Goodbye NICU, Hello OR

My last week in the NICU was rather slow, but still good. I continued massaging babies, mainly working with the same kiddos everyday, which was cool to see the difference in them each day. I was sad to leave on Friday, even though I was also excited about the next rotation. The NICU is not without drama like the rest of healthcare. There are just some parents that shouldn't have children---that's all I'll say about that :) 


Today I began my first day in my OR rotation. I got to ease into the early morning by getting there at 6:30am (instead of 6am). It will be interesting to see the what my role will be like here with kids of all ages dealing with pre-surgery fears and anesthesia/waking up from surgery fears. Today there were just 4 dental restorations of kids 3-6 years old. Apparently this is a very common procedure done in the outpatient OR, in addition to tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, ear tubes, endoscopy/colonoscopy, etc. 

Again I am learning that you see people of all sorts in healthcare. While the kids are always cute, the parents are not always so cute. This morning one mom asked where she could get something to eat and if we could give her a free meal ticket (even though her son was NPO--nothing to eat--until surgery), and the grandmother could only think about when she could have her next cigarette. All the while, the little kid was playing before his surgery on an empty stomach. Craziness. However, there was a normal family that was very supportive and loving toward their child---instead of being worried about food or smoking ha. 

In other news...I'm dogsitting this week for Max, the wimpiest chocolate lab. I have to dogsit/stay at their house with him because he gets abused by the other dogs when he stays at the kennel. Pitiful. He is really sweet and lazy, just a big wimp! 

I'm also getting ready for my first bridesmaid experience in my best friend Lucy's wedding this weekend. The dress is ready, the shoes are ready.....just have to pack and get some last minute items before leaving town on Thursday. I'm excited because it should be a beautiful wedding, and really fun reception ;)

This will be a busy week with dogsitting, babysitting, work, and getting ready for the wedding. I'll definitely post pics from the wedding next week and share more hospital stories :)

Posted in: , , on Monday, June 8, 2009 at at 9:09 PM 0 comments  

End of Week 2

Sorry for the delay in updates....


My 2nd week was even better than the first since I got to start doing more things. The big highlight was when one baby that had been in the NICU for 9+months got to go home. It was bittersweet as all the staff was sad to see her go, but glad that she could go home with her family. 

I've quickly realized that the NICU is not without drama. Just during Wednesday rounds we learned all sorts of interesting things about the babies, their families, etc. I got to attend a CMOMs (Charlotte Mothers of Multiples) meeting one night--that was very interesting and overwhelming at the same time. We had 2 NICU families come--one with twins and one with triplet boys. I think both sets of parents were overwhelmed too! 

I started doing infant massage sessions with the babies by myself. Infant massage helps develop their nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system, sensory integration, brain development, etc. I even got to teach one of the mom's how to do massage on her baby. She and her baby both really enjoyed it!

Each week I have several assignments to complete--such as weekly evaluations, reading articles and diagnoses, medical observations, medical terminology, charting, etc. It has been very reassuring to get such great feedback on everything I turn in each week. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I am exactly where God wants me to be.

In other events---I had my dinner club's monthly dinner at Hotel Charlotte for our "H" restaurant on Friday. Saturday I had a friend's wedding here in Charlotte. Sunday we had a young adult cook out at the park. So things have been very busy around here :) I can't believe it's already June and my last week in the NICU before moving to the OR rotation!

Posted in: , , on Monday, June 1, 2009 at at 8:45 PM 0 comments  

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