a day-by-day
susu alkhalili
9/4/2018 0 Comments day 10: the underrated healers Today I would get to hang out with the oncology nurses. I was excited as I had learned very much about the work of nurses. My goal for the day was to learn more about what nurses do and what their average day typically looks like.
The nurses that I was with today worked in the treatment area. They were in charge of giving chemotherapy, blood transfusions, or whatever else the doctor had ordered for the patient. The pharmacy created the drugs in a separate room, and, once they were ready, the nurses took the drugs and treated the patient with them. One major factor I noticed was that when giving chemotherapy treatment, the nurses must sign off on the treatment on the computer. To ensure that the patient was receiving the correct treatment, two nurses had to sign off on the treatment, both asking the patient for their name and date of birth, and looking over the drugs that were being given. This is done in order to avoid potentially life-threatening mistakes. I later noticed that this was also done in the pharmacy when it comes to doses and calculations for the drugs. The nurses were also in charge of taking vitals and sending blood for testing, which I had not earlier been exposed to with the doctor. There was a man earlier this morning who used his ringer to call over a nurse to walk him to the bathroom. She did so, and when he returned to his room, he laid his seat back completely horizontally and remained that way throughout his treatment. He later called over the nurse again to walk him to the bathroom, saying that he felt dizzy and like he needed to puke; as she did so, I left to go to the restroom as well. When I had gotten to the hallway, however, I heard the nurse yell, “I need help in here!” I quickly rushed back and saw that the man had collapsed, as two nurses struggled to keep him standing and awake. They called rapid response, and everyone rushed in to help the man. Eventually, and with much difficulty, they were able to get the man onto a stretcher; he was sent to the emergency room. The nurses and doctor speculate that the man had a reaction to the platelets he was receiving. Nurses are definitely underrated. One nurse jokingly exclaimed, “The doctors give all the orders and we do all the work!” I was definitely glad to be able to shadow the nurses today. They were all extremely fun to be around, and the day flew by. With the doctor, by the time we had arrived to visit a patient in the treatment area, the nurses had already taken vitals, sent the patient for testing, and gotten them started on chemotherapy. I had not really realized all that goes on behind the scenes before the doctor arrives, and I am grateful for the opportunity to get this exposure.
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AuthorSusu Alkhalili, senior at Maumee Valley Country Day School. ArchivesCategories |