While everyone enjoyed the outdoors on Memorial Day, I was shadowing a physician at the ER, and I loved every minute of it. My first encounter with the physician was in the trauma room, which somewhat set the tone for the rest of my day. I had to stand in the corner of the room, as I watched the physician and his team perform several measures to save the patient. I was amazed by how these team of doctors and nurses worked: they were somewhat loud because they were throwing in ideas, worked quickly and efficiently, and seemed like a family. After the patient was stabilized, the physicians requested some lab works, and I finally met the physician who I was shadowing for the day.
The doctor was extremely nice, and he seemed to be very knowledgeable. He was also very understanding when I did not know certain terms or certain conditions; he took his time to carefully explain details of certain procedures or of certain illnesses. I also witnessed how well he responded to stressful situations. Apart from the trauma incident, in which he did a spectacular job of stabilizing the patient, he also did a great job when dealing with a highly distressed patient. The patient was not responding well to the other physicians and nurses, but the physician that I shadowed calmed him down. As I mentioned in my previous blog, doctors have the ability to communicate with patients in order to tell the patients the important details of their medical care. The physician calmed him down by first talking about the weather and by being sympathetic to the patient. Eventually, the patient agreed to have the whole bowel irrigation procedure because the doctor was able to reassure him.
During the different Memorial Day incidents, I noticed a certain hierarchy at the ER. The doctors seemed to have the power to diagnose the patients, and the nurses also had the power to help doctors by determining certain vitals and keeping a close watch on the patients. Even though there seems to be a hierarchy, each person on the medical staff has an important role. Also, I noticed how certain roles have different dress codes. For instance, technicians wore green scrubs, nurses wore royal blue scrubs, doctor wore lighter blue scrubs, medical scribes wore grayish blue scrubs, and clerks and research assistants wore business casual. These different dress codes helps with the identification of certain roles in order to minimize confusion and to help with identification during stressful situations (ie. trauma rooms). Though, as part of EMRAP, we have to wear white coats similar to the physicians. I feel that this causes confusion for patients because white coats often indicate doctors. I have to constantly introduce myself as a student whenever I see a patient to help them understand my role; yet, at the same time, having a white coat makes me look more official and reliable.
The day after Memorial Day, I had to shadow a nurse at the Senior Emergency Department. The ER is separated into different teams: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3 (Lean Track), Team 4(Senior ED), and Pediatrics. These different units helps with the flow of the hospital and to help minimize patient waiting time. The Lean Track deals with patients who have lower acuity levels and whose ailments can be quickly handled. Team 1 and Team 2 are reserved for more serious illnesses. The Senior ED and the Pediatric ED units are specifically designed for certain age groups. I truly appreciate the idea of the Senior ED (which is only about 3 years old at SJMHS) because there are several people of the baby boomer generation that need health care. The Senior ED has different functions on the bed and are designed to be comfortable for seniors.
The nurse I shadowed seemed very kind towards the patients, and talked to the senior patients with respect. Due to his demeanor, the patients would seem a little calmer. From the nurse, I learned how important it is to take the time to get to know your patients: every movement could indicate the health of a patient, every memory or lack of memory can indicate something, and every gait or every step can indicate pain. I realized how hard it must be for nurses because they have to keep tabs on several patients, have to deal with administering medication, and have to deal with more patient interaction. They can see the progress or the decline of a patient, which can either be rewarding or heartbreaking. To all the nurses out there, thank you very much for your hard work!
(A view of The Garden on the 4th Floor where I took my lunch break on Memorial Day)
Every Friday, we have class in which we learn about our roles and the different studies that we have to do for clinical research. This particular Friday, we learned about The Belmont Report, Informed Consent, and HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act). Due to HIPAA, I am limited to what I can share to people. So, I'm extremely sorry for not being too detailed about certain cases because I am not truly allowed to say certain things (so I feel it's better to not mention some things). Apart from learning these subjects, I learned something about the different personalities of my colleagues. In the group, James seems so wise! He asks several questions and often seeks the meaning behind other questions; it's really quite impressive! Christina and Alina are extremely sweet, and Haitham and Theo are both quiet but seem funny. I'm still not too familiar with the others, but I hope that I can get to know them more next week! It seems that there are more boys than girls in the group, but everyone seems to be getting along!
(A view of SJMHS from where I park)
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