Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This blog is written by Vanderbilt Young Scholars Medical Program students to share their thoughts and experiences during their three week immersion into the Life of Vanderbilt Medical Center. We hope you enjoy reading about the program, its students and the Medical Center. Vanderbilt does not edit this blog. Bloggers are solely responsible for content.
10 comments:
I learned how to make a splint (though not very well), which was awesome. Also, we were shown the various uses of an ultrasound. Our physician instructor gave us insight into not only the various levels of trauma, but also to the ABCDE of treatment. She specifically covered the different ways to clearing the patient's airway.
I learned how careful the doctors have to be when a patient arrives in critical condition. They can't just jump right in and get to work on what appears to be the problem, they have to make sure they are sanitary and have gloves and the proper protection. Then they must check the airway, breathing, circulation, then disability, and then exposure. There is much more procedure and regimentation involved than I thought there would be.
I thought it was really interesting how technologically advanced the Vanderbilt medical center is. The large screen with every patient information, and even the doctors/nurses that are affiliated with that patient really caught my attention because I imagine that one piece of equipment can make a lot of issues easier to handle for everyone.
I never realized how few beds were actually available in the ER. Because I'd never been to the ER before today, I thought it would much larger, but after actually being in it myself, it was surprising to see patients waiting outside in the hallways on gurneys. It was also amazing to learn that there are about 100(?) people that go through there everyday, even with only about 40 rooms total.
Visiting the Adult ED was a very valuable experience, for it showed me that my precognitions about an ER were mistaken. I had expected people to be rushing around from room to room, especially with the overflow of patients, but everyone seemed very calm and collected. It was also interesting to learn about the ABC's of assessing a patient, the philosophy of initially treating everyone the same every time, and the many different uses of an ultrasound.
Well, I found this portion of the day to be a great intro into ER medicine and the processes both physically and mentally. Just learning about the splint procedure, ABC's, and ultrasound were great interactive ways to learn about basic medical knowledge that these people must apply regularly. Also being given the opportunity to ask questions was great and very helpful today.
Personally, I find ER medicine the most appealing of the medical specialties. The physician instructor seemed to really love her job and thrived on the meaningful contribution it makes to others. Passion really struck me hard in the Adult ED.
To me, the Adult ED was the most fascinating, mostly because of how much I've learned because of our fabulous instructor. It's fascinating how constant these ER doctors are under pressure, and in the end, manage to succeed given the restricted amount of time.
The ABC's of the ER was also fascinating and something I have never learned before. Before today, I thought the doctors would immediately stop the patient's blood loss, any amputated limbs, etc. Now, I learned that the most critical part of an injured person is the airway, then breathing, etc.... I will certainly keep this in mind given the certain circumstances.
I saw that the whole process of bringing in an adult had a farily simple protocol but it was also very rushed.It was very interesting to actually be in that sort of environment and just from being there I could feel the excited and tense atmosphere that loomed all around. We learned about the abcde's and about the basic equipment they used and I learned a little about splints.
While visiting the Adult ED I really learned how broad a range of patients come through the doors-- Anything from a major car accident to a minor bump or bruise, yet each of these use the same procedures of the ABCDEs. I loved getting to have some hands on experience with the splinting materials and ultrasound machine.
I wasn't here for this part of the program, so I can't answer this question.
Post a Comment