Day 84 Dalaguete, Cebu #DPC Suture Assist, Sterile Procedures, IVTT

I worked the NOC shift today at the ER and the ward.

The first patient that came in had suffered a head wound after falling down (apparently drinking had been involved). I assisted the doctor during the suturing and helped set up the equipment using sterlie procedures. The doctor was going to release him but the patient couldn't figure out how to sign the paperwork so the doctor had him admitted for overnight observation. The doctor said he was pretty sure that the inability to do the paperwork was due to inebriation, but he wanted to keep him overnight just to be sure. The patient had actually started falling asleep during the suturing and the doctor had to keep rousing him. Luckily he was brought in by friends and they stayed the night to keep an eye on him.

The second patient that came in was suffering from dizziness. The doctor order me to take the blood pressure, which I recorded at 220/100. I'm not quite sure what medication the doctor gave the patient, but he was not previously diagnosed with hypertension so the doctor also had him admitted for overnight observation. Although the patient wasn't previously diagnosed with hypertension, after being here for awhile, my guess is that he most likely does have it and just hasn't come in for routine checkups. Hypertension is extremely common here and most people over the age of 35 are already taking medication to help keep their blood pressure in check.

I set up the sterilized instruments while the
doctor scrubbed up.

Sterilized gloves are only used by the doctor
to save on supplies, so when handing the
doctor instruments, I used sterilized forceps
to pick up and manipulate anything the
doctor needed.  

Even though I was scheduled to just work the ER, I helped out in the ward because the census was at 24. That might not seem like a lot, but there are only 2 nurses; the charge nurse does the paperwork and the floor nurse works the floor. Obviously the charge nurse also works the floor but has the added work of charting everything by hand since there is no computer in the ward. I helped out by taking the vitals and prepping the medication for the entire shift. In order to give medication on time, the nursing staff normally organizes the entire shifts medication so that all they have to do is dilute anything that need diluting just prior to handing it out. I also helped give medications and did a little bit of charting (most of it has to be done by the charge nurse so there wasn't a whole lot I could do other than vitals and I/Os). 

NOC shift meds.