Day #2 was supposed to
be more
eventful than the previous day’s introduction to the floor. I dreamt
about
helping a laboring mother through her contractions, coaching her
through
breathing, and wiping the beads of sweat from her brow. Day #2, however, was
surprisingly
one of the cleanest days of all my clinical experiences (including
psych…). My
clinical instructor assigned me to follow the nurse in triage for the
8-hour
shift. Triage, as I learned over a grudgingly long shift, is not
consistently
synonymous with action and excitement. With my hands ready and waiting
for
feeble little babies to come into the world, I kept watching the
entrance to the unit for the admittance of any pregnant woman. No
baby-catching fun came my way. Similar to the laboring
woman, this second shift was full of waiting and anticipation. Unlike
the
mother, however, I remained clean, dry, and left the hospital without
entering
into parenthood.
While patiently waiting for
for moms and babies to come through triage, I went through
some flashcards to learn OB terminology and
techniques for reading fetal heart rate readings. The courses in this program
rely on students to be self-motivated learners (AKA independent self-teaching
and learning to master concepts). It helps tremendously to carry around
flashcards or notes to review a few facts or figures at any time. Many students
feel crunched for time and stressed before tests; using some down-time in between
classes (or in the clinical setting) helps to overcome some pre-test stress and
use well the unexpected free time.
To recap: Day #2- no babies, no blood,
amniotic fluid, sweat, or tears. Really, the only gunk (and it wasn’t even
bodily) that came my way was from the janitor sweeping the floor clean of lint.
When babies do come my way, I will be prepped (thanks to quick moments of
flashcard review) with more knowledge about their physiological entrance into
the world and what pharmacological interventions may be necessary to sustain
their fragile bodies in the beginning of life. Alright, spring babies! I’m
waiting…