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.

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.