Week 2

Today in CPU I had to attend to a MET call due to a VF arrest. There were 7 of us in total attending to the unconscious patient.

Two nurses attended to the unconscious patient and pressed the MET call button. Myself and four other students rushed over and started attending to the patient. I took the role of the scribe. Every two minutes I made the team aware so that the team could check the rhythm. Adrenaline was also administered by another nurse. Once the patient was stable, I presented the primary survey to the team.

​

The patient was taken to HDU for monitoring. I was unsure of the forms and how to fill them out correctly so I will look more into documenting during an emergency such as a MET call so I am more confident in the role should the situation arise again. Also more practice in this role would refine these skills as well, as seen with Brearley, Heaney, & Norton (2013).

 

Week 4

One of the tasks today in CPU was to practice the OSCA. I had come from a different class so the student dynamic was different.

I was with a few students that were well acquainted with each other. One of them was the team leader, however they chatted between themselves. Another one of the students was running though the OSCA quickly without checking the steps, therefore technique was compromised. I tried chatting to the students and tried to explain what I had learnt in my other class, however they were not interested.

​

Due to the lack of teamwork, the technique was compromised and I felt like little was achieved. It left me feeling inadequate as a team member as I was not able to get involved like I usually do in my usual class. Conflict resolution is common in the nursing field (Losa Iglesias & Vallejo, 2012) and is usually resolved by trying a few techniques including compromising.

​

Week 10

Today in CU we were instructed to administer ceftriaxone to Kelly Ward for a chest infection. I was required to set up the medication to be given and inject it into the IV bag. I hadn’t had experience with this before.

​

I did my first patient check then referred to the MIMS and the IV book to find out more about ceftriaxone, including its indication, adverse effects and therapeutic dosage. I calculated the dosage and using the necessary precautions, administered it into the IV bad and started running the line. Kelly was fine throughout the administration.

​

By doing this I was able to gain confidence in administrating medication in to an IV bag. I was also able to calculate the drip factor and run the line accordingly. It demonstrated to the other students in the group how to administer the medication as well. In hospitals there are IV smart pumps (Giuliano, 2015) however it is important to know how to do calculations manually.