WEEK 11: RESPIRATORY

This week I did my clinical observations in the Respiratory department of the hospital with several respiratory therapists. They each had a patient that they individually performed several tests on. They worked throughout the entire hospital.

Things I learned this week:

• Precautions in respiratory
• emergency protocol
• the different technology used

The BEST thing that happened this week was following the transport of a patient from MSU to the ICU due to the possibility of him coding. It was exciting to have the possibility of a complication and seeing how the respiratory therapists act under pressure.

The WORST thing that happened this week was the time in between patients.  Respiratory is mostly for emergencies because all the basic patient work ups are done in the morning, so by the time I get there they are just preparing to be called down to any area in the hospital.

Overall this week was: GOOD

WHAT I OBSERVED

 Technology

• DIALYSIS MACHINE
• TRACHEOTOMY
• VENTILATORS

Diagnostic procedures

• VITAL SIGNS

•  X-RAYS

Therapeutic procedures

• ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE

• DIALYSIS TREATMENT

Diseases/Disorders

• ASTHSMA
• CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE
• RENAL FAILURE
• DIMENTIA
• OBESITY

Medical Terminology 

•  INTUBATION-the insertion of a breathing tube
• EXTUBATION- the removal of a breathing tube.
• BYPASS- creating an alternate route for breathing

Other

• THE THERAPISTS WORK IN EVERY SINGLE AREA OF THE HOSPITAL AND MUST BE PREPARED TO SUDDENLY SWITCH ROLES WHEN CALL FOR AN EMERGENCY IN ONE AREA AND IMMEDIATELY ASKED TO GO TO ANOTHER.
• WITH THEIR SALARIES THEY GET PAID HIGH WAGES IN THE BEGINNING BUT THEY CANNOT ADVANCE.

I. This area of the hospital is connected to the ICU. They are in a small little office connected to another room used for all the respiratory equipment. There are very few people in this area in total only around 2-3 at a time. They do not get a whole lot of regular and daily patients they are mostly contacted for emergency only.

II. This week I primarily worked with a respiratory therapist who ran tests for a couple patients. Since he doesn't have to constantly hurry to keep up with patients and charting he was able to actually sit down and show me around the area and teach me all about the diseases they deal with. The second day I was able to be shown all the equipment found in their equipment closet.

III. After working with the general lab tech, I was given the chance to work with a biomedical lab tech who worked with the blood and urine samples that needed to be set at specific cold temperatures to test for toxicity. The room was very small. It consisted of a fridge filled with samples that needed to be tested and the toxicity machine next to another fridge that held all of the equipment necessary to test all of the samples. It is a very sterile area and all equipment is used once and disposable as to not cross contaminate.

IV.Overall I had a good experience in terms of the educational value. I learned a lot and had a teacher who was interested in teaching me all about his practice which is typically hard to come by but understandable due to the constant busyness of the typical nurse or doctor. On the other hand there was a limited number of patients to work with so I really only got to see 2-3 and then I just talked to the therapists.