And I mean that. I got to see a newborn with Tetralogy of Fallot in my peds rotation today, and they kept the chest open to prevent cardiac tamponade. Let me just say, hearts are THE coolest invention EVER. And to get to see one actively working? Just. Blows. My. Mind.
This is a short post because I'm tired, and I can't really give away too many more details, but I got to be pretty involved today shadowing in the CICU (cardiac intensive care unit). I keep coming across the question - "What kind of nurse do you want to be?" and I never have a real solid answer. I still don't, but I can totally see myself in the ICU setting. Maybe I'll aim for CICU or NICU (neonatal). It was SO great. I mean, sad, yes. But also just cool. I don't want to sound heartless, but it wasn't hard for me to see past the fact that it was a little baby lying there to just the medical condition and needs. It was slightly shocking at first to see all those wires, but I got over it fast and went right into my fascinated mode. I even got to help bag (ventilate) the infant when it was time for suctioning the ET (breathing) tube.
I am so jazzed! It's a good thing we have a new bed as of today (Tempur-Pedic, heck yeah), or I think I'd be up alllll night! As it is, I'm gonna get some sleep now!
Oh boy, it's hard for me to balance excitement with empathy too. I'm excited to experience something to learn about it. Luckily, for the most part, families understand and are happy to let you get close to an experience to understand it and learn how to manage it for their family member and for future patients. On the other hand, I do find that empathy naturally comes out first. We are in this profession for a reason- we find the human body, and more importantly its varied responses to disease- fascinating. This is a healthy perspective. And I think as long as the empathy comes out naturally, we're doing okay :)
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