Week Twelve of CCNC

This week was spent at INOVA Hospital in Fairfax, VA. Inova Fairfax is home to Northern Virginia's only Level 1 trauma unit, which means it can treat any type of injury, no matter how serious. It is a 833- bed facility meaning it is huge! The education department has generously allowed the Walter Reed CCNC classes to come follow their RN staff for eight hour shifts in different units throughout their facility. We will spend time in the Emergency Department, Trauma ICU, Neuro ICU, Cardiovascular ICU, and Coronary Care Unit. As Walter Reed is no longer a Level 1 trauma center we have been able to see and do things that we would not get to do at our own facility.

So far I have spent time in their Neuro ICU, CCU, Trauma ICU and two evenings in the Emergency Department. I had a blast in the ED. While I could not directly participate in the traumas that came in, I was allowed to watch and help out as needed to roll the patients and remove clothing prior to taking them to CT. I was assigned to Jaime for both nights. She was great as she took time to explain things that I either did not understand or had the long-term thought process in my head when I needed to be thinking short-term for immediate treatments. Not that I am promoting them, but if I were to stay in this area for a while I would consider moonlighting as agency in their ER or Trauma ICU for further education and experience.

This weekend will be full of preparing for my final project. It is called the "Three System". It is a 3-4 hour oral presentation on a patient who had three body systems fail. I have to discuss the normal anatomy and physiology of the body systems then discuss the disease processes that eventually caused the failures. I have to present the patient as if I was the MD in rounds discussing my assessment, all labs, all diagnostics, all meds, all fluids, all treatments. And while the MDs get their notes when they make their rounds, I will be doing this without notes. I will have a dry erase marker and a dry erase board with my two lead instructors in the back of the room grading me. I am freaking out!!! I sure could use some prayers. I present this Monday morning at 0730 east coast time. Pray, pray, pray. I don't think I have ever been this nervous before.