After finishing my sixth week here, I finally feel like I've gotten the swing of the hospital routine, at least a little bit. As thorough as my classes were, there is no real way to "be prepared" for the medical environment until you are actually in it. For my blog this week, I wanted to share a list of real, (and humorous), list of things I have learned from working full-time in a hospital:
1. There is no 5-second rule. There is no 3-second rule. Any food dropped on the ground is immediately and irrevocably lost forever.
2. Wash your hands BEFORE, and after, using the restroom.
3. Nurses are superheros.
4. The intensity of the itch on your face is directly proportional to the level of infection control contact precautions on any given ward.
5. It is almost impossible to play a guitar while wearing latex gloves.
6. Once you learn the definition of horrifying medical terms like "fecal emesis", you will forever imagine that it took place on every surface in the hospital.
7. When in doubt, you have three choices: "Amazing Grace", "Home on the Range", or "You Are My Sunshine".
8. Patients who say they like "every" kind of music, do NOT like every kind of music. They like a very specific kind of music, and they want you to guess what it is.
9. No matter how many times you tell people that you are actually a professional in an accredited field, you will still be referred to as "the music lady" at least once a day.
10. Hand sanitizer is a way of life. Until, that is, you realize that the .01% of bacteria germ-ex doesn't kill, happens to be one of the most horrifying stomach conditions known to mankind.
11. Never underestimate the importance of talking. Yes, patients enjoy listening to music, but sometimes they need you to listen to Them too.
*Note: the Medical Center does an excellent job with infection control, and this post is not intended to reflect badly in any way on the hospital. I'm just new to the world of disease control and prevention!
No comments:
Post a Comment