11 pm - 7 am
A Saturday night in the county ER can bring out the best, worst and weirdest in people. I shadowed last night (again) for the 3rd time in 3 days. I had been at Hermann for 2 days with true shadowing. There are so many people available to do things there, it is just hours of watching. Very interesting watching, but still watching. The county ER is another matter. There is always something for someone willing an able to do, for example, an arterial blood gas, a rectal exam or a pelvic exam or place a Foley catheter. And throw in a lot of good watching, too.
I guess that I will have to start a secret Dr. Oakes society/fan club in which I collect her toe nail clippings and wear them in a vial on a necklace. She is incredible and seems to have decided to have incredible confidence in me. I feel quite honored and humbled by her attention and insight, but I keep wondering when someone will decide I am just an imposter who happens to have a coat, badge and some doctor toys. It still amazes me that I am able to go up to someone in the ER and say "Hi, (person I have never met before) Let's talk about that vaginal discharge." and then they actually tell me things.
Last night there was a woman who had been found unconscious, brought to the ER by EMS using the "thumper" which provides CPR. It really looked bad, but the entire team really worked hard to stabilize her and eventually she was to be transferred to another hospital for more testing. Majority of places in the world, she would not have a chance, many places in the US she wouldn't due to distance to a facility able to handle her complex problems. But she was lucky, getting very sick in the right place at the right time and having the right people taking care of her. She might never recover, she might be dead right now for all I know as I write this, but the ER staff was able to give her a fighting chance and that is where hope begins.
Hope was ending for another woman who was going to miscarry, sad and in pain but no baby was present during the ultrasound. I got to do the ultrasound and learn how to do that but it was not the happy occasion where we were looking for a heartbeat.
There was also a man who was very altered from whatever he had been ingesting. He had more tattoos than you could imagine and would smile and smile. Until security had to be called. His coming down was not as good as getting high apparently.
So don't drink, don't do drugs, don't ride motorcycles, bicycles or ATVs, don't get pregnant, don't drive or have any fun. But if you do, know where the nearest ER is and hope it is not me coming in to interview you! ;-)
I guess that I will have to start a secret Dr. Oakes society/fan club in which I collect her toe nail clippings and wear them in a vial on a necklace. She is incredible and seems to have decided to have incredible confidence in me. I feel quite honored and humbled by her attention and insight, but I keep wondering when someone will decide I am just an imposter who happens to have a coat, badge and some doctor toys. It still amazes me that I am able to go up to someone in the ER and say "Hi, (person I have never met before) Let's talk about that vaginal discharge." and then they actually tell me things.
Last night there was a woman who had been found unconscious, brought to the ER by EMS using the "thumper" which provides CPR. It really looked bad, but the entire team really worked hard to stabilize her and eventually she was to be transferred to another hospital for more testing. Majority of places in the world, she would not have a chance, many places in the US she wouldn't due to distance to a facility able to handle her complex problems. But she was lucky, getting very sick in the right place at the right time and having the right people taking care of her. She might never recover, she might be dead right now for all I know as I write this, but the ER staff was able to give her a fighting chance and that is where hope begins.
Hope was ending for another woman who was going to miscarry, sad and in pain but no baby was present during the ultrasound. I got to do the ultrasound and learn how to do that but it was not the happy occasion where we were looking for a heartbeat.
There was also a man who was very altered from whatever he had been ingesting. He had more tattoos than you could imagine and would smile and smile. Until security had to be called. His coming down was not as good as getting high apparently.
So don't drink, don't do drugs, don't ride motorcycles, bicycles or ATVs, don't get pregnant, don't drive or have any fun. But if you do, know where the nearest ER is and hope it is not me coming in to interview you! ;-)
posted by Jane at
3:15 PM
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