strong, but in situations like this it is emotionally very challenging. Anyways, i know through these experiences, i will be a stronger individual and will be able to cope with difficult situations. Another important thing i have learned is to be patient. Well, several of us have fed our residents and we all know how long it takes to feed them and especially when you have two or more residents to feed. In the Nursing home, there is definitely not much to do, but just being with the residents and doing small things for them makes them happy and they appreciate everything we do for them. This in turn gives me so much joy and satisfaction. On a whole, this week has been a wonderful learning experience for me and am looking forward to working there again next week even though waking up at 4:30 a.m is the hardest thing to do.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
First week of Clinicals at Bethany!
The first day of clinicals at Bethany Silverlake nursing home was wonderful. I was not anxious nor nervous but very excited to start clinicals. This is what i always wanted to do, to work with people. We began at 8 a.m with orientation. Orientation was not too long and so I got an opportunity to look into my resident's record and learn about her past and present medical illness. We did'nt get to do much as we were just getting oriented to the new environment, but it was nice to meet with the residents. When we introduced ourselves to them, they seemed happy to see new faces. I was able to talk to my resident and she was really friendly. I was so happy that i was assigned to work with this particular resident for the next four weeks.
The second day was not what i expected it to be. As i entered the dementia unit, i saw my resident sleeping and so i went to help the other residents with morning care. I was dissappointed to see the way some of the CNA's took care of the residents. I had to calm myself and understand that time is a great factor that may be a hindrance to give optimum care. Anyways, my day brightened up when my resident woke up and i gave her a warm shower, made her bed, and fed her breakfast. She was so cooperative despite her illness. She is mobile and so i held her hand and walked with her, and spoke to her about random things. She made my day and i felt satisfied with what i was doing and wished i could do much more than that. I decided that my goal would be to do my utmost for my resident and have a positive attitude. The four weeks that I am going to be there is definitely going to be challenging in many ways, but I will strive to help them in every possible way and bring a smile to their face. I want to integrate my faith into my practice while taking care of the residents so that they can feel God's love through my care.
The second day was not what i expected it to be. As i entered the dementia unit, i saw my resident sleeping and so i went to help the other residents with morning care. I was dissappointed to see the way some of the CNA's took care of the residents. I had to calm myself and understand that time is a great factor that may be a hindrance to give optimum care. Anyways, my day brightened up when my resident woke up and i gave her a warm shower, made her bed, and fed her breakfast. She was so cooperative despite her illness. She is mobile and so i held her hand and walked with her, and spoke to her about random things. She made my day and i felt satisfied with what i was doing and wished i could do much more than that. I decided that my goal would be to do my utmost for my resident and have a positive attitude. The four weeks that I am going to be there is definitely going to be challenging in many ways, but I will strive to help them in every possible way and bring a smile to their face. I want to integrate my faith into my practice while taking care of the residents so that they can feel God's love through my care.
Monday, August 31, 2009
My Dreams
I am so excited to finally begin with the Nursing program. This is one way i will be able to achieve God's plan for my life. I want to use my talents and skills to glorify God by serving His people who are sick and suffering. I want to be a blessing to the people around me and make them smile:)
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