Erica Glenn

11-30-12

Day Surgery

Experience Journal

      I.         Assessment of the Environment

a.    Personnel-The majority of the personnel in the day surgery were females. Actually, all females, I didn’t see a single male. But they were all very nice people.

b.    Services Provided- Day surgery provides many outpatients care surgeries. Meaning that you check in, have your surgery, and then leave later that day.

c.     Equipment- There is not a whole lot of equipment used in day surgery.. There were a lot of beds and such. Also, there were computers and screens that monitored the vital signs of the patients after the surgery.

d.    Technology Utilized- Computers were used to look at the vital signs of the patient. Other technology was used to observe and help the patient.

    II.         Observation

a.    Health Care Professionals- All of the health care professionals in day surgery were females. But the majority of the doctors that were preforming the surgery were males. But they were all very nice, and happy to be working there.

b.    Teaming Skills- All of the people in day surgery had very good teaming skills. While I was in there, they were putting up Christmas decorations, and they were all working together to finish the project.

c.     Communication Skills- They were all good at communicating. Once, someone had misplaced something, and everyone was communication and trying to find it. So overall, they all had good communication skills. Also, when one of the  nurses was talking to a patient about all of the discharge stuff, she was very good at communicating all of the information.

d.    Safety Procedures- I only saw a few safety features while I was in day surgery. These included wearing gloves while taking the IV out of the patient. Also, when the patient was lying in bed, the rails on the side of the bed had to be kept up at all times in order to keep the patient safe.

e.    Therapeutic/Diagnostic Procedures- I did not actually observe or see any therapeutic or diagnostic procedures preformed, but I know that a few patients had gotten a colonoscopy. Also, they had been administered anesthesia during their surgery.

  III.         Knowledge

a.    New Information Learned- When I was in day surgery, I learned that when a patient is being discharged, two ladies come with a wheelchair to escort them out. That is the only thing I learned while I was in day surgery…literally.

b.    Medical Terminology-

                                              i.     CNP

                                            ii.     PRBC- Packed red blood cells

                                          iii.     EGD- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

                                            iv.     LAVH vs. TAH- Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy

c.     Skills Learned- I learned how to take out an IV. You take off the tape, first, and then gently pull it out, and cover it with pressure and then a band aid.

  IV.         Evaluation

a.    Personal Experience- I had a pretty awful and boring time while I was in day surgery. It was extremely boring and uneventful. Literally nothing happened. It was just like chitchat time for all the ladies working there.

b.    Educational Value- I did not learn anything useful while I was in day surgery. It was extremely boring and uneventful. Literally nothing happened. It was just like chitchat time for all the ladies working there.

c.     Professional Value- I guess it could kind of be considered as being kind of professionally valuable. I saw how boring their job was. It was pretty much all paperwork and nothing cool. I definitely would not want to work in day surgery.

Learning Report

      I.         What were your responsibilities or duties this week?

a.    I literally had no responsibilities or duties at all. I did nothing the whole time. They were just talking and filling out paperwork and on the computers the whole time both days, so I literally did nothing.

    II.         What new knowledge or skill did you learn this week?

a.    I learned how to take out an IV. You take off the tape, first, and then gently pull it out, and cover it with pressure and then a band aid.

b.    That is the ONLY thing I learned at all.

  III.         What was the best thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?

a.    The best thing that happened to me this week was on Monday, I walked in, and the nurse said there was nothing to do, so she let me sit in the chair. As apposed to me standing for an hour on Wednesday not doing anything.

  IV.         What was the worst thing that happened at the unpaid work-based learning site this week?

a.    The worst thing that happened to me this week was having to stand awkwardly by the desk for the full hour and a half on Wednesday, it would have been much more convenient if I could have sat down, but nobody asked me if I wanted to sit, so I didn’t. I had to stand there forever doing nothing.

    V.         If the “worst” was a mistake, how was it corrected?

a.    The worst was not a mistake, so there was no way for me to correct it.

  VI.         This Week was: Bad

a.    Why?- because literally NOTHING happened the whole time. There were no patients on Monday and it was the most boring thing ever.

Experience Record

      I.         Technology Observed:

a.    Computer

b.    Refridgerator

c.     Freezer

d.    Coffee machine

e.    Scanner

f.      Vital signs machine

g.     Nothing else or cool

    II.         Diagnostic Procedures Observed:

a.    Nothing

  III.         Therapeutic Procedures Observed:

a.    Water was given to a patient

  IV.         Diseases/Disorders Observed:

a.    Colonoscopy

    V.         Medical Terminology/Abbreviations Encountered

                                              i.     CNP

                                            ii.     PRBC- Packed red blood cells

                                          iii.     EGD- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

                                            iv.     LAVH vs. TAH- Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy

Learning Experience Journal

            When I walked in on Monday, I introduced myself to the nurse, and she said there was nothing going on, and that I should take a seat. So I sat and she went back into the break room, so I was out there all alone. Then a few of the other nurses came out and they were just chatting forever, doing nothing. And I couldn’t interrupt their conversation because they were talking about their kids and stuff. So that was really boring. There was not a single patient the whole time, and nothing happened. So I left. And on Wednesday, there were more nurses, but they were all sitting at the computers charting and working doing paperwork and stuff. I stood by the desk practically the whole time doing nothing but staring at the clock. But then one of the nurses was going to discharge a patient, so she let me observe her talk to the patient, sign papers, and take the IV out. That was all I did, and it was very boring. And then it was time to leave. So I did. I did not have a good time, and I don’t really want to go back to day surgery because it was so boring.

Day Surgery Questions

Describe the purpose of a surgical consent form: so the patient consents and knows what is going on.

Describe how the patient identity is verified during the surgical experience: bracelets and name tags or something.

Describe the purpose of pulse oximetry: a pulse oximetry is something that takes your pulse.

What risk factors are associated with anesthesia: not waking up or dying, etc. 

What are the components of a patient assessment: assessing the patient

Explain how the patient’s right to dignity, privacy, and confidentiality are maintained: no information is released without patient consent

Identify the members of the intraoperative health care team: during the surgery, the people that help. 

Who is ultimately responsible for patient discharge: the nurses that are responsible for the discharge. 

Identify the criteria for patient discharge: paperwork and telling a lot of stuff to the patient to make sure they understand. 

What is the PACU: post anesthetic care unit

Identify the five most common surgical procedures performed in day surgery: colonoscopy, etc. 

What are nosocomial infections: infections that are noscomial

What infection control procedures are done to reduce the spread of infection in hospitals: washing hands, and other sanitary measures. 

Differentiate between intubation and extubation: one is in and one is out.