Better and Better

5th rotation for my duty started last tuesday. So far, I'm quite pleased with my clinical designations. I was so busy, or rather busy blogging useless and stupid blogs that I forgot that this motherload of a site is about me, ME!, not about some guys I've been drooling on. Having said that, I guess I should make up for time lost and blog about my past duties.

1st Duty: San Pascual Baylon

This was perhaps the best start for a hospital learning experience that I can ask for. True that the hospital was small (I think there were only 20 patient rooms in all) and of all places it was in Bulacan, but I learned a lot. Thanks to the distant and snob C.I. of ours and her unwavering initiative, we were able to grab any opportunity we can to learn.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to observe this minor operation. It has something to do with the male patient's fistula. He was being prepared for an operation in the kidney, so imagine how puzzled I was that he was being operated on his left wrist! On his left wrist! I was too shy to ask my C.I. why so, so I just shut my hole and observed.

When the doctor ripped (screw those medical terms) the guy's wrist and blood came rushing, I thought I was gonna faint. Seriously! I've never seen so much blood in my entire life. Good thing that I was able to brace myself as the doctor proceeded with the surgery. All those live veins that I saw could empty my stomach otherwise.

The highlight, or rather the 'other highlight' is when I was reassigned with my classmates Frances and Kimberly on this private room. The patient of ours was a 65 year-old amputee woman who recently came home from USA to get treated. I couldn't help but cry for she strongly reminded me of my late grandmother. It even came to the point that I was really close to becoming hysterical. Good thing that Kim was there to comfort me. She was very appreciative that we were there to take care of her, saying "Bakit ko gugustuhin na bumalik ng States, eh dito ang daming nurse na gustong mag-alaga sa akin". That was surely one of the defining moments I'll ever have in my hospital exposure.

I believe it was our last day of duty when a female patient was rushed in. She was bleeding so much that every personnel in the hospital was alerted and they all went to the emergency room to help in the treatment. Kim was so lucky to be chosen to observe. We later learned that the woman was stabbed several times by their neighbor. Seriously! Imagine how you could feel safe in your house watching TV and not knowing that someone had already entered your house with a friggin knife! Good thing we had a police station nearby at our neighborhood.

And just when I thought that we were about to go home, our C.I. invited us to this ihawan. That was the best way to end such a wonderful experience. Hahaha! People there were required to eat with their bare hands. And the food was so delicious! All the food I've eaten just made me so happy and relieved that our duty in Bulacan was finally over.

2nd Duty: Gawad Kalinga

This was actually more like a lukewarm rotation for me. But I was happy to note that the rapport that I failed to establish with family client in Cavite, I was able to achieve here. We were also able to enhance our health teaching skills as we try to address the different problems of our family.

There's not much to talk about with this. Aside from the somewhat misunderstanding between my clinical instructor and that of the others, nothing seems amusing.

Well, if you should know, it all started when the ci's of my classmates (our class was assigned to the same place) stated that they have duty on a sunday, the day when we're suppose to have an acquaintance party. Since I'm the mayor of my class, I have to ensure that my classmates will be able to attend the party, so I went to school and ask the level coordinators about the schedule mishap. They then confirmed that there was no scheduled duty and that we can attend the acquaintance party.

I don't know but one of the CI, upon hearing what I've done, seems taken aback and was really insisting that they have a scheduled duty. She even approached me in a rude manner to ask about it. It reached to the point when my CI was getting intimidated that she personally asked the level coordinators. Well, obviously we were right and my classmates were all able to attend our acquaintance party. That was one of the very few moments that I felt that I love my position, cause now I'M HATING IT!

3rd Duty: Del Pilar Elementary School

This is definitely my most favorite rotation. I love our CI, Dr. Blanco! You would really feel surprised and uncomfortable cause since AHSE years, the clinical instructors assigned to us were mostly arrogant, rude and inconsiderate pipz who enjoy bashing our works. But Dr. Blanco really made sure that she'd be able to relate to us while maintaining a professional relationship. I kinda miss her!

One thing that I didn't like though is that Dr. Blaco asked us to make an organizational chart (the school has none. imagine????), NCP, Health Teaching and a Learning Tool all at the same time. Talk about toxicity.

We were assigned to this grade 2 pupil named J. Thompson. Hahaha. I kinda expected a full blown American descent but no. This patient was different. I was disheartened by how malnourished and unkept he was that I sighed a relief thinking that I was so lucky to have the life I had. All my groupmates felt the same. We all talked about how fortunate we were, since the pupils' appearances pronounce everything about their living. What I experienced there made me more appreciative of the things that I have.