Being in certain departments like renal, neuro and onco is different. You build longer and more solid relationships with all your patients, because they tend to stay for longer periods of time, and they always get readmitted for stuff like infections, bed sores and stuff like that.
Somehow, over the course of 6 weeks, I’ve become more closely acquainted with quite a few of my ‘chronic’ stayers. And at times, I seriously feel like a ‘mother hen’. Don’t you dare laugh k! It’s the only phrase I can think of. It’s like how every morning I’d be playing hide-and-seek with this really mischievous ah pek, who’s like forever vigorously waving his non-hemiplegic side over the cot side and attempting (with success at times) to pat the nurses’ butts. haha… and then there’s this other guy who would shake the cot sides to draw our attention whenever he starts to desaturate, which, unfortunately, is getting increasingly common these days… Yup. And I’m like the only person who can score full marks with the charades we play every morning when the team visits him. (he’s unable to vocalise you see) And I’m also very good at understanding all my dysarthric/staccato speech patients :)
Just the other day, while in the other cubicle, we heard this horrible, wracking sort of cough and choking combined. The entire team sort of stopped and wondered who that was hacking away. And I went, ‘Oh, I think that’s Mr A’ and I swear, the team looked super amused as I ran over to take a look. Turned out, we had to send him down for VFS.
But of course, the greatest (or one of the greatest rewards) is when patients grasp your hands and say thank you to you. HAIII… It just makes all that smelling their shit, measuring their PVRUs and checking their bedsores daily just worth it! (Someone said he didn’t wanna go for inpatient rehab at AMK cuz he feels the docs in NUH are very caring :) )
But then again, you get those ultra duper black sheep once in a long while who messes up everything from your emotions to your bonus and might even cost you a lawsuit! I had the unfortunate eye-opener, though I wasn’t exactly directly embroiled… my poor team.
Hmmm, if I do become a consultant, (which I have no confidence I ever will), I think I’ll be one of those super anal ones. Who’ll be very protective over my own patients and will want the best and most thorough treatment for them. (and probably all the other nurses and docs from other dpts will talk behind my back about my ‘anal-ness’) Anyway, till then… haha… DREAM ON!
