Journal
1st journal entry 4/4
This was my first clinical day in the
operating room (OR). I was simultaneously excited and nervous that morning. Our
instructor and members of my group had a meeting. Each of us was subsequently
escorted to their respective units of choice. On my turn to be escorted, the OR
seemed not to have been expecting me. Excitement
quickly turned into disappointment. “Where will I be assigned and will I like
it,” I kept thinking to myself. Together with another group member, we were
assigned to endoscopy. I felt excited again. We saw an endoscopy of the
esophagus and several colonoscopies. We saw the cleaning of scopes for reuse. A
nurse for the OR called me informing me that she had a spot for me in the OR.
We went down to the OR where she simply introduced me to the room before
leaving. “Is this how my rotation will be,” I kept thinking. I just observed
the end of an amputation of some toes of a diabetic patient and another
amputation of a great toe from a patient with cancer. I wanted to ask some
questions but decided to wait given the way I was just left without a preceptor
I decided to wait. Today was nothing like my expectations. It was disappointing
that I could not accomplish any of my goals.
Journal
2nd journal entry 4/5
I was hoping today would be better than
yesterday. I arrived at the unit and was listening as the nurse supervisor was
giving out assignments. Upon finishing, she went in her office. I followed her
there introducing myself and asking her why I was actually there. She also
didn’t seem to have been expecting me. Feelings of disappointment were building
up. She made a phone call and assigned me to an OR room. The staff today was
different from those we had the previous day. She introduced me to them and
left. I had no preceptor once again but I was a bit more comfortable as I was
beginning to get used to the goings on in the room.
I resolved to accomplish some of my goals. I
started to ask questions. I asked the float nurse what her responsibilities
are. She smiled and then replied that it was pretty much everything. She told
me that she has to be responsible for everything outside the sterile area,
keeping track of supplies and instruments used to ensure a correct count at the
end of the surgery.
I saw a case of a right carotid artery
debridement. The patient had a semi- occluded artery. Prior to the surgery, I
requested the Clinical Registered Nurse Assistant (CRNA) to allow me shadow her
for that particular case and she agreed. This presented me with a great view as
I was at the head of the patient with no one blocking my view. The next case was
ligation and stripping of varicose veins. The nursing supervisor came in and
checked up on me. I met my number 1,7 and 11 goals today.
Journal
3rd journal entry 4/9
This was my third day of clinical and after
listening to some of my classmates in seminar yesterday, I concluded that my few
days had not been so bad after all. I arrived at the unit, listened to the
assignments and the nursing supervisor assigned me without me asking. I was a
bit relieved knowing that she had been expecting me. It remained a concern to
me that a preceptor was still not assigned to me. Understanding that this unit
is different from the other units such as medical surgery (med-surg) meant that
I knew that some of my goals were would
not be met. I added new ones and am excited to meet them.
I wanted to know the responsibilities of the
scrub and decided to ask her as she was setting up for the cases which were
bariatric laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. She explained the importance of keeping
a sterile work area and having the correct equipment. We quickly established
rapport. She was giving valuable explanations as Bariatric is her field of
expertise. For instance, she explained to me that most people do the surgery to
improve on diabetes, HTN and sleep apnea and that at least 92% ended up with
improvements. I saw the removal of a laparoscopic band. They also did bariatric
laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy since the lap band was not working properly. I
also saw a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Today was a good day. I met a nurse who
is willing to tell me what she knows. I accomplished goal number 8 today and I
am looking forward to tomorrow.
Journal
4th journal entry 4/10
Today was my fourth day of clinical and I
felt a bit more comfortable on the unit. I received a report and requested to
be assigned with Stephaney as she was the most receptive, taking time out to
explain procedures to me.Stephany is the scrub nurse I mentioned earlier. Our
first case was an anterior cervical discectomy of C3, 4 and 5. This was
followed by an implant of a cervical plate. As we were setting up for the case,
I told Stephaney about my goals and requested if she could help me accomplish
them. She was more than happy to help me. It is for these reasons why I have
chosen Stephaney to be my preceptor as long as she is available. She will have
been an OR nurse for six years come August. She has experience in all areas but
specializes in bariatric. This type of
case was not her specialty and the attending doctor did not like to waiting for
the instrument thus making it impossible for to scrub in. I watched and listened
to how the surgeon talked to his resident and to the nurse. It was very
disrespectful. He would shout at his resident when the latter didn’t use the
bovie to the surgeon’s satisfaction. The
fact that Stephaney had warned me about him made me try to stay out of his way
as much as possible. I think he was being too disrespectful. Neither did the
resident nor the nurses say a word. I am not sure what I would have done or
said if he were to shout at me that way, maybe nothing. The next case was a laparoscopic
cholecystectomy. I scrubbed in and helped set the table up which was one of my
new goals. I did not do it by myself because Stephaney wanted the table set up
in a particular way and in a timely manner. I was also taking my time not to contaminate
anything. I assisted in the case by handing cokers and scissors. This was the
last case of the day. I hope tomorrow and Friday will be fine given that
Stephaney will not be in.
Journal
5th journal entry 4/11
I was assigned to OR 7 today since Stephaney
was not at work. The room had a scrub technician and a circulatory nurse. They
let me scrub in but did not want me to do anything else. I told them that I had
previously assisted with the setting up of tables but they still insisted on
doing it anyway. I did as they asked as I did not want to force anything. I saw
laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. The technician and the nurse worked well with
each other. I really did very little with this case as I mostly observed. I
helped transport the patient from the OR to the post anesthesia care unit (PACU).
The next case was a wide excision surgery.
The patient had a cancerous tumor in his back where the surgeon had to remove a
large amount of tissue from upper mid back and then implant radiation catheter.
The room was filled with residents, students from other schools and two
specialists from oncology. I realized that I was not going see or do anything
in this case, so I went to the head where the CRNA was. She told me that the
most important parts of her procedure are intubation and extubation. She said
that if anything is going to go wrong, then they normally do at these times.
She also showed me the drugs she was using, propofol for making the patient
fall asleep. It also drops the rate of heartbeat and should be carefully
monitored. Fentanyl is administered before the propofol because it burns. I
helped transport the patient to PACU at the end of the procedure.
Journal
6th journal entry 4/12
Today I was with the technician Angela from
yesterday. The cases were mainly lumbar paravertebral. We did 3 of the same or
similar cases. Arasinta observed most of the cases with me. I scrubbed in
because these were easy cases according to the tech and the nurse. We had to
wear Lead vests because of the radiation from the x-ray. Angela set the tables
up and had the instruments ready for the doctor. She also scrubbed in but I was
the scrub nurse. I memorized the name of the few instruments that were being
used so that I had them ready when the doctor asked for them. I was
anticipating what instrument he needed next as we the same case a few times over.
I felt like I knew what I was doing. Even though it was just about 4 to 5
instruments, it felt good that the technician did not have to point them out to
me. I was also able to talk with the doctor who was a very funny and nice man.
He told me that whenever a doctor asks for anything, I should repeat it back to
him/her to ensure that it is what he actually wants. He explained that this
will cut down on errors and potentially save someone’s life. He told me that
this was the right place to be so long as I would listen and remain attentive.
At this point, I felt like I was one of the team members. The next case was
draining cyst from under arm bilateral. A resident and I did this case. He did
the incision and I used the suctions and irrigated the site. The resident was
willing to let me assist because he was comfortable with me. He even let me pack
the wound after irrigation. He should me how he wanted me to apply the dressing
which I did.
Journal
7th journal entry 4/16
I felt very confident and comfortable this
morning. It is the feeling of graduating from a novice to an expert. I received
the report and proceeded to my assigned room with my receptor. Our first case
was a total hip replacement. The set up for this case was somehow different
from the others. It required bulkier instruments such as broaches, trial heads,
Liner Inserter and a mallet. I did not scrub in but I assisted the float nurse.
The bed was also different for this case. It was called a fracture bed. It had more
safety harnesses and attachment to have the legs, hips and hands fixated.There
were two surgeons, a resident, the CRNA, the two nurses and myself. After the
beginning of the procedure started, a sales technician from the hip
manufacturing company came into the room. He was there to tell the scrub nurse how
and which tool the surgeon may need as well as how to assemble it. We used a
curtain clear drape instead of a full body blue drape in this particular case.
The curtain drape is designed in such a way that the field facing the surgeon
was the only sterile area. It was not as delicate as a gastric bypass. There
was a lot of hammering, sawing and drilling. This case was very bloody. It took
a few trials and errors to find the correct ball to fit the socket. Finding the correct fit, they popped it into
place. The surgeon checked to see if the knees and ankles are a lined. They
closed the incision after which I assisted with cleaning of the patient.
The next case I saw was a cannulated hip
pinning. The set up was more typical. We used the standard blue drape to set
up. The surgeon was using x-ray to guide the pins into the correct location. We
had to wear Lead vests to protect ourselves from the rays. The equipment used
was similar to what I have in my tool cabinet.
Drill and screws of different sizes, length and width were among the
tools that the surgeon used. After a few minor insertion of the screw, the
surgeon instructed the x-ray technician to take the picture to make sure he was
proceeding in the correct direction. The surgeon inserted five pins then closed
the leg incision. I also assisted with cleaning of both the patient and the
room.
The last case was a hernia repair with the
insertion of a C-mesh. The set up was typical blue drapes. The team was a
different team of surgeons and residents in a different room. They started by
prepping the patient after which we did the time out by checking the name of
the patient and the procedure with the surgeons and the CRNA. The surgeon made
an incision in the abdomen where the hernia was located. He then measured the
sized of the hernia and requested for the appropriate mesh size. The mesh had
to be sutured to the abdomen wall to prevent it from moving. The team worked well together as no one was
getting in the way of another during the procedure. Each knew what their
respective roles in the procedure were. The case did not take very long. The
patient’s incision was closed and we were cleaning after only several hours.
The procedure concluded the day.
Journal
8th journal entry 4/17
Once again I was with my preceptor. She is an
advocate for the patient and loves to teach. She was constantly telling me what
to expect and why the procedures were being done the way that they were. Today
she was the float nurse. All of our cases were ear, Norse and throat (ENT)
related. We went and talked to the patient in the holding area while the room
was being prepared for surgery. Her job was to make sure that the consent form
is signed and that the surgeon also signs his part. My preceptor, the CRNA and
the scrub technician told the surgeon of the allergy status of the patient
after we brought the patient into the operating room. The patient had a broken
nose and was having it fixed. The
procedure is called a closed reduction with splints. We did a time out to
confirm the patient and the procedure before the beginning of the procedure. We
counted the instruments; sponges and pledges before and after the procedure to
make sure that nothing went missing. The procedure took about ten minutes. We had
back to back of the closed reduction with splints procedure. The surgeon had
his own Goldman elevators meaning that we had to flash it after each procedure.
The procedure is considered clean but not sterile. There were, therefore,
neither blue drapes nor did the surgeon wear mask but I still wore mine.
The next and final case was
turbinectomysubmucosal resection of left septum. Two residents did this case while the surgeon
sat in the corner and watched. We had the entire instruments they needed for
this procedure so that we did not have to leave the room to get anything. This
procedure took much longer than my preceptor expected. The surgeon had to leave
the room several times occasionally coming back to check the procedure. The
resident was taking so long that the surgeon had to re-gown and finish the
procedure. We had to count suture needles in this case as they were used. This
concluded my day.
Journal
9th journal entry 4/18
Today was considered late Thursday. Every
Third Thursday of each month, the OR starts late because of new equipment and
safety in-service meetings. The educator stressed the importance of letting the
betadine dry before draping the patient. Betadine is made of alcohol and the
fumes can ignite when exposed to sparks. The sparks would come from the Bovi.
After applying betadine, we would allow a full three minutes for it to be
completely dry before draping.
My preceptor was off today and I requested
the supervisor if I could see the cardiac procedure and she accepted. I noticed
that they were still setting up the instruments when I reached the room. The
set up was different from that in bariatric or orthopedic. I introduced myself
to the float nurse and scrub technician. I asked the nurse the duration it
takes to set it up and she said that it is about one hour to an hour and
fifteen minutes. Eleven tables where used in this cardiac case unlike 4 to 5 in
the others. Two anesthesiologists were doing the sedation. There was no CRNA.
The anesthesiologists were checking and double-checking each other to make sure
they were in agreement with what they were doing and what they were going to
do. The atmosphere in the room indicated that this procedure is very crucial.The
float nurse and the scrub technician begun to count the instrument and sponges,
a process that took 10 minutes.
The patient was totally nude and was not
wearing any safety straps. I assisted the float nurse with the foley insertion
even though it was against hospital policy for me to do it.Seeing it so close
for several times made me much more comfortable to attempt it. The bed that we
were going to use to transport the patient was different from the other
transport beds. It had an ambulance bag, oxygen and pacer box that is fully charged.
The patient would skip PACU after the surgery and instead go straight to SICU.
The cardiac perfusionist came in and turned the perfusion machine on. The
surgeon and two residents came into the room ready to be gowned and cloved.
The float nurse did the time out and the
surgery begun. The surgeon bypassed the heart and lungs by using the perfusion
machine. The procedure that was being done was aortic valve replacement. The
terminologies here were different. The surgeon was talking to the perfusionist
about pressure and blood flow, which I did not seem to understand. After the
desired pressure and flow was met, the surgeon told the anesthesiologist to
stop the heart from pumping. The surgeon severed the base of the aorta, which
then exposed the aortic valve. The surgeon was wearing a camera but the view
was not always on the field. The valve was stenotic forming the basis for the
surgery. The float nurse was so busy updating the white board and documenting
making me more than willing to help. I went and got the instrument from the
store and I was assisting the scrub technician in opening packages while the
float nurse chatted it. The surgeon removed the stenotic valve and replaced it
with an artificial valve. The surgeon and one of the residents sutured the
valve and aorta back in place. This was about 1 o’clock. The surgeon told the perfusionist to send
blood back to the heart. Suddenly the doctor said to the perfusionist, “Stop,
stop.” I did not think it was anything critical as he said it calmly. He told
the float nurse to call the supervisor. When the supervisor came he said to her,
“this patient may die and it is not the fault of the resident.” He then turned
to us and said, “this patient may die and I need everyone to be on their A
game.” It sounded strange as I felt my heart rate go up. I was nervous and
ready at the same time. The valve was too big and blood was escaping from the
side of the valve. He had to remove the sutures then the valve. He requested a
small valve that would fit a bit more snugged. This time it was 3:30. I told
the nurse that I had to leave and quietly left the room. For the rest of the
day, I was wondering if the patient made it out ok.
Journal
10th journal entry 4/19
I arrived at the unit and all I could think
of was the patient from yesterday. My preceptor was off again today so I was
assigned with someone else for the first time. The first procedure was an
endoscopic sinus surgery. The resection of the septum and excision of concha
bullosa were the procedures. This was to help with ventilation. Two residents,
the surgeon, scrub technician and float nurse were in the room. The scope was
not attached to any monitor so there was nothing to see. The excision of concha
bullosa was very bloody and messy. A lot of suction and Bovi was used. We also
used 20 sponges, which were a lot for ENT cases.I helped the float nurse to collect
specimen and labeling them. The surgery took close to two hours. I assisted
with cleaning up and then setting up for the next case.
The next case was a tympanoplasty and
canaloplasty of the mid ear. The patient had stenosis of the ear canal. The
float nurse and the scrub nurse were not very familiar with ENT cases. Once
again, was not able to see anything. This case was not as bloody as the last.
The resident and the surgeon had the instrument they needed next to them on the
table so we just waited until the case was over. We then cleaned up and were
set up for the final case of the day. This was the same as the first, the
resection of the septum and excision of concha bullosa except that the surgeon
took 45 minutes to arrive. He said he was held up in a meeting. This case was no different from the first
one. I was even anticipating the instrument he was going to use next. Today was
not as interesting as yesterday. I saw one of the residents who was in the
cardiac case from yesterday before I left. He said that the patient is doing
fine. I was happy to hear the good new.
Journal
11th journal entry 4/23
Instead of being in the OR, I was with the
paramedics. I met most of the transporters assigned to the surrounding areas.
As the morning staff signed on, the night staff was signing off. They started
the morning by talking about all their calls from yesterday. They were saying,
“Hope nobody jumps out the window today.” They were saying it was going to be a
busy day because people do did not want to go to work today. Most of the
transporters left about one hour later. The language here was also very
different. They talk in ems codes. I was with a paramedic not the ambulance.
The paramedic drives the sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and assists the
transporter. The paramedic is often the person assisting the patient not
driving the ambulance. The first call came in at about 9 o’clock. We went to
assist another ambulance that was out on a call and the stretcher broke. We had
lights flashing and the siren was alarming. The cars were pulling to the side
of the road to let us pass. We almost crashed at an intersection because the
driver of a mini-van did not notice us coming. Tim the driver was very good
because he did some evasive maneuver to avoid the minivan at the last second. I
kept thinking that I was about to crash on my first emergency call. That would
have made us the ones in need of assistance. We arrived at the site and there
was an ambulance that could not get the stretcher bed down. We enquired about
the patient’s situation and they said that he fell trying to pick up the mail.
The patient was 95 and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They
had the patient sitting with the doors of the ambulance open. He was trying to
say he was cold butt no one was listening as they had the oxygen mask on even
as they were trying to fix the stretcher. I immediately grabbed a blanket from
the ambulance and put it around him. I asked them to close the doors and turn
the heat on. Another ambulance then came and took him to the hospital.
On our way back to the station, we heard over
the radio that police and medical personnel were needed at a drug and rehabilitation
center on Chester Pike for a patient that had turned violent. We reached the
site and entered the building and were escorted by the staff to a lady who was
sitting calmly in a chair. The police arrived seconds after us. The Doctor came
out of another room and said the lady had pushed him and he wanted her out of
the facility. We told her that the police was going to arrest her if she did
not come with us. She jumped up and walked with us to the awaiting ambulance.
She sat in the back of the ambulance and one of the ems was taking vital
details. I asked about what had transpired and she responded that she had been
there for treatment and the doctor told her to leave. That the doctor had tried
to grab her when she refused to leave upon which she pushed the doctor. We took
her to the psychiatric unit at Mercy Fitz.
On our back from Fitz, we heard a police
saying that back up was needed at a particular location. It came in so muffled
and quick that I did not hear the name of the location. It, however, seemed so
clear to the medic that he drove right to the scene. Upon arrival, we saw that
the police had a suspect in custody. The policeman said that he was driving
when he came upon the suspect who started to run. He gave chase and that is
when he saw the suspect throw something in the bushes. The policeman said that
he came out of the car and wrestled the suspect to the ground. Two other police
units were also on site. The police tried to recover what they thought the
suspect had thrown but came up empty. You could tell that the suspect was a
minor. They questioned him about what he threw and he denied throwing
anything. They them placed him in the
back of the police car and drove him to the station. We went back to base where
a meeting was being held. While in the
meeting, another call came over the radio that a patient had chest pains. The
patient was at the drug and rehabilitation center on Chester Pike. We reached
the site and the patient was outside the back door waiting for us. We took his
vitals and took him to the hospital. We gave report to the ED then we went back
to base. There were no more calls. Tim and I sat and a little about the ems
system until it was time to go.
Journal
12th journal entry 4/24
I arrived on the unit and received our room
assignment. My preceptor was here today so I went with her. The first case was
Bariatric lap sleeve revision of sleeve to a gastric bypass. The patient had a
lap band which was going to be removed and then a gastric bypass will be
performed. My preceptor was the float nurse. We had two scrub technicians, two
residents and the surgeon so that I did not get to scrub in. The set up for
this case was a bit larger than others.
I assisted with the first count. My preceptor did not want me to do the
count by myself as that would have been against hospital policy. I watched the
procedure and I was somewhat comfortable anticipating the next instrument that
the surgeon needed next. One of the residents was a student from Drexel and he
was not holding the camera as the surgeon desired. The doctor told him to give
the camera to another resident in an aggressive tone of voice. The room got
quiet for a few seconds. The only sound you heard was that of the instruments.
This particular double procedure in one was the first for everyone in the room,
even the surgeon. I did not see much due to the fact that I was helping with
counting sponges and suture needles. I was more concerned with all the
documentation that my preceptor was showing me. The procedure was completed and
I assisted with counting of the instruments. I helped clean and set up for the
next case. The next case was a Bariatric
lap. sleeve. I did not scrub in. I was still with my preceptor who was
the float nurse. Things were now becoming routine. I felt like I knew what was
going on and what to expect. I felt like completing any task when asked.
Journal
13th journal entry 4/25
Our
assignment on this today was urology. The first procedure was cystoscopy
ureteroscopy laser lithotripsy. This means crushing of kidney stones. The case
started an hour late. We were set up and were waiting for the patient. The hold
up was with registration. The patient eventually arrived and the procedure started.
The surgeon used a pulse laser to break up the stones. He then flushed the
stones out and gave us specimen to collect. We used a special bed for this
procedure. The bed could intentionally break apart to set up the patient. It
also had yellow fin stirrups that hold the patient legs up and apart. X-ray was
used in this case so Lead vests had to be worn. I assisted with transportation
of the patient to PACU. I came back and helped set up for the next case.
The
case was ureteroscopy stent removal from left ureter procedure. The set up took
about 15 minutes but the procedure took about 5 minutes. We were all surprised
when the surgeon said that he his done and we should send for his next patient.
Cleaning up was quick because there were not much instruments or sponges to
dispose of. The next case was also an ureteroscopy stent removal from the left ureter.
We knew this procedure was not going to take long. The surgeon was very good
with communicating. We finished all our cases. My preceptor decided that we
should go prepare the carts with the instrument that we will be using for
tomorrow.
After
we finished prepping the carts for tomorrow, we were called into another OR to
help give lunch breaks. I saw the middle to the end of a tracheostomy while we
were giving lunch breaks. Today we went by very quickly. My goal for tomorrow
is to finish strong and stay out of trouble for my last day because I will not
be here to fix it.
Journal
14th journal entry 4/26
Today was my final day of clinical at Mercy
Fitz. I am a bit sad that I am leaving. I feel like I am leaving a job that I
love going back to. My preceptor did not get in until 10 am today. So I was
again with a new team. They just wanted me to observe. I, however, did not want
to just stand around so I helped the patient to transfer to the bed. I held the
patient’s leg while the surgeon cleaned it with betadine. Amputation of the
second toe was the procedure. The toe was gangrene. I watched when he opened up
the toe and then amputated it. I helped cleaned up after the procedure. I then
left to go see the craniotomy. The team I was with while waiting to see the
craniotomy was the same team that was going to assist with the procedure. The
set up for the craniotomy was a big one. There were eight tables in the room
and a big microscope. The set up took 45 minutes. I helped when I could and
stayed out when I was not needed. The room was full of people. After the
patient came into the room, it became hard inserting anesthesia through an IV
line. The room was set up to use the 50 inch monitor but the surgeon did not
want to use the camera. He eventually changed his mind but the residents could
not get it to work. With all the people around the patient, I was unable to see
much. I was in and out of the room trying to find something interesting all the
action was where the craniotomy was. I brought some food from the restaurant to
show my appreciation to the unit. I thanked everybody and said my goodbyes.
After I reached to my car I felt a bit sad and happy at the same time. I am not
sure how I should have been feeling but I do know that I learned more than I
would imagine. I think this area is where I want to be in the future and I will
do my best that I end up there.
Summary
The first few days of my clinical were very
unsettling. One had the feeling that none of their goals would ever be
accomplished. For instance, it turned out that nobody in the operating room had
been expecting me on the first and second days. Besides, I was never given a
receptor until the third day. For example, an OR nurse who offered a spot on
simply introduced me to the team and left leaving me to my own devices. I soon
came to discover that my disappointments on these first days were largely borne
out of unrealistic expectations.
At the beginning of the second day, I was
becoming used to the way everybody else treated each other with a relative
sense of indifference. I would try to convince myself that perhaps that is how
things work in the real world out there. It was also at this point when I
resolved to be doing something to help myself. I started by asking questions
whenever I found somebody I thought could satisfy my curiosity. This resolution managed to bear fruits as I
was able to accomplish some of my goals.
Things were now looking much better from the
third day. The OR seemed to have been expecting my presence. Besides, I also
got to meet Stephaney who was my preceptor and who allowed me enough latitude
to learn. The rapport that we established between us coupled with her years of
experience meant that I now had somebody to guide me. She would tell me in
advance of what to expect from the doctors and surgeons. I, therefore, had a
way of knowing how conduct myself well in advance depending on the particular
people I was working with. This really served me well although I occasionally
had problems whenever she was not around to give her valuable guidance.
Subsequent days came with mixed experiences. I
would learn procedure after procedure occasionally seeing some of the cases
repeated. For instance, I was able to learn the significance of keeping the OR
sterile prior to and during a procedure. I was also able to learn the different
instruments used in the various procedures I witnessed. Other members of the
team were now willing to allow me assist in carrying out some of what they were
doing. One humorous and funny doctor
even reminded me of the importance of asking questions whenever I was not sure
of anything.
Even more important throughout this period
was my personal outcomes. I had started out the clinical expecting so much from
the people around me. It was my expectation that people in the operation room
were all supposed to be friendly. I,
however, came to realize that not everybody will be nice to me in all
circumstances. I came out knowing how to deal with different kinds of people. For instance, there was this doctor who would
be very rude to everyone around. I only needed to know how to behave before
such people to make my stay focused on the issues that were really important. Another
important change that I owe to my clinical relates to dealing with emergency. My
stay with the paramedics on day 11 left me with a better perspective on the
need to be a good listener.
In all, I can say that I was able to identify
which area of nursing I want to be in when I finally graduate. I made up my
mind on the last day. I think I want to end up in the operation room as a nurse
assistant. The experience was a real eye opener.
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