So I'm home... it's 7:30am and I'm not tired. Maybe it's because I've slept too much the past couple of days or I was so geared up for a good day at work.
Tonights patients:
~ 19yrd girl who took 60 25mg Benadryl tablets and chased them with alcohol. I got to hold her head while the nurses placed an NG tube (a tube down the nose and into the stomach) in and then use it to put charcoal into her stomach. Yes it's very similar to the charcoal you cook with. Needless to say it got better, especially when I was given the task of holding her leg back as the nurse placed a foley catheter into her urethra. Turns out she broke up with her boyfriend, told him that she was pregnant because she was late with her period (she wasn't) then took the tablets.
~ 28yrd male who shows up to the ER in a homicidal/suicidal state. Says to the mental health worker "I'm going to get a gun, shoot you, then jump into a volcano"
But the most exciting thing of the night was that I got to have someone follow me around for six hours and train him in my job. Yes we have a newly hired tech and I have been given the responsibility to train him. M is a young guy, who walks slow. Not a good quality for someone to work in the ER. But I'm willing to work with this, so after showing him some of the basic ropes I thought I'd let him try a phlebotomy stick on me. Since I have this personal rule that you're not sticking anyone until you successfully stick me.
So I show M how to draw blood. Tell him to set up and stick me in the wrist. Now the vein in my wrist is hug! It's an IV drug users dream and all the nurses drool and marvel at it. So I thought to myself "hey he can't miss it" So I let him stick my right wrist... bad call. M not only misses my vein but goes right through it causing it to "blow" meaning because of the back pressure the vein swells and no blood will come out. The vein blows because he went through, why? Because M decided to stick my vein with the needle at a 45 degree angle. This is not good technique because most needle sticks should be done at a 10 to 20 degree angle. So I'm stuck looking at the wrist swell and M dumbfounded wondering why no blood is coming out.
Me: "Release the tournequet and take the needle out"
M: Still wondering why no blood is coming out
Me: starting to feel lightheaded "Release the tourniquet and take the needle out"
M: still wondering why no blood is coming out
Me: RELEASE THE TOURNEQUET AND TAKE THE NEEDLE OUT!"
M: Finally takes the needle out
Me: Starts to feel faint and I nearly pass out.
Yeah I'm a terrible preceptor. Now my wrist is sore. Fucking sucks ass.
Tonights patients:
~ 19yrd girl who took 60 25mg Benadryl tablets and chased them with alcohol. I got to hold her head while the nurses placed an NG tube (a tube down the nose and into the stomach) in and then use it to put charcoal into her stomach. Yes it's very similar to the charcoal you cook with. Needless to say it got better, especially when I was given the task of holding her leg back as the nurse placed a foley catheter into her urethra. Turns out she broke up with her boyfriend, told him that she was pregnant because she was late with her period (she wasn't) then took the tablets.
~ 28yrd male who shows up to the ER in a homicidal/suicidal state. Says to the mental health worker "I'm going to get a gun, shoot you, then jump into a volcano"
But the most exciting thing of the night was that I got to have someone follow me around for six hours and train him in my job. Yes we have a newly hired tech and I have been given the responsibility to train him. M is a young guy, who walks slow. Not a good quality for someone to work in the ER. But I'm willing to work with this, so after showing him some of the basic ropes I thought I'd let him try a phlebotomy stick on me. Since I have this personal rule that you're not sticking anyone until you successfully stick me.
So I show M how to draw blood. Tell him to set up and stick me in the wrist. Now the vein in my wrist is hug! It's an IV drug users dream and all the nurses drool and marvel at it. So I thought to myself "hey he can't miss it" So I let him stick my right wrist... bad call. M not only misses my vein but goes right through it causing it to "blow" meaning because of the back pressure the vein swells and no blood will come out. The vein blows because he went through, why? Because M decided to stick my vein with the needle at a 45 degree angle. This is not good technique because most needle sticks should be done at a 10 to 20 degree angle. So I'm stuck looking at the wrist swell and M dumbfounded wondering why no blood is coming out.
Me: "Release the tournequet and take the needle out"
M: Still wondering why no blood is coming out
Me: starting to feel lightheaded "Release the tourniquet and take the needle out"
M: still wondering why no blood is coming out
Me: RELEASE THE TOURNEQUET AND TAKE THE NEEDLE OUT!"
M: Finally takes the needle out
Me: Starts to feel faint and I nearly pass out.
Yeah I'm a terrible preceptor. Now my wrist is sore. Fucking sucks ass.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
did you get those pictures yet, or did you get a chance to look at them?
hope your next shift goes better - tomorrow i get to dream of poking people with needles (i'm pre-apprenticing as a body piercer)