Final Thoughts

All through my time as a Valley Hospital Intern I have been able to learn so much about several different departments of the hospital and how they all contribute to the hospital environment as a whole.Throughout all my experiences as a Valley Hospital Intern, one thing I enjoyed most was spending time with patients and making them smile. I find it so gratifying to make someone’s day simply by having a conversation with them. Even so, several times it was the patients who made me smile rather than the other way around. It is simple to say that my internship experience was quite memorable. Not only was I able to learn so much working side by side with Nurses, Patient Care Assistants and Lab Technicians, but I was also able to get a real feel for what it’s like working with patients and being able to make someone’s day. Overall, participating in the career exploration internship program was an experience of a lifetime.

Spreading Smiles

As a volunteer I try to make it my priority to put smiles on the patients' faces but today it seemed like they were the ones making me smile. While distributing waters to each patient I was stopped at first by a man who had complimented my positive attitude and stated that my overall presence made his day. Then after I finished delivering waters to patients I went to the nurses station to see if there was anything else I could assist with. One of the nurses told me that a man in room 13 wanted some company so I stopped by to visit him and he had me there longer than I expected. He was very happy to converse with me about a number of different topics ranging from career paths to history and politics, and even about tattoos and crazy hair colors. We talked on and on for over an hour and by the time I looked up at the clock it was already time for me to leave. I enjoyed talking with him and it seemed he enjoyed having me there as well. With that being said, I found that spending time with patients will not only make them happy but will also make you smile as well.

Patient Care Assistant

Yesterday was quite eventful as I was stopped by multiple patients during my usual water run. As I went from room to room one patient stopped me as he wanted to talk to me. After talking with him for a little while I continued distributing waters and was stopped once again by a patient who needed assistance drinking her water. After having helped her, I asked if she needed me to do anything else for her and she asked if I could feed her. Unsure if I was allowed to as a volunteer, I went down to the nurses station to let the nurses know she needed help being fed as this was a task for a Patient Care Assistant (PCA). With permission from the patient's nurse and PCA I fed the patient her soup and engaged in a bit of conversation with her. While doing so, the patient in the next bed over had asked me if I could help her get up out of bed. I took one quick glance at her and noticed that the nurses had strapped her in bed as she was not allowed to get up. It was clear that she was to stay in bed so I assured her that if she needed anything else she could use the button on her remote to call the nurses station. I then returned to feeding her neighbor and as I was about to leave I asked if she needed anything else then proceeded to finish distributing waters. In completing these tasks I learned a lot about Patient Care Assistants.

Busy Bee

Usually on Tuesdays the Outpatient Lab is rather slow but more recently I found myself running back and forth receiving and delivering specimen throughout the lab. Upon arrival there had already been bags of specimen waiting to be scanned into the computer and more on its way as there were no extra tubes in the lab; they were all sent out to different areas of the hospital. So I immediately got to work and began scanning and organizing the samples to be delivered to their designated areas within the lab. But each time I made my way to go deliver them, it seemed that more tubes would arrive containing even more specimen waiting to be scanned into the computer. It is essential that the specimen with the "STAT" labels be scanned and delivered immediately as opposed to those that are just "routine" samples; and for the most part all these samples were labeled "STAT" so I had to move quickly.

The Messenger

This week in Phillips 3 East I found that a lot of patients tend to mistake me for a Nurse or even a Patient Care Assistant and ask me to do tasks I am not equipped to do. While I am usually out distributing waters on the floor, It seem more as if I was a messenger. I am usually asked to assist a patient or call for someone who can assist them. In this case I must inform the patient that I am not authorized to perform these tasks and will call for their nurse or patient care assistant upon returning to the nurses station. A lot of times I find myself walking back and forth from patient rooms to the Nurses Station to inform the Nurses and PCA's what each patient needs.

The Medical Library

Lately I've been spending a lot of time in the medical library. Because there isn't much for me to do up in Phillip 3 East Cardiac Nursing Wing I usually finish pretty early. When I'm not upstairs distributing waters I'm either downstair helping out in the Volunteer Office or getting some work done in the Medical Library. I've even picked up a few books on the shelves to enhance some of my medical vocabulary. Below are some pictures of the Medical Library. It isn't too big but it's enough to study in and learn some new material during my free time at the Hospital

Slow Days

This week was pretty slow at Phillips 3 East. In addition to the limited amount of patients there were, there was also a limited amount of staff on duty as well. Because there weren't many people there Friday or Monday last week, there really was not much for me to do. After having restocked the gloves, cubbies and distributing water, I still had an hour left before clocking out. Usually when days are slow like this I sit in the medical library and either catch up on some homework or even explore the endless amounts of books they have there to read.

Water Runs

On Mondays I'm in 3 East doing what I call "water runs." A typical monday starts by me gathering materials such as a cart, water pitchers, straws, cups and a diet sheet. Then I highlight which rooms can't have water if they are marked NPO. This may mean that they are having a procedure done and can not have any food or fluid in their bodies. On some occasions I also refill gloves and cubbies. The cubbies usually consist of things such as syringes, wipes, medications which I obtain from the utility closet. Once I've gathered everything I proceed to go from room to room refilling gloves, cubbies and asking the patients if they need anything, morse specifically drink wise. Below are some pictures of what Mondays usually look like for me.

Phone Calls

This week in 3 East I was able to switch it up a bit. Instead of my usual water run I was able to sit at the nurses station and help answer phones. The PBA, Wanda, showed me how to answer the phones and who to call for each patient. Listed on a sheet of paper were the Nurses and Patient Care Associated that were assigned to each room. When a patient called, I picked up the phone and asked what they needed. When they responded I would either call their nurse of PCA to tend to their needs. Sometimes I was unable to hear what they were saying or had trouble getting in contact with some of the nurses as many of them had been on break when I arrived. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience.

A Typical Tuesday

On Tuesdays I'm normally in the Outpatient Lab. Here I receive specimen that are delivered from all over the hospital, scan them through the computer and deliver them to their designated departments within the lab where they are to be tested. Within the lab there are several different departments including Chemistry, Microbiology, Blood Bank, Urine Analysis, Hematology, and Coagulation. The containers in which the specimen come in are color-coded and labeled to specify where they should be delivered. Above are a few photos of me and some equipment I work with in the Outpatient Lab. On the top left corner is the entrance to Lab.  Above in the center is where I send and receive tubes to different departments throughout the hospital. Next is my work space where I scan the specimen into the computer, save them, then separate and deliver them throughout the lab. Finally the last photo is of me getting ready to scan one of the containers holding blood cultures. It is extremely important to always where gloves and a lab coat as well as carry the specimen with caution to prevent them from breaking.

On the Run

Instead of my usual water run this week on Phillips 3 East, I was able to shadow and observe the everyday duties of Chris, a registered nurse. Within the first few minutes of observing him, it was already clear that we'd be doing A LOT of moving around. We went from one patient to the next, checking up on them, calling doctors, receiving medications and making sure each of his patients were comfortable before leaving. Although Chris does not have the same experience or educational background as a physician, he had revealed to me that with time, he was able to learn some of these things on his own. While he may not be able to prescribe a patient the meds they need, he can make suggestions to the doctor based on observations he's made himself. Despite the fact that I was unable to do much physically, I was able to learn so much about the nursing field as well as the cardiovascular system as we were on the Cardiac Nursing floor.

Patience with Patients

On Monday while working in Phillips 3 East, a patient had stopped me while I was doing my usual water run. This tends to happen a couple of times but instead of asking me to do something for her, she was curious to learn more about myself. The lady was so sweet and she was glad to hear that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Because she was one of the last rooms I had come to, I was able to sit down and have a nice chat with her and learn more about her as well. I love talking with the patients as seeing them smile warms my heart. It's moments like these that remind me why I want to pursue medicine in the first place!

Quote of the Day

"The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease."
- William Olser

Office Work?

As a hospital intern, you may find yourself all over the hospital. Whether it be in the Emergency Room, Physical Therapy or even one of the Nursing Wings there's always something new to explore. On Fridays I'm usually in Phillips 3 East, the Cardiac Nursing Wing , but instead I was able to help out a bit in the Volunteer Office. While I clearly wasn't doing anything medical related my mentor, Mrs. Miller was able to keep my busy as I helped her send out some emails and file some papers. In this case, it goes to show that in the medical field, you won't always be working with patients. Sometimes you've got to fill out paperwork, file documents, etc to make sure that your department is running well.