On the Floor

My new home away from home (minus the 2 feet of snow)... :)



I survived my first day on the floor. It is a lot like traveling to a foreign country. There is so much to take in...new people, the environment, the systems. The day starts shortly after 7am and continues until the work is over. As most of the admissions are transfers and they come at all times there will be no 'typical' day. My preceptor is currently tackling two of us that are new to the service. I feel bad that I can't help her more but I don't know what to do and as it is the first day I am just short of useless. I met nurses, case managers, pharmacists, and physicians. Everyone is less formal that I expected. Patients call their doctors by first name so not only do I need to know last names but first names as well. Let the quizzing begin, perhaps flash cards would be beneficial. I just hope that most folks wear their name tags.
I received my technology... beeper, computer, and phone. Now to only learn how to use all the computer programs. The system is windows based so that is helpful but not the easiest to use. The more I use it the better it will be I just need to remember that it will be frustrating for a little while until I have everything formatted to my liking.
I wrote my first H&P but no orders yet. The first patient had Flolan infusing (a drug used for pulmonary HTN) which is not a favorite of mine. If the IV infusion is ever stopped the rebound hypertension in the lungs can be fatal. It isn't exactly a benign easily administered drug. My patient was admitted with it already infusing so I just had to treat it as one of her normal meds like aspirin or prilosec. Yikes. Thankfully my preceptor handled the orders and setting up the hospital infusion so I could focus on the note. I left after 6pm so the 10 hour day is more of a guideline than actuality. The service went from 13 patients to 25 and it is only a 32 bed unit. Talk about a crazy day to try and get acclimated. At least I could say that it was my first day and I didn't know what exactly was going on .... I don't think that saying that it is my second day is going to excuse me from anything. It was a one day only deal. Now I just need to catch up and learn the system as best as possible.
An attending grew up in my hometown and went to my high school. The pharmacist's wife was a year behind me in school. I am so used to working in an environment that is completely anonymous. No one knew my hometown, or me in any of the places I used to live. As my friend Paul would say...'interesting'. Hopefully I can represent my self, my hometown, and all the people and places that have had an impact on me in a positive light.
If you are ever traveling in New England in the winter and you see a little building on a trailer I will explain what it is... The building is so small that it would be barely big enough to contain a lawn mower if it was called a shed. No this building can't even be called a shed, it is a shack. A shack on wheels being carefully transported to the next available location. Why move a shack... it is an ice fishing shack. The only structure that will prevent the cold breeze across the lake from turning you into a popsicle. Brr.