August 2, 2007
My first day at Emergency Room… honestly, my feelings were vague. I had the feeling of fearing the unknown. When I saw the vicinity, there were lots of people that were very busy and the faces of my AM shift classmates were very sweaty, looked like they went to a messy disco house. When Mr. Ylanan toured us in the whole area, I was astounded by the number of patients who were admitted in the ER. Some really looked dreadful especially in the Pediatric section wherein a number of dengue cases catapulted like nuts. I saw the helpless infants and lamented faces of the significant others – then I started asking my self… can I do it???
I will admit the fact that I doubted my self. I was doubtful if my skills were enough to suffice the needs of my patients. I was doubtful if… I can do it but on the brighter side, I looked at my group mates and it came across my mind that I have nothing to fear about. Like me, they must have been very frightened as well but then I realized that we still have each other and that’s why we are called group because we are one and we’re ready to lend a hand. Another thing that boosted my confidence was the mere presence of my clinical instructor. I knew that he was always ready to lead us. Lastly, what heightened me to be confident was the existence of people that sought my help. The people who in one way or another needed my assistance. Ready or not, I faced the ER with all the confidence that I gathered from the people around me.
Mr. Ylanan assigned me and Ms. Causing at the IM (Internal Medicine) section and some of my other group mates were assigned at the GS (General Surgery). When we entered IM, I didn’t know what was the first thing to do until Mr. Ylanan assigned me to six patients. I was really uneasy that time because I thought that six patients were too much plus the possibility that any moment, one of them may be coded or resuscitated but still I went on. First thing I did is I regulated their IVs (of course, I asked the NOD about the desired drop for each patient) and then I talked to the significant others about the situation of their relative admitted. I had a patient who had a left hemiplegia, a patient with kidney problem and was admitted for hemodialysis, a patient with diarrhea, a patient with peptic ulcer, a patient who was unconscious and was ambubagged by his SO, and a patient with severe hypertension. My mind seemed to twirl with the six patients under me, I was dumbfounded and then I realized why the faces of my classmates in AM shift were very messy because being in ER wasn’t really a joke. I changed the diaper of an overweight stroked patient filled with urine and then a couple of minutes after that, the patient for hemodialysis called my attention and told me that she thought her diaper was filled with dirt and so I changed her diaper. I also performed Tepid Sponge Bath to a high blood patient who had hyperthermia. SOs from the unconscious patient would often call me out to suction the secretions in the mouth of the patient. Taking vital signs of all the patients inside IM were one of the protocols. Luckily, I was blessed with one minor case when I was rotated at GS. A guy met an accident heading through home so the doctor had to suture his wounds at the left lower extremity.
In this exposure, I realized that fear of the unknown is quite normal when you are new to a certain place or area. I realized that you just have to do your best and then next thing you’ll know you’re making things possible in contradiction to what you doubted and feared at the start. I realized that there are many lessons that you will acquire at ER, interaction with the disconcerted significant others… patience, in changing the patient’s diapers… tolerance to stressful events… most of all, believing in ones self.
- Conz6th
