This week in Practicum I went out to the hospital on Monday and Friday. I went down to the ER unit and I really enjoyed it! My mentor was Brittney. The first thing she did was take me on a tour around the whole ER unit. I learned where to get extra blankets, water for patients, laundry, and crash carts. We went between four rooms that Brittney was assigned. Brittney took me around her rooms to visit the patients and check vital signs. She explained charting to me and in the ER, there is a lot of it! Brittney was also in charge of answering the radio calls that come in from the paramedics. It is a phone hooked up to a computer and the paramedics tell the nurse about the medical history of the patient that they are bringing to Res Hospital. They also inform the nurse of any treatments that they are performing on the patient on the way to the hospital. It was really cool to hear about the patient that was coming in on the ambulance, and then see them arrive a few minutes later!
One of the patients that I visited had vertigo and had to get blood draws and an IV for nausea. Another patient was complaining of pain in the abdomen and went in for an X-Ray. There was also a patient that was rushed in from the airport. The patient was having an allergic reaction on the plane and came in by the ambulance. Once the patient was in the ER and out of the ambulance, I got a chance to go in the ambulance and look around. It had everything that the ER room had, just ion a smaller scale. I got to help out the nurses and went and got extra blankets and water for patients and visitors.
Today in the ER, I saw another allergic reaction, belspalsey, and a patient with a stage 3 heart blockage. I really love going to the ER because there is always something going on. I can’t wait to go back!
