No Rest for the Weary!
So, I spent my Christmas Eve night to Christmas Morning in the PICU. 8pm-8am.
“Why?!!?” asks my father-in-law. Cause the hospitals don’t sleep, of course!
Here’s a run through of my night! Of course, throughout the whole night I put up orders and answer the many telephone calls. But you can’t write all that in.
Night in the PICU:
730pm: cram food in mouth and say bye to hubby for night
745: park and begin running to building to clock in
750: stop halfway and remember badge is still in car
752: procure badge from car. resume running to hospital
800: Rush to the phone and clock in
830: get report and continue talking to day HUC while answering phones in between
915: do some orders
945: Read a magazine.
1030: getting a little bored. Night shift is not as busy as day shift.
1100: new admission coming in. A baby/pre-toddler was left at home with an elementary-age kid and got strangled by a telephone cord while parents were away.
140am: Morning MARs (medical administration records) print out. Happy feeling since that means a good chunk of the night is done with.
145: new patient arrives
215: learn what “sloughing of bowels” is. Basically, your bowel is dead and the dead bowel excretes itself- it’s pooped out essentially. And it is a smell you will never, ever forget. The very experienced Air Care nurse almost threw up.
245: Orders for new admission.
300: Assist by running supplies to room for procedure/line insertions
320: Run, not walk, downstairs to the old hospital to get emergency released blood.
330: Pediatric Rapid Response upstairs
400: False alarm, rapid response patient is not coming down.
430: Feeling a little sleepy. Copious amounts of Dr. Pepper are failing me.
445: Family member passes out in waiting room. Adult Code Blue called overhead.
450: Waiting room/hallway filled with doctors, nurses, VAST team, RT’s….the whole nine yards
515: Patient wheeled to the Emergency Dept.
530: Family members for original admission show up. Chaplain paged.
600: Start doing change of shift work. Make up cards for day shift.
645: Pass out cards, finish other work that needs to be switched from night to day.
800: Give report to Day HUC.
815: Clock out
820: Get in car.
840: Arrive at home.
[photo cred here.]
