Critical Care: the very name of this course made me cringe when I started this semester! The complexity and intensity of care required for these patients completely intimidated me. I tried to go into my ER and ICU clinicals with an open mind, and I have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them! I still don't think I want to work in either area after I graduate, but I have learned SO much from my clinicals this semester and am very thankful I had that experience.
At the beginning of the semester we were worried we wouldn't be allowed to get all our hours in due to COVID restrictions. The hospitals pushed out the date we were first allowed into the hospital, but we were able to finally make it in! Critical care is divided into two clinical sections, so I spent the first half of the semester in the emergency room and finished the second half in the ICU. We were required to wear N95 masks and tried to avoid contact with COVID-positive patients, but we were been able to complete all our clinical hours!
One of my favorite parts about my CC clinicals was the hands-on experience I got! The fast-paced environment of the ER was amazing and constantly kept me on my toes. There was always something to do, and whether it was admitting a new patient, starting IVs, giving meds, monitoring VS, charting, drawing blood, or doing lab tests, the nurses never stop. I got so much practice with nursing skills and felt like I did more in the ED than I had done in any other clinical. I spent each day shadowing a nurse, and the people I worked with were fantastic.
One of my favorite parts of my ED experience was seeing the teamwork among the staff. Both the techs and nurses were so good about jumping in to help each other whenever they were able to. Teamwork is essential in the ED. Patient care requires intense collaboration between so many different fields of nursing in order to provide prompt and thorough care. No nurse acted like she was above any job, no matter how menial or unpleasant, and that made a big impact on me.
Before going to the ED I never knew how much variety there was in emergency nursing! One of the highlights of the semester was getting to talk to a flight nurse team. Now don't get me wrong, this experience confirmed that I have absolutely no interest in ever becoming a flight nurse!! Still, it was fascinating to hear about their responsibilities and experiences!
They need to be constantly on their toes, able to work in incredibly tight places with very limited resources, providing patient care in a wide variety of circumstances. Their qualifications and constant need for re-certification in skills such as ventilation and CPR blew me away!
The second half of my critical care clinicals was spent in the ICU. I remember when I first walked onto the ICU floor feeling completely lost as I gazed at the countless IV lines and drips, complicated ventilator settings, continuous renal replacement therapy machines, and so much more. I had seen pictures of Swan catheters and PICC lines in my books, but I felt totally lost when I first encountered them in person!! The ICU nurses were fantastic about explaining all of the equipment and the reasoning behind each of the patient medications. I felt like my pharmacology class was finally being applied here in the ICU, and I was so grateful for the painfully tedious memorization we had been forced to do. All of the pieces of nursing that we had learned in various settings started to fit together this semester, and I gained a new sense of confidence throughout my clinical experiences.
One of the most sobering experiences I had in the ICU setting was seeing a COVID patient get put onto a ventilator. The patient was unusual in the sense that she was completely aware of her surroundings and had perfect vital signs other than her incredibly low oxygen saturation and blood pressure. It broke my heart to see the panic and fear in her eyes as she was told she was going on the ventilator. There was no family nearby to comfort her or hold her hand as she prepared herself for the procedure. It was at that moment that my respect for ICU nurses increased. They see so much pain and suffering each day, and I can't imagine the emotional impact that must have. Their tireless service and willingness to work insanely long hours and be with their patients through their highest and lowest moments was so inspiring.
My ER and ICU clinicals this semester were by no means easy, but I am deeply grateful for each and every one of them!! I learned more about patient care, nursing responsibility, collaboration, and direct application of nursing skills than I ever have before. Despite trudging through hours of paperwork each week and long, draining clinical days, I came out of my CC class feeling a renewal of my passion for nursing and a deep gratefulness for all the professors and nurses who made this semester possible!
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