Back in university, I had the opportunity to go on clinical placements where I shadowed different health professionals. During that time, I was encouraged to write weekly clinical journals. I was digging around in my computer and found these, so just thought I'd share them. Names have been changed to just a random letter.
First placement: Nurse at St. Paul's Hospital 10C ward
May 28th 2012
May 28th 2012
Both during and after my clinical
placement with a nurse at St. Paul’s 10C ward, I experienced a wide range of
emotions. D, the first patient I met, has been diagnosed with HIV twelve years
ago and recently with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Before entering
to see him, the nurse instructed me to put on a gown and gloves because he
also has vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). As this was my first time meeting
patients with VRE, I felt apprehensive as I did not know how contagious VRE is.
When the nurse gave simple commands to D, he neither responded nor moved. I thought it was due to him being deaf, as I had read that in his charts. However, the nurse explained that his cognitive function and mobility has rapidly decreased due to PML since his hospital admission. Right then, I felt very sad to see such a young man with so many health problems that he could neither perform simple tasks nor communicate. All he did was look at me with an expressionless face and at that moment, I really wanted to know what he was thinking or if there was anything I could do to make him feel better. A lumbar puncture was requested to be done on him and I agreed to observe the procedure as I have learned about it but have never actually seen it being performed. However, due to the fact that D couldn’t move by himself, the nurse asked me for my help by holding him onto his side throughout the procedure. The procedure lasted for at least half and hour and I held him on his side the entire time. During this time, I was excited to witness the procedure, but I also felt heartbroken whenever I looked at his face and saw his blank eyes staring back at me. Again, I really wished I could communicate with him so I could know how he was feeling or what was going through his mind during the procedure. Are you very uncomfortable on your side? How can I make you feel more comfortable and better? I really wanted to do whatever I could to ease the procedure, but I did not know what to do. In fact, at one point, I saw his lips twitch and I thought he was trying to say something, but when I looked again, his lips weren`t moving anymore. I sincerely wanted to tell him not to worry and that he would be alright, but I kept these words to myself as I wasn’t sure if they would be appropriate. Instead, I gave him a soft pat on the back when we were done with the procedure in hopes that he’d understand that it meant he did a good job in keeping still throughout the procedure.
________________________________
The 10C ward at St. Paul's Hospital opened in 1997 during the HIV/AIDs epidemic and was specifically for HIV/AIDs patients. However, it was announced in May 2014 that the ward was closing as there has been a decline in patients dying from AIDs. What a milestone. The ward now focusses on treatments and support for HIV-infected patients and viral and bacterial infections. Thank you to Dr. Julio Montaner and his discovery of the triple therapy treatment - HIV/AIDs is no longer a death sentence.
When the nurse gave simple commands to D, he neither responded nor moved. I thought it was due to him being deaf, as I had read that in his charts. However, the nurse explained that his cognitive function and mobility has rapidly decreased due to PML since his hospital admission. Right then, I felt very sad to see such a young man with so many health problems that he could neither perform simple tasks nor communicate. All he did was look at me with an expressionless face and at that moment, I really wanted to know what he was thinking or if there was anything I could do to make him feel better. A lumbar puncture was requested to be done on him and I agreed to observe the procedure as I have learned about it but have never actually seen it being performed. However, due to the fact that D couldn’t move by himself, the nurse asked me for my help by holding him onto his side throughout the procedure. The procedure lasted for at least half and hour and I held him on his side the entire time. During this time, I was excited to witness the procedure, but I also felt heartbroken whenever I looked at his face and saw his blank eyes staring back at me. Again, I really wished I could communicate with him so I could know how he was feeling or what was going through his mind during the procedure. Are you very uncomfortable on your side? How can I make you feel more comfortable and better? I really wanted to do whatever I could to ease the procedure, but I did not know what to do. In fact, at one point, I saw his lips twitch and I thought he was trying to say something, but when I looked again, his lips weren`t moving anymore. I sincerely wanted to tell him not to worry and that he would be alright, but I kept these words to myself as I wasn’t sure if they would be appropriate. Instead, I gave him a soft pat on the back when we were done with the procedure in hopes that he’d understand that it meant he did a good job in keeping still throughout the procedure.
________________________________
The 10C ward at St. Paul's Hospital opened in 1997 during the HIV/AIDs epidemic and was specifically for HIV/AIDs patients. However, it was announced in May 2014 that the ward was closing as there has been a decline in patients dying from AIDs. What a milestone. The ward now focusses on treatments and support for HIV-infected patients and viral and bacterial infections. Thank you to Dr. Julio Montaner and his discovery of the triple therapy treatment - HIV/AIDs is no longer a death sentence.
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