Hearing and Seeing

Today we went early to the Communicable Diseases Ward – Pedia (Ward X-A) for our first day of clinical duty. We were to report at exactly 5:45 AM. The head nurses for the week, who were chosen the day before, were expected to report at 5:30 AM.

Our morning circle already started when I got to the ward. We immediately put on our commu-gowns. Our attire consisted of the gown, a bonnet, a mask, and a pair of OR shoes. The get-up is terribly uncomfortable. I mean, it felt so hot. I was sweating during the whole duty.

Aimee Belle Go was our Head Nurse 1, so she stayed inside the nurse’s station most of the time. Helen Ferrer was our HN 2, and she was in charge of the medications. Dean King was our HN 3, and his work involved facilitating the work of the staff. He assigned the patients to each of us. He also checked our SOAPIEs. During the whole duty he was also very busy because he helped around with the work of the staff.

Most of us had six patients whom we were expected to provide care to. We monitored them, took their vital signs every 4 hours, some hourly, and checked their IV fluid and I&O. We made SOAPIEs for two of our six patients.

It was a terribly busy duty day. I mean, in all my months of being a nursing student, that day was probably the busiest of all. We had those many patient loads because we are the only group on duty for the AM shift this week.

All of my patients were diagnosed with dengue fever. The oldest was 11 years old, a girl, and the youngest was about 2 years old, a boy. Luoy jud tan-awun ang mga bata basta ma-ospital. They look so helpless. They look so fatigued because they’ve been in the hospital for 3 or 4 days already. Most of them are very irritable, some even cried because they were already very thirsty but they’re still under NPO order by the doctor.

We got out of the ward at about 3 in the afternoon. Aimee got her first taste of how it is to give the endorsement for the next shift. It was not very easy at all.