The results of 3 nights: " Down with heavy flu + fever and bodyache."
"Many people say that they enjoyed their night shift as student during attachments. They say you could sit infront of the nursing station. Talk to your staff nurse. Gossips about people. And even have food and music to accompany you. This is in regards that you’ve your job and do whatever changes that you gotta to do. Well, things often comes alittle different for me."
My first night (Thursday) was doing the job of junior, which means I gotta answer the call bells. Obtained urine & stool or even swab specimens if there is. Do 10pm hypocount. Make sure all feeding are done. Take parameters. Entertained all the patient’s needs. Do turning. Gave nebuliser. Make sure charts are updated timing and calculate their total intake and output. And of course, gotta do admission from ED or transfer in cases. On the first day, I’ve got lotsa of hourly to do. Really freaks me out. I’m glad that my patient was understanding enough. Not blaming me for waking up them during the night just to take their vital signs and serving their 8 hrly antibiotic. Finally, now I understand why patient sleeps so much during the day. Cause during the night, their sleep is always disrupted our work process. And I really mean it. If not, in a C or B2 class wards, their sleep is always disturbed by confused and psycho patient who keep shouting at the middle of the night. My first night was indeed tiring. I can feel the sleepiness in me. The tiredness that engulfed my body. Especially in the wee hours from 3am-4am, its superly sleepy. Well, all these are nothing, am I right? I’m sure that my other fellow coursemates are doing the same thing.
My traumatizing night is on 2nd night (Friday), I should say. That very night, I felt like everything was a dream. Things happened too quickly. Having enough sleep from the day before I report to work at 8pm+ to check all the sensors and hypocount machine. Doing some quality control test thing. I was doing staff nurse job on 2nd night, as my preceptor is the PN for that night. After taking report, I go ahead to do all my hypocount at serve my 10pm medications. Then, I help my Junior which is also staff nurse to do turning. Afterwhich, I prepared all the IV medications for AM shift and start to dispense all the medication to Inpatient and ED pharmacy. Uh huh. This is the free time now. Siting down and writing report with preceptor. Draw all the lines on the chart, which marks the end of the day. Thus, I start taking my first cubicle patient. Madam Rabiah, my favourite patient, case notes. Flicking through it. I topped up the continuation sheet and patient care record. Just when, I was about to ask my preceptor, regarding the patient. The SN(Junior), suddenly came to my preceptor and said: "Hey Beena! Faster come and see. Bed 41 not responding." My preceptor faster run and see. They faster pushed the E-trolley. Patient on DIL(Dangerously Ill List) not responding is common you see. But, is not common when he is a walker, able to ambulate. And I remembered during shift handover. They say that patient complained of coldness and is shivering, and I remembered someone already informed the doctor but the HO never seems to come. Maybe she thinks it was not an urgent case, as BP was okay. I also remember I attended his call bell during the shift handover to put down his cord side for him as he wanted to sit up. Most vividly, he was admitted during first night. I help him to put on his baju at admission. And now he does not have pulse. Yes. He collapsed. I went to his bed to help when code blue activated. In ED, I didn’t really have a hand on resuscitation. Now my day has come. No. Should be my night has come. I see my impending doom. I was nervous inside. Before that, they ask me call the HO and MO. My heart was pounding heart inside. I almost forget what to do. I faster went in to help to attach leads and on the defillbrillator. I was freaking nervous and almost forget to on to AED mode. They ask me to break open the E-trolley, my limbs just went soft and I felt minimal strenght to break it and my preceptor help me.
Okay. Say all you can about me. Feeling weak. Useless. Whatever you want. But, I truly didn’t expect it to happened during night. I really very shock and stunned. Cause, I remember they were only 5-6 person that night. Really.When I went in the SN(Junior) ask me to bag the patient. Luckily she asked me bag, if not I also dunnoe what to do. Initally, I thought they will ask me get out but because I’m just student. So much that I thought. Shortly after, the HO and MO and even Registar keep running in. I thought bagging was the easiest job and safest job. But, I was wrong, it require strength really. My left hand was pressing on the patient face to secure it tightly and I gotta tiled his head alittle to support and to bag and my right hand just gotta keep pumping in O2. I remembered I bag for 15mins long. And no one taking over me. -_-" my hands seriously aching. I really use all the strenght that I could have to bag the patient. In my heart, was like please. Please don’t die uncle. You cannot die. Faster wake up. I really scared. I admit I was nervous and lost. I remembered there is once the the patient valve was detached from the mask. But, luckily I faster put it back. Shortly after that, I was so tired that the registar ask the MO to take over me. And they asked me go attend to the call bell. After that the patient went tachy and they intubate him was send to ICU. And before that, they wanna take his blood sample to test but there is no blood forms in my ward. Can you imagined? All become AURORA, and don’t know where they throw the form to. They asked me go other wards borrowed. Tiao. Can you Imagine other ward also don’t have. End up, another AN go level 10 and 11. Okay this was the 1st collasped case. I’m glad that he is still alive. They say that if later the patient could have died. The registar say that it’s lucky that we discovered earlier. That night, I sms June who was at SGH and told her. About my first collasped patient. But who knows…
2 hours later, just when I thought everything was over and I’m about to recover from shocked, and when that I thought I can start writing my report..
"We recieved a phone call from ED for new admission. They told us patient on dopamine drip, came from resus room. That was my SN(Junior) who answered the call, she asked my preceptor "you ready to take new case or not?" Later collasped again. How suay her mouth can be! And the patient a Indian man really came in collasped. When he came in his eye was open, with alittle breathing. My preceptor and the SN tried to take BP but its unable to read. After we they tried to take his pulse. There is no pulse. His eyes is fixed. Okay. Here comes the cycle again. E-trolley again. HO, MO and Reg come again. This time round they really tired. So I help them to do CPR. And I literally climb up on the bed and start chest compression. I was suay other days I wear pants no code blue. And then I worn skirt on that day so many code blue-S. This time round, I really very sian. Dammed suay. That night was also a chaotic one. Patient keep pressing call bell. But, this patient went asystole for 4-6mins and pulseless. And because he died within 15mins of transfer in. It’s now a coroner’s case. So that night, I help out in the last office. So my SN(Junior) pack and topped up the e-trolley for 2nd time that night. She didn’t intend to locked it any more. Cause next day was a sat. E-trolley to be checked again.
So we were all wondering that, when the patient was sent up from the ED to our ward. He might have been already collasped. And what was ED doing? They should have send them to ICU instead of sending to our ward. Moreover, it was from resus room case with dopamine drip on.
And 3rd traumatising things happened on the same night…
Just when after they are all so dammed tired after resuscitation, I attended to other patient if not dammed poor thing. Then this patient tell me she wants to go toilet although she was on diaper. She wasn’t on fall risk. Was a walker too. She was the one that I admitted her during my first night too. She told me she’s is feeling okay. Able to stand up and walk. Not feeling giddy. Okay. I put down the cord side and assisted her. Just when, she was 1.5 metre away from the bed. She told me she’s feeling giddy. And slow motionally, she just fall backward. I was bloody shock and I faster break her fall. And slide her down my knees and she sat on the bed. My heart really wanna dropped! What if she fall and injure herself. My fault? E-hor? Although, my hand were already aching from bagging and performing chest compression. I got no choice. I simply ask her to get up and dragged her all the way to her bed myself. No one was there to help me carry her to the bed. Everyone was so busy. I really feel very lost that night. Just so sucky to the max. That morning, I managed to finished my report 10mins before handover shift. No one teach me what to write. Cause my preceptor really no time to go through with me. I just anyhow use ARMS format and copy what people write infront.
I’m not trying to sound as though I’ve been through alot on my second night. But, I was truly scared and traumatise. Reason being, I really didn’t expect it to happened. I just wanna vent out. If I don’t speak out. I feel terrible inside there. That morning, I went home staring blankly and superly tired. I didn’t speak to anyone, because I didn’t have the opportunity to do so. And went back to report for work for my 3rd night. No one could really understand what I feel deep inside. Sometimes, its just so difficult to relate to others what I feel inside. Just so lost. All I get is that everyone in the ward keep telling me is a good experience for me as a student. But, this is no really what i wanna hear. I know is good. But, I’m still very shocked. Really don’t know what to say.
I’m glad my holidays is here can I can enjoy. Cause I’m really tired.
