Clinical Experience Paper

Day 2 (OB) – Vaginal Birth and preparation for birth. Hanging Pitocin, and Lactated Ringers, and being able to watch an epidural insertion.

There are different types of technology that is used by medical assistants which also depends on which type of office one is working in. If it is an administrative medical assistant they will use the computer, a fax machine, printer, the telephone if they are mainly in the office. If it is a clinical medical assistant then they will be more than likely working in a medical setting. In the process of checking a patient’s blood pressure they will use an electronic blood pressure monitor if a manual one is not at their disposal. Another piece of equipment that a medical assistant may use would be a high frequency ultrasound machine. They will also use electrocardiograph equipment to check a patient’s heartbeat pattern. Clinical medical assistants

The apparel requirements for a medical assistant are scrubs and closed toed shoes. “The majority of medical assistant positions require you to wear scrubs” (Career Gear). Scrubs are loose fitting, the top is short sleeved and the pants have drawstrings to adjust at the waist. Scrubs are required in this field because they are comfortable and are professional looking. Wearing scrubs as a uniform helps patients identify you at the workplace and can help employees feel equal to one another. “The most important aspects of footwear for medical assistants are comfort and safety” (Career Gear). Medical assistants are usually on their feet all day so it is important for them to wear comfortable shoes to avoid future back and plantar issues. Safety

A couple of years ago, my mom got a bellybutton pain in her lower-right side of the abdomen. It was an intense pain which moved all around her belly. She decided to ignore the pain, thinking it could be something temporary. Days went through and nothing could relieve the discomfort she felt. My dad decided to take her to a private doctor right away. The doctor had her do some blood tests accompanied by some others. When the results were ready the doctor asked us to take mom immediately to the hospital. He said something related to surgery and I lose control on myself. We had never been as scared of surgery as this day. We knew this kind of surgery was not as risky as others. The problem was hospitals in Honduras. Doctors back then did not care about the patient. Patients in the hospitals would get their wounds infected and they would die. I lacked trust in the abilities of the doctors. Not because they missed the knowledge required in doing this, but their interest in the patient was none. They knew the government was going to pay them either way. Therefore, they mistreated some patients. My mom received a

The last visit I had with the patient on June 7th, I elected to start him on antihypertensive therapy. He was given a prescription for Zestoretic 10/12.5 mg one p.o. to take daily. He says that he did take one as recommended. That same day in the afternoon, he noted that he was short of breath in the afternoon. He says that he attributed it to the work that he was doing out in the yard and later that day, it seemed to resolve. A few days later, he had the same thing happen again. He eventually went on to see Dr. Lilly on June 25th. Please see that note for complete details. She did have him go through a series of testing, including laboratory studies, which were normal

In the medical office, there are several types of occurrences that may require immediate invention by the medical assistant. A few examples include:

Does using the chlorhexidine-impregnated (CHG) dressings for coverage of the central venous catheters (CVCs) insertion site prevent catheter colonization and reduce the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)?

Since the 8:00 AM appointment that I was scheduled to observe was cancelled, Sarah spent a half hour with me sharing the details of the three very different patients they were to see that morning. Although they were all males, they ranged in age from 2 – 12 years old, one being a new referral and the other two follow-up appointments. After this instructive conversation, I then observed one of the follow-up appointments with a 12-year-old patient with partial trisomy 15Q who came to the visit with his adoptive mother. This patient is very medically complex and currently followed by many disciplines in the hospital, including Developmental Pediatrics, Urology, Colorectal, Psychology, Pulmonology, ENT, Endocrinology, Orthopedic Surgery, PT, Neurology and Audiology, in addition to a community ophthalmologist. Even though he participates in an age-appropriate, sixth grade classroom, his mother reports that his adaptive behaviors and intellectual functioning are commensurate with a 4-5 year-old.

Access to care, long wait times, and rushed visits comprise a few ongoing complaints about the current US health care system that has fueled one of the three major initiatives- to improve the patient care experience (Berwick, Nolan, & Whittington, 2008). A patient’s experience, though multifaceted, is heavily influenced by face-to-face communication with his/her provider, which in today’s healthcare environment includes not only a physician, but also a nurse, nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA). The presence of EHRs has undoubtedly affected this face-to-face interaction which was demonstrated in a study done by Alsos et al. where they found that use of a paper chart lead to better “verbal and non-verbal

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that is classified as a movement disorder (Pinel, 2013). Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disease, meaning it does more damage over time. Many people may believe that Parkinson’s is an uncommon disease, however it affects as much as 1 percentage of the population over the age of 60 (Shafique, Blagrove, Chung, & Logendrarajah, 2011). Surprisingly, men are two and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson’s over women (Pinel, 2013). Parkinson’s is a disease that dramatically impacts those who suffer from it. Parkinson’s disease affects every part of a patient’s life, including personal and professional, health, and all matters pertaining to the quality of life. While

“Call a Rapid Response now and get the doctor on the phone,” my nurse preceptor orders frantically while holding pressure on the patient’s surgical site. The terror I encountered during my first month as a new nurse was one experience I will never forget. I realized quickly there is an immense difference between clinical days in nursing school with a hovering instructor versus the reality of working as a nurse. After my first week, I felt eager to come to an end with my career in nursing.

I can say that I haven’t had any really horrible experiences during clinical’s, however if I had to choose something the time I came back to class drunk after lunch would probably be number one. I had to explain to the techs why I was pulled out of clinical early to go meet with Sharon and Stephanie. That was really embarrassing and it was something that I really didn’t want them to know about, but it was my fault and I had to deal with the consequences of my actions. Shockingly I received a lot of support from the staff, and in a weird way I became closer to a few techs after that incident. My best moment is a little harder to decide. I really like the relationships I have

Today is the last day of our clinicals in the facility, and I would say that from the first day up to today I have learned so much and grown so much as a student nurse. I remember that very first day of clinical, I had no clue on what to expect and what to do, and I was so nervous that I would made mistakes. However, as I became more exposed to the clinical, I gained more confidence on doing things, applied the concept I learn during the class into practice, and gradually improved my communication skills with the residents. Today, I was able to learn about certain medications by going through the chart and by the help of our instructor. I learned how the medications work to treat and manage particular diseases. Also, I was able to creatively

TDC or the doctors clinic is an organization that helps people find employment as doctors

My journey to return to nursing school began in August 2014 when my nurse manager Carmen (she is my herald in this adventure, encouraging me and believing in my abilities) encouraged me to attend a nurse leadership class; it was at this class that I received the call to adventure when learned of the tuition reimbursement that UIHC was offering to return to school to obtain your bachelor’s degree. I had long planned to obtain my bachelors however life got in the way—divorce and raising two boys, there was never time or money to attend classes; I now had no excuses, the boys are grown, UIHC was offering considerable help with tuition and my father had recently passed away leaving an inheritance-what better way to spend this unforeseen money?