The orange screen – If you need to use the internet in any of the hospital computers, double click the big “Log-Off” button on the desktop. Sign back in under your personal id and password. It takes forever, but eventually you’ll be brought back to the main desk top, only this time with an orange background. You can now surf the web, but keep it clean. They’re watching you. If you leave it inactive for 10 minutes it will log you off automatically and you’ll lose whatever you were doing. Always log out or some lucky person will be able to print documents on your dime.
QATS – Pronounced like “quats.” I didn’t know what the heck it was on day one, but if I’d paid more attention during one of our critical care lectures prior to clinics I would have. QATS = Quantitative Assessment TestS. Why they don’t put the U in there to make it spell the way it’s said, I don’t know. QATS include: PCV, TS, Lactate, and Blood Glucose. You can typically run QATS on a small amount of blood – 0.5 to 1.0 ml is more than enough to run these (and you should have some left over in case something gets messed up).
Getting in the building – Make sure your key cards work in the appropriate doors before you need them to. Running around the entire complex of the Small Animal Hospital, Greene Hall, and Overton construction at 5 am really sucks. If your card does not work, see the lovely ladies in the Dean’s office in Greene Hall.
Stickers – If you’re the primary student on a case, put a sticker from their folder in your handy-dandy notebook. If you’re like me, you find it hard to remember number sequences. The sticker has the case number, animal’s name, and client info (like phone numbers) all nice, neat and ready to use when you’re on the go.
Technicians – These folks are AMAZING. Be nice to them and don’t be afraid to ask them for help, or to show you how to do something. Be mindful, though, if they are already busy with something else. Also, help them out if they need a hand with something and you’re free at the moment. It’s all about the team work.
Doctors – Ask your clinician how they expect you to write your medical record. Many have different preferences and knowing what they are looking for can save you a lot of time.
Friends - Be sweet to each other. At some point, we’ll all be in a bind. Luckily for me, I have one of the greatest friends around who was sweet enough to let my dogs out when I was stuck at the hospital for more than 12 hours at a time, AND leave banana bread in my mailbox when I had no time to grab food. Thanks, Kristin!!! J
Common sense – If you break something, tell someone and see if they can help you fix it. If you spill something or make a mess, clean it up. If you aren’t sure about something, ask! Don’t borrow things without asking, and don’t take things that don’t belong to you.
Things to have on hand (for any rotation) – Stethoscope, pens, highlighter, pen light, bandage scissors, hemostats, sticky notes, your handy-dandy notebook, and flash-drive. Make sure you know your VIN account info in case you need to look something up. Having a copy of Plumb’s hanging around is useful, too.
Clinician questions – If a clinician tries to quiz you about something and you don’t know the answer, look it up. Then be sure to grab that clinician as soon as (s)he is free to go over this info, that way (s)he knows that you actually followed through with it. They will NOT seek you out for the answers (they already know them), but not bringing it up with them can be reflected in your grade.
Clay paws – If your patient passes away, you can make a baked clay paw print for it’s family. Not everyone is comfortable with this, so use your best judgment. Just ask someone in ICU or Tumor’s Corner where the materials are and how to make one if it is ever needed.
Pet food – As a 4th year student, you get a free bag of food from Hill’s once a month. Don’t everyone go at once and wipe the store out, please.
Drug Dosages – Work on learning these prior to clinics if you can. You’ll be a rock-star from day one. (Unfortunately, I did NOT do this.)
These are some of the big things I gleaned from my first rotation; I hope some of you find them useful!
I'm loving my current rotation so far. We're outside most of the day and I actually got a little sunburned yesterday. Now I’m off for a big day of being the “orderly” on the ambulatory truck. Watch out, Lee County.
War Eagle,
Jess
No comments:
Post a Comment