My first emergency experience...

I was working on a normal day shift in my avdeling (ward), ward 4... I'm telling it's my ward now because I am the only nurse there and and responsible for 8 patients and there are 5 hjelpepleiers (LVNs) and 3 assistent (nursing assistant) under me. Well used to be two but the other one recently quit her job and got a new one in the hospital. As I was saying,  everything was going smoothly with the bedside care and giving out morning medicines. So my work phone rang and the two sentence I heard was, "Du må komme ned på avdeling 2 med en gang. Vi har an akutt situasjon her." (You have to go here at ward 2 at once. We have an acute situation here). Before I even thought of anything, I was racing down the stairs to go the that post without thinking that this is the first time I am handling something acute!  

So as I got in that ward, I searched which room I am actually needed. I went to this room of a new patient and there I saw 3 persons carrying a patient to the bed from the bathroom. I immediately saw that the patient had a CVA, right side. At first the patient was on shock as even though she was paralyzed on the left side, her arm and leg on the unaffected side were almost everywhere! I told her that we are here to help her and she should somehow calm down. She said she is having so much pain on the right side of the head as she guided my hand on the spot which is hurting. Although my first nursing instinct was to check her VS first, I ditched the idea and immediately called the doctor. :) But the problem is here in the Nursing homes, doctors are here on mondays and wednesday.. and it was a tuesday! So I called legevakt  (more like of you dial 911 and doctors will be the one answering the call... cool huh?) So anyway, I gave the details to the doctor who answered my call but she said that I should call first the primarydoctor of the patient. Good thing that doctor's number is on my mobile phone and so I ringed and told the situation. So I learned now that primary doctors are the first in line who can refer a patient for admittance in the hospital, next is the legevakt.  So then I ringed again to a special emergency department to send an ambulance at once after that. And lastly, I called the patient's family and told them about the situation and which hospital the patient will be sent to. I went back to the patient again and she started breathing heavily and started becoming cyanotic. Good thing after a few minutes, the ambulance came and rushed her to the nearest hospital. 

STRESS!! To be honest! Sounds easy? Maybe, but it's my first time.. plus I kinda struggled with the language and technical terms! How do I supposed to know these terms, when I learned them only in English??!!! Arrrrgghhh!! But you know, you'll start working with just the basic knowledge you've learned from school and the rest is learned by experience. :) And this is a good experience for me.. plus I am now more convinced that I have to buy that Medical Terms English to Norsk book and pile it up on my desk at work. Hahaha.. So there's kinda a disadvantage working in a nursing home because even though you are assigned on a certain ward, you can also be summoned to another ward, if the nurse in charge there is off or in leave, thus you are partially responsilble for all patients in the facility. That day, we are only 3 nurses for 90 patients and what if 5 patients suddenly and simultaneously had CVA or heart attack? and we are not so familiar with their cases? So anyway, that's why assessment and evaluation is so important... Do I need to send the patient to the hospital? or what? I am so excited to be actually applying my nursing knowledge and skills after 1.5 years.. I have a lot to learn, that's for sure, but I'm up to the challenge! 

Well, it's kinda fun, doing this job. It can be boring sometimes because you do the same routines everyday. But as I have learned that this job becomes only monotonous if you don't apply what you've learned about Nursing care plans... struggle with continuous care, always the ADPIE!! Long term health care are so dependent with the NCPs we nurses make for our patients. Plus you should try to give best possible nursing care and be actually an advocate for your patients. My patients are aged between 90-103 years old, demented and almost everyone sits on a wheel chair and can't do anything for themselves. Avdeling 4 is the toughest ward to work in, as what everybody says... So you have to be actually an attorney because they can't speak for themselves and tell you what they actually need. You have to think all the time that these patients' lives are on your hands.. plus think about the loved ones of these patients who, although had probably accepted long ago that their parents is gonna die anytime soon because of old age, that we, in some way treat them well and with respect.