L&D 2-25-13 &2-27-13

Learning Report:

What were your responsibilities this week?
On the both rotation days, I initially went to the L&D, however there were not any patients and the health care professionals advised me to go to Nursery. Nevertheless, I had the chance to work with three registered nurses and a neonatologist. I saw about five babies in the Nursery on Monday, and maybe three babies on Wednesday. I got to see how the nurse examines the newborn baby.
What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?
I learned so much by seeing all the wonderful babies in the Nursery. I truly saw how little and susceptible these infants were. By working with a neonatologist and a RN, I learned how to do a newborn examination. In this examination, the baby's posture, reflexes, vital signs, and behavior are noted in order to diagnose any problems with the baby.
What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?
The best part of the Nursery was seeing the babies and having the chance to actually hold a baby boy. They were very cute to watch, especially when the RN was examining them. I also found the the infant examination to be interesting. My partner and I also had the chance
What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?
Nothing bad happened at the Nursery during my rotations. All of the employees were very nice and informative. However, my partner and I did get a bit uncomfortable when she held the baby and it started crying. In the bright side, it stopped crying afterwards when the neonatologist arrived and stuck a pacifier in the infant's mouth.
This week was: Good
I enjoyed this department very much because the RNs I worked with were very informative and answered all my questions. I could really tell that they enjoyed teaching students. I also liked talking to a neonatologist because he informed me on a few good medical schools that I could look into.

This is how the nursery fairly looked like

Experience Record: 

Technology Observed: EKG, AK-NICU, Infant Warmer System, Incubator, Heartstand XL, AED Purposes, Pysxis Supply Station, Pyxsis MedStation 3500, Wellch Allyn thermometer, Alaris PC

Diagnostic procedures Observed: Neonatologists diagnose a baby with any problem by first doing an infant examination. This is similar to the physical examination an individual receives at the pediatrician. In this examination the health care professional checks the baby's posture, reflexes, vital signs, and behavior.

Therapeutic procedures observed: I did not see any treatment, but I did see a baby getting her first Hepatitis vaccine.

Diseases/disorders observed: In the NICU, one baby had been born prematurely and was underweight.

Medical terminology encountered: Vernix- skin cells that baby's don't shed, this looks like a white skin and it is usually found underneath the armpits or other folds of skin.

Experience Record: 

    When I first entered this department, I saw two rooms: the NICU, which was for sick babies, and the nursery, which was for healthy babies. On both my clinical days there were 4-5 babies in the Nursery and only 1-2 in the NICU at any given time. In this area, health care professionals, babies, and students like me are only allowed. Registered Nurses and one Neonatologist mainly work in this department. The babies each had their own crib and the newborns were placed in a radiant heat warmer to warm up their body to the correct temperature. The normal temperature for this warmer is 36.5°C (97.7°F).

    All of the health care professionals here are very social and informative. They must communicate well when talking to each other regarding the baby's condition and information. Furthermore, they must also know how to collaborate and work together as a team. Some safety procedures I observed was washing your hands and putting on gloves before touching a baby. The main reason for this is to avoid getting germs on the baby. Since their immune system is not fully developed, their body is susceptible to sicknesses. 

    I saw a neonatologist doing a infant examination on the baby. I learned that the certain postions a baby is in can indicate whether he/she has a physical problem. I also learned about the Mongolian spot that is a dark coloring usually found in specific areas on a baby's body. Usually this spot will fade as the baby's skin grows. However, it is imperative that the RN or doctor write on the chart indicating that such a dark coloring is a Mongolian spot. If not, people might begin to think it is bruising on the baby and this can lead to trouble.

    Overall, my experience was very enjoyable. Holding an infant was definitely a great experience. I would definitely love to visit the Nursery some other time and talk to the employees and see the babies. I really enjoyed working with the RNs and the neonatologist because they were social, funny, yet informative. Personally, this will help me in the future if  I am ever interested in pursuing a career in the Nursing field. Educationally, this will help me if I am in Nursing school because I have already been exposed to the general idea of what an RN or neonatologist does. And professionally, this will help me if I ever become a RN and work in the Nursery/NICU department of a hospital.