Summer 2013 NYC ER Thoughts

Just random experiences/thoughts/comments that from my summer internship in a NYC hospital's Emergency Room. Feel Free to comment on here and ask me questions! Follow me on my main tumblr www.maggypraj.tumblr.com Thanks!

[maggyintheer]

August 6 2013

Today I got to do long waited ambulance ride. I have always wanted to do one but I don't know I just got lazy. But I guess I feel like I don't belong cause I know the emts were confused on who was going to take me on. the two emts I'm with are great! they are really trying to put to me the front of the action. also it's helpfully because I realized I don't remember much of what I have learned and how tense I get in emergence situations. I wanted to do emergency medicine my entire life and now I'm confused because maybe this isn't for me or I'm just too tensed up for this. meh, I'm so confused. I wish I could figure out my life.

[maggyintheer]

August 2 2013

[maggyintheer]

August 1 2013

[maggyintheer]

July 26 2013

[maggyintheer]

time of death: 1804

Today was the first day I saw someone die in the ER. For some reason I thought that my reaction would be different, I thought I would feel bad or sick in my stomach but I didn't. I was fine, no reaction. there was no emotion change no nothing. Watching the doctors move as quickly as they did, was scary and cool. I kinda felt bad that no one sad really listening to the doctor in charge but it was intense. They tried everything I think and for the first time I saw people doing legit compressions. It was not fun. After the shock, Whig

[maggyintheer]

July 18 2013

<p>Seeing the patient that came in with the cut fingers was a little scary and nostalgic. My dad a couple of years ago also cut his fingers and was brought to the ER, just weird reminder of that event, except I was very young then and now I’m inside the ER. </p> <p>I saw something really sad today. Even though the curtain was closed I saw a patient that was intubated and hooked up to even more machines I had ever seen. The woman I saw in hall before was standing next to the man in the bed. She was kinda comforting him. It was really sad. And I passed them again, and she had her head on his chest and she was crying. <br/> Seeing that made working in the ER so much more real, because this is where people can die, hospitals and doctors can try as hard as they can to save you but sometimes a person can’t be saved.</p> <p>Death scares me very much and I don’t really like talking about it. so, I think I did pretty well getting people enrolled in our studies today! yay me!

[maggyintheer]

July 13 2013

Besides the fact that all the Intox/Etoh patients wanted to be rowdy and get naked.

It was nice to have a conversation with a NYPD officer. Usually it's intimidating when they are in the hospital but I guess they are just people. He told me all these "cop" stories and how awesome he was. But the best part was he gave me a whole bunch of restaurants to visit while I was home for the summer. I mean some of them were pretty expensive but being a foodie, I think I can manage.

Other than that, today was a weird day in the ER. No one really wanted to do my surveys and then some misunderstood me. Is asking if the nurse offered you an HIV test the same as do you want an HIV test? I don't know but that lady was mean. Besides her my partner wasn't in the best moods either. 

Slow Day!

[maggyintheer]

July 11 2013

It's always an interesting day when you get to see a trauma called in the ER since it does not happen as often in this hospital. It was cool to see because they had an cool breathing mask for the guy who was being treated. It was somewhat scary because he was breathing so quick. But also just to see the doctors in action was fun. 

I realized that I just get nervous sometimes asking people to fill out my survey because I don't like rejection. I mean the number of enrollments are important but it seems like these days I just don't get enough. Maybe I need to try harder and make more of an effort?

Other than that nothing much happened. 

[maggyintheer]

June 28 2013

[maggyintheer]

June 27 2013

It wasn't the first time I saw a brown person in the ER but today it was someone who spoke my language. I know listening into conversations is a bad thing but I think its cool to be able to understand a different language. Also, that patient sitting next to where our desk is. It was weird to know he was in the area where the Etoh patients go but who knows.

Being a nice person after my shift I tried to help them but instead I just get to hear a critism on the way I look. Yes I understand I am fat but it's just not nice to hear someone talk about it like that. I just met you and am trying to help you but you want to talk about my appearance. I just don't get Indian people is all that matters is looks. Give me a break please. I don't know why I am so upset about it but I am. Not cool at all. 

[maggyintheer]

June 20 2013

[maggyintheer]

June 21 2013

[maggyintheer]

June 12 2013

We were shown head CT scans today by the doctor. It was pretty cool to see them. Except when the doctor asked about the difference between CTs and MRI, I completely blanked. Pretty embarrassing. 

[maggyintheer]

June 10 2013

[maggyintheer]

June 7 2013

[maggyintheer]

June 6 2013

To think my first day in the Emergency Room would be amazing but I guessed wrong. It was one of those I think I can figure it out kind. Getting there a bit early I guess was helpful. I also was covering for someone else, so it's not really my first shift. I was really excited but I thought someone would be there to teach us the ropes of what exactly our job was. Wrong again. 

It took me and my partner a long time to figure everything out. Hard enough, we didn't even know what to say to the patients. It didn't take long to realize our desk was placed at an empty doctors station next to the basically drunk/homeless patients. In the system we use they are referred to as Intox/Etoh, so it's easier to call them that.

I did realize that this was not a Level 1 Trauma hospital so no extreme cases here but I think it will still be an interesting summer. 

Today was a learning day so I guess it was fun. Should be a fun summer. I think I got this. Nothing much interesting today?

[maggyintheer]

Emergency Room Experience

As I spend my summer working in the Emergency Room of NYC hospital I'll post interesting fun things that happen and just some of my experiences. Enjoy! 

-Maggy