getting closer to actually working!!
ohmigosh, it's been nearly a month since i last posted! crazy! i'm so behind! well let's backtrack:
last two weeks i've learned a TON of interesting hands-on medicine:
- suturing! i can put in stitches in a variety of ways, and tie cool knots! this will be useful for my first rotation in emergency as i'm sure i'll get to sew lotsa lacerations.
- casting! i broke my arm and leg and had cast on both simultaneously! then i had to get it sawed off (the cast, not my leg) which was quite scary! my classmate has a pic of me casted. i casted my friend too--she had all four extremities casted at once, it was hilarious! i love casting!
- intubation...of course on a dummy. good thing 'cuz i managed to crack the top 4 teeth in the process of jamming that laryngoscope down his throat...
- phlebotomy (drawing blood)...did it on my classmates arm and hand. good thing she has nice veins. i have crappy ones and she poked me and missed first try. =( ouchies. i still need much more practice on this one, but i brought home all the goodies to practice (too bad radu won't let me do it on him yet).
- male genital/rectal exam - that was quite lovely...our patient was very kind though, even with 4 girls sticking a finger up his behind. i still don't know for sure if i found his prostate...i think my finger is just too short!
- training in emergency resuscitation, such as CPR, defibrillation, cardioversion, etc. of course we only tried it on dummies.
- tomorrow i get more training in surgical procedures such as putting in central IV lines, urine foley catheters (so pts can pee without getting up), placing an NG (nasogastric) tube to feed pts or to drain their stomachs, putting in chest tubes to drain chest of fluids, and a bunch of other procedures.
- and of course boring stuff too like how to input pt data and order tests/labs/meds on the hospital computer system, how to use our palm and dl information, get fitted for masks and equipment, learn about needle/bloodboure pathogen safety, get immunization shots so that i can work in health care setting, blah blah blah.
And so this all accumulates to my first rotation beginning in less than a week!! I have switched my rotation with classmates with the same matrix as me so that I can stay local for the first two (ED and surgery) since I have no car. I figured it costs me about $1,200/month to rent a car, gas, parking, and insurance! CRAZY!!! so they really did me a HUGE favor by switching since they already have cars. So i start 8am on monday 6/20, and after that, i work three 12-hour shifts, then get 2 days off, and repeat again. i work every wknd except one, and will have to find a substitute for 2 days i'm gone in miami. the 12-h shifts are randomly assigned from 7:30am to 7:30pm, 11am-11pm, or 7:30pm to 7:30am. So my biological clock will be all messed up. =( i'm so nervous yet so excited!!
last two weeks i've learned a TON of interesting hands-on medicine:
- suturing! i can put in stitches in a variety of ways, and tie cool knots! this will be useful for my first rotation in emergency as i'm sure i'll get to sew lotsa lacerations.
- casting! i broke my arm and leg and had cast on both simultaneously! then i had to get it sawed off (the cast, not my leg) which was quite scary! my classmate has a pic of me casted. i casted my friend too--she had all four extremities casted at once, it was hilarious! i love casting!
- intubation...of course on a dummy. good thing 'cuz i managed to crack the top 4 teeth in the process of jamming that laryngoscope down his throat...
- phlebotomy (drawing blood)...did it on my classmates arm and hand. good thing she has nice veins. i have crappy ones and she poked me and missed first try. =( ouchies. i still need much more practice on this one, but i brought home all the goodies to practice (too bad radu won't let me do it on him yet).
- male genital/rectal exam - that was quite lovely...our patient was very kind though, even with 4 girls sticking a finger up his behind. i still don't know for sure if i found his prostate...i think my finger is just too short!
- training in emergency resuscitation, such as CPR, defibrillation, cardioversion, etc. of course we only tried it on dummies.
- tomorrow i get more training in surgical procedures such as putting in central IV lines, urine foley catheters (so pts can pee without getting up), placing an NG (nasogastric) tube to feed pts or to drain their stomachs, putting in chest tubes to drain chest of fluids, and a bunch of other procedures.
- and of course boring stuff too like how to input pt data and order tests/labs/meds on the hospital computer system, how to use our palm and dl information, get fitted for masks and equipment, learn about needle/bloodboure pathogen safety, get immunization shots so that i can work in health care setting, blah blah blah.
And so this all accumulates to my first rotation beginning in less than a week!! I have switched my rotation with classmates with the same matrix as me so that I can stay local for the first two (ED and surgery) since I have no car. I figured it costs me about $1,200/month to rent a car, gas, parking, and insurance! CRAZY!!! so they really did me a HUGE favor by switching since they already have cars. So i start 8am on monday 6/20, and after that, i work three 12-hour shifts, then get 2 days off, and repeat again. i work every wknd except one, and will have to find a substitute for 2 days i'm gone in miami. the 12-h shifts are randomly assigned from 7:30am to 7:30pm, 11am-11pm, or 7:30pm to 7:30am. So my biological clock will be all messed up. =( i'm so nervous yet so excited!!
posted by CookieMonster28 at 12:30 PM
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