1. Introduce yourself
Entering the ward without introducing yourself to the sister of the ward will get you into big trouble. its deemed as rude as you're entering someone's house without saying hi to them. the sister is the head of staff nurses and usually wears a blue uniform instead of white. they work office hours. there will be a sister on call but thats not the sister you want to introduce yourself to.
Next, introduce yourself to the MOs in the ward. then to the staff nurses. cause these are the people you will be working with and you will see day in day out. they need to know your name. wearing your name tag when you introduce yourself to them will make them remember it better.
2. Know where to get forms and supplies
I'll usually pull out all the drawers to see which form is located where and where do I get tubes for blood samples. and I'll explore the whole store room so I know where to get IV drip sets. instead of feeling lost when my staff nurses are busy, I can just go and grab whatever needs to be grabbed cause I know where things are. I cannot stress this enough. and the nurses would be grateful cause you help make their lives easier
3. Know what time rounds are and what are the times you can sit down and take a break
its all part of learning how to become a functional houseman. you have to first identify what kind of ward you are in. is this an acute ward? where patients can change conditions very fast? or is this a chronic ward where most of your time will be spent doing summaries for these patients? then you can plan your day (deciding how long breaks you can have and how frequent do you have to take a look at your patients to make sure they're alright).
Identifying when to take a break and sit down and have a meal or a quick bite (if its a busy ward) is as important as identifying what time bosses need to do their rounds. theres no need to constantly work. we are not robots. we deserve some rest time.
with that being said, if a patient is unstable, you are NOT ALLOWED to just leave your patient just so that you have rest time. IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO LEAVE YOUR COLLEAGUE TO DIE ATTENDING TO A PATIENT while you get your rest time.
when a patient changes condition or becomes unstable, you who knows where things are should be lending a helping hand. help get that nasal prong or help endorse that Neb or help prepare drugs for intubation. if you don't know how to manage acute conditions, learn on the job. nobody will blame you if you say, "I dont know what to do, but i'm here to offer my help". People would in fact appreciate that. Your bosses will know who helps to attend patients who are unstable and who are the ones who run away when crisis happens.
4. Be prepared for emergencies
checking the emergency trolley is sometimes done by nurses, sometimes by housemen. if you don't check the emergency trolley, when crisis happens you won't know how to get what and where. learning up ACLS is really important cause when a code happens, I make sure that I take the lead. if your MO is there already, running the code, observe and see how its run. contribute. take turns CPR-ing.
Next, introduce yourself to the MOs in the ward. then to the staff nurses. cause these are the people you will be working with and you will see day in day out. they need to know your name. wearing your name tag when you introduce yourself to them will make them remember it better.
2. Know where to get forms and supplies
I'll usually pull out all the drawers to see which form is located where and where do I get tubes for blood samples. and I'll explore the whole store room so I know where to get IV drip sets. instead of feeling lost when my staff nurses are busy, I can just go and grab whatever needs to be grabbed cause I know where things are. I cannot stress this enough. and the nurses would be grateful cause you help make their lives easier
3. Know what time rounds are and what are the times you can sit down and take a break
its all part of learning how to become a functional houseman. you have to first identify what kind of ward you are in. is this an acute ward? where patients can change conditions very fast? or is this a chronic ward where most of your time will be spent doing summaries for these patients? then you can plan your day (deciding how long breaks you can have and how frequent do you have to take a look at your patients to make sure they're alright).
Identifying when to take a break and sit down and have a meal or a quick bite (if its a busy ward) is as important as identifying what time bosses need to do their rounds. theres no need to constantly work. we are not robots. we deserve some rest time.
with that being said, if a patient is unstable, you are NOT ALLOWED to just leave your patient just so that you have rest time. IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO LEAVE YOUR COLLEAGUE TO DIE ATTENDING TO A PATIENT while you get your rest time.
when a patient changes condition or becomes unstable, you who knows where things are should be lending a helping hand. help get that nasal prong or help endorse that Neb or help prepare drugs for intubation. if you don't know how to manage acute conditions, learn on the job. nobody will blame you if you say, "I dont know what to do, but i'm here to offer my help". People would in fact appreciate that. Your bosses will know who helps to attend patients who are unstable and who are the ones who run away when crisis happens.
4. Be prepared for emergencies
checking the emergency trolley is sometimes done by nurses, sometimes by housemen. if you don't check the emergency trolley, when crisis happens you won't know how to get what and where. learning up ACLS is really important cause when a code happens, I make sure that I take the lead. if your MO is there already, running the code, observe and see how its run. contribute. take turns CPR-ing.
take your time to study learn up ACLS. cause IT CAN SAVE YOUR PATIENT'S LIFE! its worth taking your time to learn it up
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