I have a focussed clinical question! Whilst working on the pain list, I note that patients receiving epidural steroid injections in their spine have to lie down for 20 minutes after their injection. I am told that this is to reduce the chances of them developing a headache following their procedure and that they used […]
Category: student nurse
Young Lives Cut Short
An ex-colleague died of a sore throat today. It was an apparently innocuous infection that eventually affected his heart and lungs, and despite intravenous antibiotics he died. I did not think that people died of infections any more in our medically sophisticated western world. He was a talented and intelligent man, had just been promoted, […]
Focussed Clinical Questions
Today I have a day off, and enthusiastically start to look for a ‘revolutionary’ piece of evidence to introduce into the day unit. I know that Evidence Based Nursing (http://ebn.bmj.com) and The Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews (www.cochrane.org) are good places to look for quality evidence, but I don’t really know what I am looking […]
Mature Students
‘Played centurion again last night with the medical students,’ comments fellow student Dave during a quickly snatched tea break. I have to admit to him that I need further explanation. ‘Oh you have to drink 100 shots in 100 minutes,’ he explains cheerfully, ‘and the last one to throw up wins’. ‘Sounds like a good […]
Breathing
“He’s on the throne,” called Mrs Tonks from within the small cottage. “On the phone. How long will he be?” queried my mentor?”. “Not the phone, the throne. He’s on the commode” she laughing good naturedly. By the time we reached the living room, Mr Tonks was ensconced in his threadbare easy chair puffing like […]
Dignity
Dignity in practice is a hot topic at present. The media regularly publish horror stories of poor care, and it is drummed into us students that we must put dignity first when dealing with patients. Furthermore, the community practice where I am working is undertaking a dignity survey, canvassing patient’s experiences of the district nursing […]
My First Crash Call
Today I witnessed my first crash call. To be honest I did not actually realise what was happening till I saw nurses running around shouting ‘where is it?’. I followed the general stampede, and with a move worthy of a rugby forward about to score a try, dodged past two health care assistants trying to […]
Day Surgery – my first week
Sunday Tomorrow I start my new placement at the local hospital. For the next eight weeks I will be nursing student in residence in the ‘Day Unit’, and am looking forward to getting stuck in to some practical nursing after all the essays and course work. I am also planning to try to put into […]