Lab Coats

Coffee in one hand, a thick blue folder in the other hand, and a pager on my hip, I walk down the hallway amid people clothed in scrubs. A yellow shirt and dress pants, my hair pulled smartly back to keep it out of the way, and my white lab coat tie the look together.

This has become my new daily routine (although usually it's sans coffee). I go from floor to floor in the acute/cardiac area, in and out of hallways, finding and reading charts, tracking down nurses, and working with the patients. The wonderful thing about a clinical is that it's learning on the job(minus the paycheck). And while on the job? You gain an incredible amount of confidence as you help people "ambulate" and "assess their gait"or other such things.

Some people are cranky, and don't want to be seen. Others are hurting and it's all they can do to keep their focus on what you're asking them to do. My favorite have a sense of humor  that could be used on a show called "Ninety-seven-year-old's say the Darndest Things." Most every person I have come in contact with has loved the fact that I am a student, and they are more than willing to work with me as I'm not the most adept at untangling IV lines, catheter bags, drain tubes, oxygen lines, and juggling an IV pole and an O2 tank.

I've done things I never thought I would do before, such as assisting people in the bathroom, talking with confused and disoriented pt's, adjusting and clipping catheter lines onto my pocket while we're walking in the hall, or helping someone get dressed. I get to tuck people back into bed, and make sure they're comfortable before I leave, and hook and unhook medical lines.

More important then that, is going into each room with a smile and something encouraging to say. Patience is definitely a requirement in a situation like this. So many people who are in a hospital situation are hurting. They're tired of being there, even if it's only been a day. They don't think they're doing well. They just want to go home. They hurt. They're never going to get better... It's sad =(. I saw today especially, that if you offer encouragement and help them to see the progress that they've made? They respond much better.

I see the hope. The smile on their face. There is no feeling like getting someone who is discouraged and saddened by their state to truly smile, so that it goes all the way to their eyes.

The story in the hospital goes, that the only medical personnel that patient's dislike seeing more than the physical therapists are the people from infusion, who come to poke and prod with needles.. Though there are some days where I'm sure we rate much lower, depending on the situation.

These people are in pain, and I've discovered a way to help them get better. I've discovered that being a joy to them rather than being frustrated with them, and smiling and talking with them rather than snapping at them, is a refresher to them and to myself. It's rewarding to spread a smile. Sometimes just distracting them from their current situation and getting them down to a new area of the floor, where they can see the view of the city while they talk about their family, is enough.

I enjoy it more than I thought I ever would. The hustle and the bustle. The new cases. The differing diagnoses. And all the lives that I get to become a small part of. All of it ties together into one long day, which sometimes leaves me ready for bed by 8. Like today. But you know? I don't mind. Helping people is basically one of the best things ever, in any capacity.