Radiology 2-4-13 & 2-6-13

Learning Report:

What were your responsibilities this week?
This week, I worked with 3 radiology technicians and observed them for two days. I saw a variety of people get x-rays the second day and learned many things about radiology and procedures the first day. I visited the PACU and got to see an x-ray being done on a patient who was unconscious.

What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?
I learned that the radiation from x-rays can cause cancer and lead aprons are used to prevent that. I saw pictures of X-rays  and learned how the radiologists are able to tell what is wrong with the patient through the coloring and shapes present in the body. The patient has to have an X-ray taken from different angles, because the injury may show from one angle, but not the other. I learned about various diseases that can be discovered through X-rays.

What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?
The best thing that happened at Radiology was that I had an opportunity to see how X-rays are done and that was actually very interesting! The employees were also very kind and informative, so I learned a lot in this area of the hospital!

What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-based leaning site this week?
 The worst thing that happened was that on the first day, I had to wait a while in the tech room before a radiologist technician actually showed up. But when one of them showed up, I began to learn a lot and it made up for the few minutes of waiting.

This week was: Good
I got a majority of my task sheet complete and got to see many people get x-rays. The week always goes fantastic when I learn a lot! Also, the employees made everything fun to learn!

Experience Record:

Technology observed: X-ray, Fluoroscope, MRI, CAT scan, computers, printers
Diagnostic procedures observed: MRI, X-ray, CAT scan
Therapeutic procedures observed: MRI, X-ray, CAT scan
Diseases/disorders observed: colonoscopies, pneumonia
Medical terminology/abbreviations encountered: Cholecystogram, mammogram, radiology

Learning Experience Journal:

  When I walked in, I was directed towards the tech room where most students wait. There was a lot of technology everywhere. Int he X-ray room, there was a corner where students stand so they aren't effected by the radiation. The employees I worked with were radiology technicians, so they took X-rays of the patients and observe the X-rays. The radiologist then comes and determines what is wrong with the patient. The entire facility answers phone calls, collects X-rays into their computer for the radiologist to see, interact with the patient and perform procedures necessary to determine the injury or disease. Equipment used in radiology are lead aprons to prevent radiation. Technology utilized includes X-rays, MRI's, CAT scans, Fluoroscopy which is a video, computers that are touch screen and printers to print pictures and reports.
  I observed how the radiology technician puts the lead aprons on the patient and how the patient has to turn to different angles to get the x-ray. The health care professionals were very kind and informative to the patient and to me as well. They all had great teaming skills as they worked together on one patient if there was a problem. They communicated very informally with each other though, but around the patient they were very sophisticated. Safety procedures include wearing a lead apron for protection against radiation. After taking the X-ray, the radiologist can determine what is wrong with the patient and can diagnose them with a disease or injury.
  The radiologist actually have an important job and need to know their anatomy really well. I learned about air bubbles in the lungs, how they x-ray is done, when to know if the gallbladder needs to be removed, how to know if the patient has pneumonia, and about various breaks of the bone. Medical terminology I encountered includes radiology- ology being the "study of", cholecystogram- cyst, mammogram-mamm. I learned how to position the patient who is present for the x-ray.
  I really enjoyed radiology and the employees made everything fun to learn! It does seem pretty interesting to me and I may look into this career. If I decide to become a radiologist or a radiology technician, my experience in this area will help me know what to be prepared for. If I am asked about anything in radiology, the information I have learned will help me answer the questions and I now know how the area functions.

This is an  X-Ray of a patient's rib cage

Emergency Room 1-28-13 & 1-30-13

Learning Report:

What were your responsibilities this week?
I talked, observed, and worked with a variety of health workers in the ER this week. I worked with two ER nurses, a firefighter, two EMT technicians and a doctor. One of my responsibilities was to give blankets to a child patient before he had his IV taken. I observed a variety of patients from different ethnic backgrounds, each with a different diagnosis. 
 What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?
While talking to an ER nurse, I learned that she had an associate's degree in nursing. We talked about the importance of getting a BSN for nurses, and how that degree may become a requirement for nurses in the future. We also talked about colleges and universities. Some skills I observed in the ER were mainly how a health care professional took vital signs, started an IV, diagnosed a toothache, and assessing the patient.
 What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?
The best thing that happened in the ER was observing different conditions of patients and how the ER professionals dealt with it. All the employees were fantastic and answered all my questions. They were even funny, too. I also saw an sad but interesting case with a 20 year old patient. The right side of her throat and face was in terrible pain and she was not able to open her mouth and swallow. After the ER nurse took the initial assessment, I learned that she was an ardent smoker (she smoked half a packet a day) and that she had five kids. After the doctor came to take a look, he finally said that her right molar tooth was impacted, infected badly, and she had a cavity. The MD informed her that she needed a surgeon to fix this problem, but sadly she did not have insurance.

The patient's tooth was impacted, therefore she experienced a lot of pain

 
 What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?
 At first, the ER seemed to be slow, but as we started talking to the ER nurses, we started learning a lot. One mistake I made was knocking on the door of a patient and asking the nurse inside if I could observe, but to my surprise she said that she was in the middle of taking the patient to the bathroom. It was slightly awkward.
 This week was: Good
The ER had enthusiastic and funny employees, which made my experience fun. They explained what they were doing and the various equipments they used. I also found the conditions of patients to be interesting and liked talking to some of them.

Experience Record:

Technology Observed: Enovate™ Computer - Looks like a television screen; used to conduct an assessment of the patient, Chromofare D-300 light, Ohmeda vacuum - measures pressure, oxygen tubes, Executone™ patient assistance caller, Slit Lamp - used for the eye.
Diagnostic Procedures Observed: CAT scan , MRI, X-ray, taking an IV, injection of potassium, taking vital signs such as breathing, blood pressure, pulse, etc. The blood pressure for a patient I observed was 116/75, pulse was 92 bpm, and her oxygen saturation was 98.
Therapeutic procedures observed: Therapy was not conducted this week at the ER.
Diseases/ Disorders Observed: 20 year old woman had impacted and infected tooth. She was in severe pain and could not move her mouth, therefore she was crying. Another elderly Hispanic patient had abdominal pains that morning. She felt nausea, had vomiting, had a fever about 100 degrees, and her white blood cell count was elevated. Later, the nurse gave her a potassium injection, which was a low medication. Another patient has respiratory problems. She had a high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol.
Medical Terminology: While assessing a patient in their room, I heard the word 'ovarian cysts'. This refers to  cystic tumor (usually benign) in the ovary.

                                                     Experience Journal:

    When I first entered the Emergency Room I saw a long hallway with patient rooms on the left side. The ER was pretty quiet, and behind the huge counter/desk sat various employees. These employees were either writing information, looking at charts, or talking to another employee. Generally, the ER treats patients who cannot go to a primary physician. The patient rooms are medium sized. Each room includes a white bed with bars on the side, some wall pictures, a section of the wall that had various types of technology, and a computer. This computer seemed interesting to me because it looked like a television screen. Technology I observed in various rooms were Enovate™ Computers, Chromofare D-300 lights, Ohmeda vacuums, oxygen tubes, Executone™ patient assistance callers, Slit Lamps, Alaris PC heart monitors, and more.
    I mostly heard the assessment of patients and what their condition was. While observing a lady with a impacted tooth, I listened as she told the ER nurse her medical information. I mostly talked to ER nurses while in this department. The first ER nurse gave me details on the patient we had previously seen and we talked about her career. In the ER, there are usually 3 nurses and one charge nurse. They deal with patients as well as students, and they give treatment, education, draw blood, and more. One characteristic that the nurse said was important was being able to think on your feet. While visiting an elderly patient who needed her IV taken, 3-6 employees worked cooperatively to help the patient. These employees were 2 nurses, 2 EMTs, a firefighter, and a doctor. They used both informal and formal language to give directions and to calm the patient down. Safety procedures that I observed were using hand sanitizer, wearing gloves when touching a patient, placing pillows on either side of a bed so a patient will not fall down, cleaning skin with alcohol, and throwing a used needle in a specific container. In the ER I saw a patient with a severe tooth impaction, a lady with abdominal pain, an elderly woman who felt nauseated, a lady who had diabetes, respiratory problems, high cholesterol, and lastly a young boy whose stomach hurt while at school. 
    I learned that employees use different ways of speaking when talking to a specific age group. When talking to an adult, the employee uses common language to help the patient understand what is being said. When talking to a kid, however, the employee softens their voice to help calm the child down and make him/ her feel comfortable. A medical terminology term I came across while at the ER was 'ovarian cysts'. It means that ovarian cysts refers to a cystic tumor in the ovary. Skills I saw were an EMT student start an IV on an elderly lady. Although he messed up at first, I did get to see which vein he was trying to get on the elderly woman's hand. 
    Overall, I would rate my ER experience to be very good. I really liked how the employees were funny and at the same time very informative. Professionally, this will help me in the future if I go into the medical field and I end up working in the ER. I would be more familiar with the setting. Educationally, this is benefit me if I am asked questions about this particular department in college or other schools. Personally, this benefited me because now I know much more about the ER than I did before coming here.

Labratory 1-23-13

Learning Report 

 

What were your responsibilities or duties this week?
 This week I worked with a lab technician, an employee at the microbiology room, and as well an employee in the hematology area.. While I was there, I was able to see at tissue samples, analyze urine and blood samples, and look at different areas in the lab. 
What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?
 I learned about who a pathologist is and what they do in their career. I saw lab various lab equipment such as: hemoglobinometer, chemistry analyzer, coagulation machine, label printer, incubator, and a slide stainer. I also got to see a large machine that analyzes blood, and the employee I worked with explained to me how it functioned.
What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-base learning site this week?
The best thing that happened to me this week was just seeing all the interesting and different equipment.I was also able to go to the storage room, where body parts from the OR was stored. I saw body parts such as uteruses and gal bladders. I was also able to learn more about the blood and the different antigens, antibodies, etc that are associated with it.  
What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-base learning site this week? 
Nothing bad happened the lab that day. I worked with very informative employees, and I was very amazed at the amount of information they knew.
This week was: Good
Although I was only in the lab for one day, I learned a lot just by talking to the employee in Hematology, as well as other employees.

                                                         Experience Record
    
Technology Observed: Hemoglobinometer: A whole blood hemoglobin assay is a device consisting or reagents, calibrators, controls, spectrophotometric instrumentation: used to measure the hemoglobin content of whole blood for the detection of anemia, coagulation machine: causes a transformation of a liquid or solid into a soft, semisolid, or solid mass; slide stainer: stains slides different colors to see what the different chemicals on there do.

Diagnostic Procedures Observed: Blood tests were done at the Lab, there were also urine samples.

Therapeutic Procedures Observed:No therapeutic procedures were observed in the lab.
Diseases Observed: No diseases were observed in the lab
Medical Termonology Encountered:The lab employees refer to the hemoglobinometer as the "hemo. analyzer".

In order to type and group blood, chemicals must be used.

Experience Journal:

    When I first walked into the Lab, I could turn either left or right. To the right was the back of the lab where they do all the tests, and to the left was the out patient area. I mainly worked with a lab technician and she ran diagnostic test on urine, blood, and tissue samples. As a whole the department they receive samples/orders from the OR and ER to run diagnostic tests. One interesting piece of technology I saw was a hemoglobinometer. This is a device consisting of reagents, calibrators, controls, and spectrophotometric instrumentation used to measure the hemoglobin content of whole blood for the detection of anemia. This generic device category does not include automated hemoglobin systems. I also got to see a coagulation machine. This machine causes a transformation of a liquid or solid into a soft, semisolid, or solid mass. In addition, I also saw a slide stainer. This object stains slides with different colors to see what the different chemicals on there do. 

    I saw a few people working in different areas of the back of the lab running tests and observing samples. My employee was busy that day and had a lot of work to get done, however she was able to explain what she was doing. The communication skills in this department department was pretty well. The health care professionals get orders from the OR/ER to run tests. In this area, I noticed that at least everyone had on gloves. They scan and run test on various samples and determine what is wrong with the patient.

    I learned how important the lab is ro the rest of the hospital. Before entering the lab, I had always thought that the ER and OR were the most important. However, without the lab, those departments would never know whats wrong with the patients. Some medical terminology I learned was ABO and rh D blood grouping.
    Although I was only in the lab for one day, my experience as a whole was very good. It gave me a new appreciation for the lab and the workers in this department. Even though the lab is a very informative department, I do not think this will benefit my future very much since I would not be comfortable sitting in the lab all day. Educationally, this will benefit me because now I have a broad and general idea about the blood and its grouping.

PT/OT 1-16-13

Learning Report:

What were your responsibilities or duties this week?

On my day in the PT/OT department in the hospital, I worked with a physical therapist and learned many things about how to help a patient recover after a surgery. I talked with the patients about how long they have been coming for therapy, what treatments they have been receiving and I asked the therapist about how long they will need to come to fully recover. Then, I observed what the patients were doing to recover from their surgery. There were quite a few exercises and stretches that they had to do. 

What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?

I learned a lot about ranges of motion because this is a very important part of physical therapy. Passive range of motion is when the physical therapist helps the patient move his or her body part, the physical therapist I worked with referred  to this as active assistant ROM. Active range of motion is when the patient moves his or her body part without any assistance from the physical therapist. 

What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-base learning site this week?

The best thing about the PT/OT was that the employees were very kind and seemed to be interested in helping you learn more about their job to interest you in this career. Another great thing about this area was that the patients who you were able to work with were happy to let you know about their treatments and talked to you about their treatment more than the actual therapist. 

What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-base learning site this week?

Nothing bad happened in the Physical Therapy area. The therapists I worked with were very informative and I learned new information that I did not know before.

This week was: Good
I go to observe and talk to several patients, who were lifting weights on their weak arm or leg and doing various exercises to strengthen that body part. I would have liked it more if I was able to see different forms of therapy, but it was still great to learn about the area and talk to the patients and the therapist. 

Experience Record:

Technology observed- exercise equipment (i.e. treadmills), computers
Diagnostic procedures observed- none
Therapeutic procedures observed- exercise balls, pulley, weights, heating pad, treadmill
Diseases/disorders observed- none
Medical terminology/ abbreviations encountered- OT(Occupational therapy), PT(Physical therapy), Active ROM, Passive ROM

In this picture, the therapist is helping the woman keep balance while walking.

                                               Experience Journal:

  When I first entered the PT/OT, I saw several hospital beds, posters of muscles/bones of the body and an area with weights, different sized balls, and other equipment used to strengthen the weak body part. There were about five therapists working with a patient at this time and the therapist I worked with was doing therapy on two patients at one time and guiding them through various exercises after applying heat to their upper back. Together, the entire department works with the patients to decrease their their degree of pain each time they visit until they are perfectly fine. The equipment used was a heating pad to help the blood circulate, weights to help strengthen the weak arm, a pulley in which the healthy arm moved the unhealthy arm, a finger ladder to slowly stretch the arm, and a stick to move the arm side to side and up and down to increase arm movement. There was some athletic equipment present to also help the weak body part. 

  I observed that the therapists are very kind and make sure that you are learning something about their career and I also noticed that the patients will talk to you more than the actual therapist. The health care professionals don't always work with the same patient who always comes in(one patient who comes for therapy may have a different therapist the next time they come in) and can work with more than one patient at a time while still achieving their goal in helping them recover. They therapists can always switch around and help each other out if they are having difficulty with a patient or procedure. Both the therapists and the patients are very talkative and are excellent when it comes to communicate with the observer! The exercises that the patients were doing were based on how strong their body part currently is, so if it was too weak for a certain exercise, they would not be told to do it because that would be harmful for them rather than beneficial. The exercises were the main therapeutic procedures that would help restore the patients health. 

  I learned that after a surgery it can take a very long time to recover after therapy and that therapy is usually necessary to recover. I learned about different therapy's and learned new words which are related to physical therapy. I didn't learn new medical terminology but I learned about other words such as active and passive range of motion. Some skills I learned include how to apply heating pad, and how to guide the patient through exercises. 

  All in all, I had a fairly good experience of my first day at the hospital because I had a chance to talk with the patients and therapist to enhance my knowledge on the career. After seeing the therapy's I know know how little procedures can improve a person's health and this can help me in the future when I face a similar situation. If physical/occupational therapy is a career that someone is interested in, I find it to be a fairly easy job.