Vanilla Bear, loose in the hospital

I'm beginning to like hanging in the hospital with the folks in the ICU and TRACU.

Thrown into it on Monday, not knowing anything about the patients other than what I could extract from ridiculously sloppy notes; mostly illegible... well, it was tough. And I felt like I wasn't really taking care of these people, more than just hoping the attending didn't point out my inadequacies as a PA student. Hoping I wouldn't miss something that would hurt them, and make me look like the fool I feel in the process.

But now, I'm starting to get the feel of things here. I'm not making so many wrong turns in the hospital, which makes me look, and feel, less foolish.

I'm understanding how to pick apart the paper chart, and dig through the outdated electronic record, to find the information that I need.

I'm remembering people's names.... staff and patients alike.

I starting to feel like Vanilla Bear. I just need a Brown Bear to pal around with... would love to try world's most giant doctor.

I ran into a patient of mine in the hall... he's a wheeling-machine. He's recently become a paraplegic, which is sad, but he's got such a good attitude, and he's always rolling around the hospital, getting exercise and talking to folks. I stopped and talked with him for a bit, just made me like him more.

Then another patient of mine, a girl who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury.... she's becoming more and more lucent every day, and now has begun talking to me every morning when I round on her. The first day I saw her, she wouldn't say much at all, only a nod and a shake of the head here and there. She's one of my favorites. She can now rememer me... it really makes me happy to see her progressing so well. I saw her today the atrium (a sort of indoor courtyard, next to the coffee shop in the hospital,) as I meandered to the resident call room, and wanted to swing over and say hello... but it looked like she was with some family and friends, so I thought I'd leave them to their own devices. This was the first time she's been out of bed in about a week....

I guess what I've found out during this inpatient trauma rotation, is that I really like getting to know the patients, despite being under such less than ideal circumstances. Though, many of them have few places to go but up, and that's a great ascent to watch.

plus i got to pull a chest tube today, which really isn't anything, but it was fun...

"Mrs. America, are you ready?"

"I suppose...."

"Okay," I say, reassuringly.... "In just a second, I want you to take a deep breath, and hold it in. Then, I'm going to count to three. When I start counting, exhale. On three, I'm going to pull the tube out, okay?"

"Okay..." she says, nervously.

"Deep breath..." I coach.

She inhales as deeply as her broken ribs will allow.

"One........ TWO!" as I simultaneously pull the chest tube.

It sounds bad, right? well, I DID go on two, that's for sure. But that's how I was taught.

"Go on 'two' so they can't bear down, and make it harder to pull out, and do it fast. If you don't get blood on the wall, you pulled too slow." This coming from the resident.

I didn't get blood on the wall, but it was a big room.

cn