Clinical Update

Well I'm officially half way through clinicals! Hell freaken yeah!

I went to the hospital Wednesday and picked up my patient assignment. Ok. She's on literally about 40 drugs. For each of those drugs I have to go home and research them and compile the data on a med sheet. So I'm thinking "Shit. And I have to be up at 4:00 am? I should just practice for MD residency now while I'm ahead. No sleep for at least 3 weeks eh?" Not to mention the pre-clinical paperwork I have to complete, including research on her condition and medical tests.

Bright and early Thursday morning... like 6:00 am. I check my patients chart to see how she did overnight. SHE GOT DISCHARGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Son of a...

I have a new patient. I spend the next hour researching HIS condition and meds. Ok, it's pneumonia no biggie. I've learned alot about pneumonia. God blessed me cause this dude was awesome. He took care of himself, was very independent, and had to have a million diagnostic tests done. Thursday I accompanied him for a Persantine-Thallium Stress Test. Took 4 hours, but it allowed me to complete 10 pages of paperwork on him.

So last night my sleep deprived bootie goes home and researches all of HIS meds. I go to bed around 11:00 pm. BACK UP at 4:00 am I feel like I'm catching a cold. It's pitch black outside. And raining. And Atlanta peeps don't do rain. I'm heading up 285 and it's not even 6:00 am and I'm TIRED! And night blind. And sleep deprived. Ok.

I get there and my patient is going to the Cardiac Cath Lab. How cool? I go with him and watch his test and the guy ahead of him. That was the coolest thing watching the doctor shove a wire in his groin area up to his heart. And I got to watch the tube go into his heart and shoot dye into it and watch it pump away.

Next I figure, I'll go ahead and get my 17 page, once a semester detailed evaluation done with him. He's a very pleasant patient. An hour before quitting time I go in his room and he's starving, but still flat on his back from the cath. It's time to allow him to sit up but first we have to get a blood glucose on him. The techs stole all the freaken Accu-Cheks! So the nurse and I have to go hunt down an Accu-Chek before this dude grabs ahold of his food and starts chowing down.
Finally we get it done and he just wants to be alone with his food. I give him his privacy and get a head start on my other 10 pages of paperwork I have to do. With half an hour to go before post-conference I go back to his room. They FREAKEN TOOK HIM DOWN FOR A PULMONARY TEST! Fuggin A man.

So what's my impression of clinicals this week?

!!!AWESOME AS HELL!!!
!!!GIMME MORE I LOVE IT!!!
!!!!!!!AHHHHH HAAAA!!!!!!!