- I was told how fairy tales and mythical creatures often originate
from fact; I found out about the medical afflictions behind the werewolf,
zombie and vampires.
- Triage is defined by the Oxford dictionary as ‘the
assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of
treatment of a large number of patients or casualties’. I learnt that there are
different management plans depending on whether those injured are at a hospital
or elsewhere. A Mass Casualty Incident is declared when the number of victims
or the severity of their injuries overwhelms the doctors responding to an
emergency or additionally if there are insufficient medical resources.
It was made known to me that if an
unconscious person does not start to breathe after his or her airway is cleared
the person is left, and the doctor moves on to the next person. I realised that
although the action seemed harsh, it was logical; more lives could be saved in
the time that it would take to attempt to resuscitate the one unconscious
person.
- Later as groups we were forced to practice our first aid
skills and implement triage when we were immersed into various simulations of
emergency situations. What I learnt here was that in pressured scenarios it’s
very easy to work solo and not take the time to communicate with teammates.
However it is important to voice your actions and let other people know what
you’re doing or you might end up wasting precious time due to the repetition of
the same procedures.
- Medsim also introduced me to the different types of roles available
in a hospital setting. For example we
talked to a radiographer, the lady was responsible for working both diagnostic
and therapeutic imaging devices. For example she was proficient in conducting
X-rays, Computed Topography (CT) scans (which take cross-sectional pictures of
the body), ultrasounds and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans (they show
sections of the body that are of the same type of tissue) to name a few. Radiography
is a separate undergraduate course; you need not have a medical degree for work
in the field.
The role
of a pathologist was also discussed. A pathologist, unlike a radiographer, must
graduate with a medical degree. They specialise in the diagnosis of conditions and
the behaviour and development of diseases. Pathologists spend a lot of time in
the labs analysing biopsies.
Nurses
have jobs in close to every healthcare setting imaginable. Nurses are most
hired type of staff in the NHS. Both nurses and doctors are integral to
providing comprehensive healthcare however their roles do differ. For example
doctors are responsible for diagnosis, planning the treatment, prescribing
medication, essentially for all the decision-making. The nurses on the other
hand have to physically administer the treatment. As result a nurse has fewer
patients than a doctor however he or she spends a lot of more time with them. A
very important part of a nurse’s job is to comfort the patient. In one of my
hospital placements, an elderly lady was having her abdominal drain removed and
was very worried about it. In response, her nurse held her hand, smiled and was
able to comfort her and in the process make the whole situation easier for the doctor
and the patient.
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