Well, it is day 2 of 5 at the clinic for surgeries....and man do we keep things moving. I am on the 3-11ish shift, but really im going to be working during lunchish time to give those nurses a slight meal break then from 5p-1am to help through the overnight change of shift. I'm exhausted already! Yesterday, we had maybe only 10 surgeries, but today we have those patients plus 21 new surgeries. I am enjoying being with the American team, but this reaffirms my feelings of being done with hospital floor nursing in my career as an RN. Even without the computer documentation there is a haunting similarity here to my bad memories back at Vandy!.....hospital nursing is just not for me. I will leave it to those nutty nurses who thrive off stress, blood, and guts. Me, I like quiet educational sessions, organizing, managing, being one-on-one. I'm excited to get back and try out substitute school nursing and teaching, a lot!
But there are 8 other people from Knoxville here- 2 great nurses that I will be working with on nights (who work at UT), a GYN surgeon, a 3rd year GYN resident, a cute little old couple who are our "compassionate caregivers," a guy that I think is an EMT but is working as a surgical tech, and I can't think who the 8th person is right now. It's a pretty big team in all....about 40 people from all over- New York, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee.
I'm kind of a weird liason between the American and Guatemalan nurses, as I am kind of in the middle.......didn't come with the Americans but also not Guatemalan. But, that makes it fun to get to float between everybody. I got pulled into the OR to translate before surgery yesterday. For people that don't speak spanish, they think I'm really fluent, but if you know any spanish, you know how intermediate I really am. But learning a lot and helping where I can!
The first day we had a few general surgery patients: hernia repairs and hemmroid repairs, but the majority were GYN patients. One lady had a 20cm mass removed from her.......but now she is also 20lbs lighter! My favorite patient was a little 6 year old girl named Katerine (got excited because we have the same name). Poor thing had a hernia repair and was such a trooper, but she threw up her first clear liquids after surgery and was just beside herself crying for her mom. But one of our compassionate caregivers was able to sit with her and sing to her, and after a little time and some zofran, she was up coloring and reading to us. Precious little girl...her mom came later on in the evening, and she went home this morning.
I got up early this morning and put my OCD tendencies to use making flowcharts for the recovery and floor nurses. If you aren't in the OR, the nurses kind of function as do-all people...we have a little corner of the room set up as our recovery area and then transfer the patients to the other side of the curtain for the "floor" where they stay until discharge. It was absolute chaos yesterday as everyone was trying to help at the same time and no one knew who had what patient, what had been done for what patient, etc etc. Its a whole different type of learning curve to have a bunch of random people thrown together and have to figure out how everyone else works. But, I think we got a little more organization together today. The nurses were really excited to have the flowsheets to keep their patients organized with, so hopefully today will be a lot better.
But all in all, things are going well. I think I am ready to come home, but just need to wait a couple more weeks out to finish the things that are already planned for me to help with. On Sept 23-25 we have the school education days, and I could not disappoint 500 kids by their "gringa" not showing up.
I'm bunking at the clinic with one of the Guatemalan nurses, Ruth. She's really sweet. She came from the capital to help us this week. And oh my gosh guys....here at the "hotel" at the clinic there are showers with warm water and no bugs, and fans, and cold drinking water, and no ants are getting in my snacks. It's amazing.
Will close for now. I can't get on facebook from the clinic, so if anybody needs me, just email or write on here. Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend. Ready to come home.
6 comments:
okay, i had to do a check test cause my last long comment didn't even get posted. i don't even know if this is WORKING..
Well anyways, hello Katie,
I am glad to hear your accomodations are better at the clinic! Hopefully the staff will start working better together after a couple more days and things will go a lot more SmOotHly.
I drove your car a bit this weekend when I came home from Nashville, hope you don't mind! : ) I figured it was good for it so that it doesn't die out sitting on the drive way. A neighbor---uh hmm--asked me if I got a new car. I guess no one ever noticed your car out there cause it looks like a midgit compared to mom's ginormous van.
Mom and I didn't go to Boom's day cause we didn't want to get into all the red-neckness that makes boom's day what it is, I guess. We watched on tv and they had the typical fireworks and bridge waterfall display and then a new show that came up out of the river as the Jaws score played. It was awesome!
I hope you are feeling better. Prepare for extreme english sanitary fun when you get to the states!! Ha Ha.
OKAY BYE LOVE YOU!
Hi Katie,
Jessie and Ali let me know you posted more. I continue to look and then when I stop, something gets posted. Rob told me the other day and then J & A today. Sounds like you are getting things organized for the clinic and that will help things run smoother. So proud of you. I guess Dad and I can both take credit for your OCD organizational skills!
I rode 9 miles today on the Maryville Bike Trail. No flat tires or mishaps. I told Rob that I am so thankful nothing has happened to me yet but every incident that is a near miss for a major crisis, I stop and thank God for His protection, and then let it be embedded in my memory so that I can be more cautious and prepared for the next time. I really enjoy riding. Right now that's about the only thing where I feel I am free, so I am not wanting to stop doing it.
Well, look forward to hearing more about the surgeries and your experiences in Guatemala. Hope you are doing better since the incident that happened with the taxi driver. Too bad you didn't look at him and start laughing, saying "un penisita poco". What a jerk!
Have to prepare for this week with the kids.
I love you.
Oh my gosh, mom. If you wanted my assistance you should have just told me what it was for so that you could get the proper words. Ridiculous and love it anyways.
I didn't know you had a penchant for organizing things --want to organize my house when you get back? I don't like a mess but can't ever seem to find time to get it done either.
Do you get any chance to do anything recreational (exercise wise) besides listen to music and play with the children? I'm assuming there must be some things to see locally --maybe you could organize a group tour with the visiting docs? Somebody should be able to tell you where a group of 6 or 8 could go for a hike or tour.
Ellen didn't mention that she walked a couple miles on the East Lakeshore Trail the day before the bicycle ride (she did a great job of clearing the spiderwebs for me.) Sometimes I had to buckle down to keep up with her, especially on the uphills because she walks faster uphill then I do.
Keep your spirits up.
BTW, don't know if you follow UT football but did you hear they played WKU to a 63-7 win?
Booms day sounded great! And go UT! Thats a good start. I'd like to go to at least one game when I get back.
jess, thanks for driving my car. it needs it instead of sitting there for weeks on end.
mom, congrats on the long ride, thats great! that must feel freeing to be able to ride smoothly, fast on a bike. thats how i feel when i feel the breeze against me too. its like it blows all the things that fog your mind away, all your worries.
well, thats all for now. so sleepy. wish i could sleep past sunrise! love you..
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