Saturday, November 26, 2005 / 8:59 AM
Haha...Finished my 5-day attachment at Changi General Hospital (CGH) yesterday. Quite tired, though I don't know why since it's only for 5 hours a day compared to 8 hours for student nurses. I was too tired to write it sooner so here's a summarised account of my experience.
Day 1
First day, don't know what to do. Starting to feel like idiots...haha...All we know is to serve diets and to feed the patients; we served bed 7. Then we stand around chit-chatting. We are not really allowed to do much cos' we are not "qualified" so we go around getting to know the patients.
Day 2
Second day also not much to do. Feeling like some sort of policeman on patrol over the wards. Started to have names in the ward; bed 12 "sliding uncle", bed 39 "toilet uncle", bed 21 "biskut uncle" and one doctor we call "safari". You can roughly guess why we call them so...But then, I feel kind of sorry for some of the patients, looking at them. But what can I do?
Day 3
Serve diets, feed patients, accompanying patients to the toilet, taking parameters and charting them down in patients' files. Basically slacking and helping here and there. Mun Yee calls this "help help see see". Some new admissions, some discharges. When the nurses shouted X-ray, the student nurses all scrambled to the toilet. I wondered why until they told us that radiation from the X-rays done is harmful, especially to women. It can damage the womb or something.
Day 4
Feeling that we have gotten to know the patients and the staff quite well...Learning new thimgs everyday...And how to care for the ill. Today is quite exciting. Two policemen were standing guard over a new admission. I guess he was a criminal or something. He did mention that he was in remand, whatever that was...
Day 5
Ohh noooooo.....It's our last day. Just when we were getting to know the people in the ward, we have to be separated...Learned new things today after "attaching" ourselves to a student nurse. Like how to feed a tube-feed patient, and how to do an oral toilet.This was after nurse manager gave us a short talk. One of the things she said was her idea of having nursing as a NS for women. This is so that every family is prepared for crisis. Hahaha...got another "X-ray drill" again. When it was time to leave, we were so reluctant that we stayed an extra half hour. In the end, we exchanged numbers with some of the student nurses and patients and said our good-byes. So sad.
Parting is such sweet sorrow...But until then cherish the memories, and may we meet on the morrow.
Day 1
First day, don't know what to do. Starting to feel like idiots...haha...All we know is to serve diets and to feed the patients; we served bed 7. Then we stand around chit-chatting. We are not really allowed to do much cos' we are not "qualified" so we go around getting to know the patients.
Day 2
Second day also not much to do. Feeling like some sort of policeman on patrol over the wards. Started to have names in the ward; bed 12 "sliding uncle", bed 39 "toilet uncle", bed 21 "biskut uncle" and one doctor we call "safari". You can roughly guess why we call them so...But then, I feel kind of sorry for some of the patients, looking at them. But what can I do?
Day 3
Serve diets, feed patients, accompanying patients to the toilet, taking parameters and charting them down in patients' files. Basically slacking and helping here and there. Mun Yee calls this "help help see see". Some new admissions, some discharges. When the nurses shouted X-ray, the student nurses all scrambled to the toilet. I wondered why until they told us that radiation from the X-rays done is harmful, especially to women. It can damage the womb or something.
Day 4
Feeling that we have gotten to know the patients and the staff quite well...Learning new thimgs everyday...And how to care for the ill. Today is quite exciting. Two policemen were standing guard over a new admission. I guess he was a criminal or something. He did mention that he was in remand, whatever that was...
Day 5
Ohh noooooo.....It's our last day. Just when we were getting to know the people in the ward, we have to be separated...Learned new things today after "attaching" ourselves to a student nurse. Like how to feed a tube-feed patient, and how to do an oral toilet.This was after nurse manager gave us a short talk. One of the things she said was her idea of having nursing as a NS for women. This is so that every family is prepared for crisis. Hahaha...got another "X-ray drill" again. When it was time to leave, we were so reluctant that we stayed an extra half hour. In the end, we exchanged numbers with some of the student nurses and patients and said our good-byes. So sad.
Parting is such sweet sorrow...But until then cherish the memories, and may we meet on the morrow.
