Last week for rotations, I was at Phase I and postpartum.
Because of the snow days from the weekend, Phase I was a little bit slower than usual as surgeons had delayed many of their surgeries until after the snow days. Phase I is the first part of the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) that patients go to after surgery. Patients usually stay in Phase I for about 30 minutes to an hour to recover from the anesthesia from surgery and are given medications to begin their recovery process.
The nurses in the Phase I unit have to constantly monitor and document the patient’s pulses. I had the opportunity to hook a patient up to an electrocardiogram for the first time and got to practice taking vital signs on actual patients. Even though it was a slower day, I enjoyed it more because I got to actually talk with patients and learn more about them and their stories.
The next site I was at was postpartum. Postpartum care is where women stay to recover and for nurses to observe for any complications after giving birth. It was so wholesome seeing the joy of families welcoming a new member into their family. This was definitely one of my favorite rotations because I got to interact with the families and take the mothers’ vital signs. I found the setup of the postpartum rooms interesting.
Unlike a typical hospital room, the rooms felt more like hotel suites as they all had a connected area away from the main room with the hospital bed for the family members to spend the night. At the end of each mothers’ stay, I got to wheel them out to their car which gave me a feeling of completion as I had participated in their entire journey of care. The highlight of the rotation, however, was visiting the nursery and seeing all the adorable newborns. This positive experience truly opened my eyes to the possibility of pursuing a career as an OB-GYN or a related field in medicine.
This week I worked with fewer patients, but I had the opportunity to provide more hands-on care, which gave me a deeper appreciation for the important healthcare profession roles beyond doctors in the hospital. I’m excited for my final week at this hospital before starting at the next one.
