10 a.m. Baxley distributes medication to her patients. 10:30 a.m. Baxley must remove the male patient’s drainage tube. While the primary nurse watches, she removes the patient’s stitches, dislodges the Hemovac and applies new wound dressing. Removing this kind of device can hurt, so she maintains a calm demeanor. That helps her patient relax, and all goes well. 11:30 a.m. Lunch. Baxley and her classmates have lunch in the hospital cafeteria. She has brought a sandwich, chips and peaches, her usual menu. 12:30 p.m. Back on the floor, she checks her patients and prepares for the afternoon duties: helping her female patient walk and discussing the doctor’s discharge orders with the male patient. 1 p.m. The woman who underwent
knee replacement is coaxed from the bed to her walker so Kelly can help her complete a lap around the nurse’s station. The patient has an immobilization brace that will protect the knee after she’s discharged. 1:30 p.m. Baxley documents her female patient’s progress and checks on her male patient. 2 p.m. A second round of medication. Her male patient will be discharged this afternoon, but before he leaves Baxley explains the follow-up procedures, new prescriptions and the signs of problems he should look out for. The instructions were written by the patient’s doctor. It is the first time Kelly has been responsible for the discharge instructions. 2:30 p.m. The end of her shift in sight, Baxley reports to the primary nurse and retrieves her belongings from the locker room. She and her classmates adjourn
to a post-shift conference, where they will discuss the day. At the meeting Bryant answers questions and hears about their challenges, which include dealing with shotgun wounds, complex I.V. medications and patients who “code,” or present a Code Blue, which is called when a seriously ill patient’s condition becomes a life-threatening emergency. “These experiences offer them a protected setting, with a lot of mentors around them, so they can learn more and take on greater responsibilities,” she says. 4 p.m. Baxley arrives home, washes her scrubs and takes an hour-long nap. 7 p.m. Study time. Baxley prepares for upcoming course work, tests and upcoming clinicals. Midnight. Bed. —Marion Blackburn
A day in the life…
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