It is officially time for one of the most exciting parts of my year in my Interventions in Biomedical Sciences Class. This week I participated in my very first job shadow. I spent my New Years in Spring Hill Medical Center's Emergency Department shadowing my mentor, Mr. Justin Edmondson PA. This was an incredibly enriching and fun experience that I am so grateful to have been a part of. I gained a lot of knowledge on how the ER functions, how patients are treated, and of course, on different medical ailments.
From the moment I entered the ER, I noticed things were moving very fast. Mr. Edmondson had a system in which he would "see three, chart three", meaning he would assess three patients before coming back and charting each of those patients. He was constantly moving quickly, but not so fast that his work was compromised. You could tell he was very experienced in this field, being able to move at a thorough yet efficient pace. I noticed quickly that charting was a very important and time consuming part of the job. Mr. Edmondson spent more time charting than actually seeing patients. The computer system did have a system that streamlined this charting process.
The very first patient we saw was a four year old boy with a deep laceration to the face that he had sustained while playing outside and being struck by a tree branch. His cut required stitches to be placed in order to maximize healing and prevent infection. His cut did have some dirt and debris in it from the tree branch, so the wound needed a thorough cleaning. Next, the young boy had to have a liquid numbing agent applied to his face to minimize the pain of the procedure he needed. For an adult, this numbing agent might be applied via shot, but Mr. Edmondson did not feel it necessary to stab a scared four year old in the face. Choosing the correct type of suture is very important. Mr. Edmondson actually teaches classes on this and on how to perform this procedure. I got to participate in one, so stay tuned for that blog! This little boy received 3 stitches to the face using 6-0 non-absorbable sutures with the simple interrupted technique. He was definitely a trooper and it was great seeing him going home feeling better!
Three of the next patients we saw were what Mr. Edmondson called "the walking sick". These patients were suffering minor sicknesses such as the flu or strep throat. We saw two patients with the flu and one with strep throat. The strep patient tested negative, but she was the mother of two children under five who both had strep. She herself was presenting with all the tell-tale strep symptoms such as white patches in the throat, fever, and chills. Mr Edmondson says "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck". So she was diagnosed with strep and the test was deemed a false negative.
The next patient we saw presented with severe abdominal pain. She had a very large mass protruding from her stomach. After a CT Scan, it was revealed to be a large hernia that was beginning to be strangulated. She needed to be admitted right away for surgery the next morning. After her, we saw a middle aged man with severe back pain. X-rays revealed he had a compression fracture to the lower back. He was referred to an orthopedic specialist and given pain medication. Next we saw a woman with a rash that appeared on her hip and the bottoms of her feet. She was clearly in a lot of pain. This was a shingles outbreak. This outbreak followed the line of one of the thirty dermatone areas in the body. Once a shingles outbreak occurs, it will only stay in one of one dermatone. The most common location is on the chest while the most severe location for an outbreak is on the face. I also was able to see one of the patients of one of the physicians working in the ED at that time. His patient was in very poor shape, he had suffered a subdural hematoma. On top of this, we had serious heart problems, having to have a pace maker. He was visiting from out of town as he normally received treatment in New Orleans, so it was difficult to receive his medical records. When I left he was still in poor shape, but I pray that he will see a turn for the better.
This was an amazing experience, and I feel my blog did not even do it justice. I truly learned a lot. I could talk about my experiences for hours! I am very grateful to be a part of a program that allows me to do activities such as this. I can't wait to go back for another shadow!
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