Perceptions and Actions

This just happened recently, and this is just one of my most unforgettable experience..

August 1, 2010

It was a gloomy Sunday night and I arrived at the hospital around 9pm, just early enough to go on duty for 10-6 shift.

By the time I entered the premises, a lot of patients stationed outside the ER, and most of those cases are Pediatrics. They haven't been accommodated yet due to the fact that there are many patients within the ER. I thought to myself that: "No doubt there will be a lot of admissions this night alone".

Since I arrived early as usual, I waited for my fellow volunteers to come, but as 10pm approaches, not even one came by. I was thinking that I'm the only one on duty tonight..

My guess proved to be true, I was the only nurse volunteer on duty. To make matters worse, only 3 staff nurses are on duty that night and i'm the sole volunteer on the shift.
And there was a lot of admissions that night, ranging from 11-15 patients in one shift.

Some of our staff haven't finished charting the nurses' notes and even gave the medications. The previous shift verbalized that they have been very busy throughout the day, they have no volunteers on duty.

And to make matters even worst, no one is assigned at the DR, which is one of the critical areas of the hospital. Not even one staff nurse was assigned there.

Since I'm already there I have no choice but to go on duty, despite the understaffed management that night. I'd just have to get on with this and finish this day. We devised ourselves a plan that if exigency occurs, we have to fill in and help them.

I was assigned at Station 2, and I've given all the medications for 12 midnight. By 2am, I was given a call that I have to go to the DR since we have 2 mothers on labor, and 3 newborn babies at the nursery. Throughout the shift I stayed there. Thankfully the midwife was there and so as the doctor on-call. What's even more miraculous is that there were students. Ahh I can start to relax and focus now. After a hard days' work, the doctor on-call gave me 200 pesos for the efforts that I have made, what sweet luck.

When I reached home, I was totally wasted. I just slept right away after I touched the bed.

Well now that I've experienced this kind of situation, maybe there are more to come when I'm at a prestigious hospital.