January
16th:
Sarah Lehman: “Today I was on the MICU unit with
Mady, I also got to watch someone have hemodialysis which was a new experience
for me and really interesting. Both Mady and I also assisted in a code; we
helped give compressions to the patient. This was a first for me so it was new
and honestly a little scary. I learned a lot from this experience and wouldn’t
change it.”
Mady Urman
“I was also in the MICU unit today and it was very interesting for me as
we had to do many things manually that we would normally do with a pump in the
U.S., such as a tube feeding and gastric lavage. In addition, I help give chest
compressions with Sarah during a code which was also a first for me, but a very
good learning experience overall.
Claire Bjorklund “My first day was in OB/NICU with my
Filipino partner, Carlo. The day went by very quickly and I was able to learn
in a very hands on fashion. Carlo and I started with assessment of postpartum
mothers since the NICU only had two babies. I was able to bathe babies, which
made my whole day! I had so much fun and wasn't able to wipe the smile off my
face all day!”
Kilen Eilefson “Today I was in the Emergency
Department (ED) with my Filipino partner, Ciana. Although it was a relatively
slow day, there were plenty of great learning opportunities. I was able to have
my first experience inserting an IV, which unfortunately did not go as planned,
but I feel more prepared for next time nonetheless. This was my first
experience working in an ED, so it was interesting to see how the workflow differs
from a normal unit. This was a great experience and I look forward to seeing
more of the hospital in the next couple of days”
Tori Anderson “My first day was in the OR. I was
excited because I have never watched a surgery performed besides a Cesarean
section. In the morning, we waited to see if our patient could undergo the
surgery because of previous health conditions. They were able to perform the
amputation that needed due to sepsis. I scrubbed in and assisted the surgeon
throughout the operation. I enjoyed my experience in the OR, as I was able to
learn new instruments and tools, as well as communicate closely with the
surgeon and other members of the team. I was also able to observe a
laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which was really interesting to see.”
January
17th:
Sarah Lehman “Today I was in the ER, it wasn’t
super busy but I felt like I was able to learn a lot and get a lot of
experience. It was interesting to see how big of a problem dog bites and rabies
are in the country, I think we had 3 or 4 patients come in for the rabies
vaccines. I was excited to insert my first IV, and I actually put in 2 more. I
feel a lot more confident in putting them in now.”
Claire Bjorklund “Day two I was in the OR/LR where I
was able to scrub in on a thyroidectomy and observe on a laparoscopic
cholecystectomy. Scrubbing in and passing tools is harder than it looks, and I
may or may not have been yelled at in Tagalog! Both surgeries were very cool to
watch and the size of the thyroid removed was extremely large. The highlight of
this portion of my day was extubating the patient!! My favorite part of the day
was when Mam Janice came and told us we could observe and assist in a birth!
Watching Tori scrub in on delivery and being able to be a part of the first
cares for the newborn was definitely the highlight. Observing the first latch
of breastfeeding and assisting Mady in dressing the baby and bringing the baby
to the mother made my whole day.”
Mady Urman “Today I was in the OR/LR and was
able to observe a thyroidectomy and scrub in for a laparoscopic
cholecystectomy. These were both amazing experiences, but my favorite part of
the day was when I was able to do observe a birth and do all of the aftercares
for the baby such as drying her off, helping her latch on and doing her first
weight, measurements and immunizations.”
Kilen Eilefson- Today I was in the MICU. This was
the first time the lack of technology really became apparent to me. I was blown
away by the inadequacy of devices in the intensive care unit. Things such as IV
pumps, oral care sets, medication carts, feeding pumps, and computers were
scarce. These are all things that we rely heavily on in intensive care units,
and normal floors in the US. It was very interesting to see how this affected
the management of the patients like how the nurses went about setting drip
rates manually, and how they were not able to rely on technology to help them
with their care.
Tori Anderson “Today I was in Labor and Delivery.
I was anxious because I wanted to be able to assist or observe a birth. My
Filipino partner was Dana who was very helpful as we assessed the patient who
came into the hospital that morning dilated already to 4cm and scheduled to
deliver naturally. The patient progressed through labor rapidly, and my day was
complete when they asked me to scrub in and assist in the delivery. The doctor
told me to come close to her left and be ready. Before I knew it, the baby was
ready to enter the world and, I was able to deliver the baby with the doctor by
my side! The doctors did an excellent job explaining every step along the way
including clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. I was able to care for the
mother and newborn afterwards for some time as the baby started breastfeeding.
I had an unbelievable experience that I am blessed to have been a part of.”
January
18th:
Sarah Lehman “Today I was on the NICU/labor
delivery/ postpartum care unit. My last rotation in Duluth was at the
Birthplace at Essentia where I also spent a day on the NICU so it is
interesting to compare the two experiences. The highlight of my day was giving
a baby a bath, it was a really good learning experience and I really like being
able to work with a baby and seeing the mother’s reaction.”
Claire Bjorklund “Day three I was in the ER, with
Mady and Dana! The day was super busy I was able to put in many IVs, check
plenty of blood pressures manually and plenty of other things! The language
barrier was a key part of the day, making nonverbal communication very helpful.
I was able to assist and do many skills- the most vivid part of this day was
watching intubation on a patient without any sedation, and following up with a
NG tube places as well as a foley catheter. Watching intubation like this was
much different from in the OR, but was a great experience. The ER nurses were
great, and I was sad to have to leave clinical on the last day.”
Mady Urman “Today I was in the ER with Claire
and it was an extremely busy day in the morning as many patients came in with
various complaints such as dehydration, COPD exacerbation, abdominal pain and
shortness of breath--to name a few. I was able to practice multiple skills
including: IV starts, foley catheter placements, nasogastric tube placements,
and many, many manual vital signs. It was a fascinating and very challenging
experience as I was able to experience many new things, but also had the added
challenge of a language barrier with many of my patients.”