First night of clinicals

[marinepilot]

WOW! First night of clinical experience was tonight, and MAN, am I pumped UP! I feel like I could go out and save the WORLD tonight!

My first night was at the areas largest, most respected hospital in our town, and the only specialty trauma center in the region (although there are two other trauma centers in our town!). Spent about 4.5 hours in the ER and at first it was boring. Scut work, testing urine samples, following around a paramedic. We did an EKG on a older man with chest pain and shortness of breath. We transported a much older lady from the ER to the upstairs hospital rooms (she was very sweet).

But the best part came in the last hour! We had a trauma! An elderly gentleman had fallen a week ago and hurt himself, but his regular doctor said he was okay and sent him home with some pain meds. Well, come to find that his pain wasn't going away, it was getting WORSE! He finally called EMS and they brought him in.

Doc looks at him and finds that he's got a classic flail chest (4 ribs broken in two places and the sections are floating in the opposite direction as the rest of the ribs). And he had subcutaneous air under the skin of his left side! So, the doc decided to put a chest tube in, and I GOT TO ASIST! WHOA! That was friggin' AWESOME!!

Okay, I'm tired now, so I have to get some sleep before work tomorrow. Anyway, just wanted to share with you all about my incredible first night of being an EMT student on clinical rotation!

[mcsap]

but...but... did you arrest anyone ??

[noelchabanel]

I have to say, that is pretty freaking cool! I took vital signs in triage all day when I did mine, although I did get to assist with an EKG on one patient. I guess everyone was wearing seatbelts that day... I have to say, I did learn how to interview patients there, so it was useful, even if it was a little boring. Yesterday I climbed through the windshield of an overturned car on the interstate and pulled someone out, that was much more exciting :D Good luck!

[mcknis]

Congrats on your first clinical experience! It truly does get better over the next few months. You will see so much and learn from some of the greats! Keep up the work and study your butt off. I have and it is truly paying off. The medical field is an exciting and growing field.