October 25, 2011
Today was my first shift with my preceptor. I was pretty apprehensive about going because the unit I had been assigned to is often considered the most complex unit of the hospital, with patients that are the most critical. I had a patient that was diagnosed with ARDS and who was admitted several days prior. Because of this, he was in a roto-prone prone bed. Roto-prone beds provide multiple intervals of “prone therapy” in which the patient is suspended upside down for several hours at a time (in this case 4 hours upside down, 1 hour right side up) Obviously, the patient has to be strapped in and it takes a while to set up. The purpose of this therapy is to improve oxygenation. It allows the back of the lungs to open up by shifting gravity. It was interesting to learn all about this therapy on my very first day, as it’s something I’ve never even heard of before.
Today I also learned about the importance of communication with patient’s families. In the unit I am on patient’s are commonly medically sedated or unconscious, leaving most of the communication of care to go to the family. This particular patient’s family was very involved and asked a lot of questions. Whether perceived or not, they got in a bit of an argument with the nurse I was shadowing. They felt she was being rude, and she felt they weren’t listening to her and didn’t trust her. I could see both sides, but most importantly it helped me see first hand how hard it must be for the family to see the steady decline of their loved one’s health. As a nurse I must learn to be patient and compassionate, even when family members are being unreasonable.
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