Patient Care Technicians ( Pct )

As the Occupational Health Technician, I persuaded the Navy Clinic to transferred the duties of tracking civilians and military personnel physical exams to the NASKW Safety Office. I have to created a PowerPoint presentation to provide training to the Safety office Admin staff and provided the training on Microsoft Access database. The training was unrelated to children.

The equipment is also very important as if it is not in working order or if not calibrated ( the blood glucose monitor, testing strip and lancet) the reading will be faulty. Well trained staff should manipulate the equipment in accordance with the standards.

The EKG Technician is the person responsible for performing diagnostic tests to access the heart rhythm and rate in patients. EKG technician is an integral part of the management of patients with heart disease. The EKG Technician may also clean equipment, maintain and process data reports. The course will prepare students with the theory, academics and clinical education necessary to function as an entry level EKG technician. This course may be taken as a module toward completion of the PCT program, or it may be taken independently as an individual skills course. The course structure will consist of introduction to EKG, applied EKG and clinical EKG.

Pulling off the ramp, we turned onto Church Hill Road responding on a priority one for the cardiac arrest. I tried to review my field guide en-route to the call, but all I could see were flashing lights reflecting off the guide’s pages and crowds of cars moving over for our wailing sirens. Within three minutes we had arrived on-scene and it was clear that our patient was not in cardiac arrest; however, his 12-Lead EKG and oxygen saturation were marginally reassuring and pointed to an active heart attack. At this point in my EMS training I was a BLS provider, but had adequate knowledge to assist Kathy. Instinctively, I went right to work and loved every second of it. The concept of formulating a differential diagnosis in the field and testing that theory is one of the principle factors that kept drawing my back to EMS. In addition, I developed an unparalleled appetite for knowledge, stemming from my desire to get every differential diagnoses right. Coming to this realization early in my EMS career, we [healthcare providers] frequently forget that patients often lack the medical knowledge provided to us through years of training. Behind CT Scans and MRIs are patients with questions. Having the ability to provide compassion, sympathy and reassurance to a patient is a central part to their recovery and survival; therefore, we [healthcare providers] need to be able to care for our patients on a holistic level, focusing less on the disease and more on the

Describe the appropriate location to apply the leads for both the 5-lead cardiac monitor as well as the 12- lead ECG.

Usually, we start the observations around 22:00, reporting any NEWS score over 3 or anything untoward to the the Staff Nurse who will inform a doctor who may order an ECG, which I would perform and report straight back to him/her. This is an example of how communication and co-operation is so important to working in partnership. Any missing ‘cog’ in a machine could spell disaster, especially in the care industry.

I remember my fingers leaving shallow depressions on her cold pale skin. As the Paramedics left the room, they sadly instructed us to say our goodbyes and that they would be back shortly. If I had known she was going die, I would have said more to my grandma when she kissed me on the cheek the previous day. Our large family sat in the living room crying as my grandma was placed in a large black bag before being taken away. That sorrowful morning I watched as the paramedics unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate my grandma. This frightful and gloomy experience would inspire me to one day save lives. After witnessing a patient code, working as patient care technician (PCT), and experiencing the sincere generosity of two physicians, I became certain that I wanted to be a doctor.

When I did my own EKG lab testing I used the following materials: BIOPAC electrode lead set (SS2L), BIOPAC disposable vinyl electrodes (EL503), Cot, BIOPAC electrodes, Computer Sytem, BIOPAC Student Lab software v3.0 or greater, and BIOPAC acquisition unit (MP30). When all these materials are available the computer was turned on and three of the electrodes were placed on the body of my teammate. Two electrodes were positioned on the medial surface of each leg just above the ankle, and the last electrode was on the right anterior forearm at her wrist. When these were attached the subject was asked to lie down on the cot and relax. We then attached her to the EKG machine with three colored cables. The white cable was placed on the electrode on the right forearm, the black cable was placed on right leg and the red cable was attached to the electrode on the left leg.

It was an uneventful midmorning day, on the general medical floor; a list of patients already drawn out with what needed to be completed during our shift. A group of people huddled together discussing treatment plans and options. At that present time, rounding was just for physicians and physician assistants. But dietitians were recently included, so I got to watch as the providers presented their cases to one another. One individual stood out above the rest as she was presenting to her attending; she was confident, poised, and didn’t skip a beat during her presentation. Once the meeting was completed she sat down next to me and we started talking. She introduced herself as Becky, a physician assistant. Having never heard of the role before, she explained that she does examinations, diagnosing, carrying out investigations, as well as treatments and prescribing. Becky could tell I appeared very interested in this, and asked if I was able to spend some time shadowing to learn more about her role. The next patient she saw, I was able to go in the room with her and watch her examine a new patient, discuss his course of treatment, and follow up with the attending. She took me through the entire process of seeing a new patient from a PA perspective. That was all I really needed to get the wheels in my head turning for a new career.

Cardiac telemetry nurses specialize in cardiac care and in the use of electrocardiogram equipment. They must systematically apply their nursing judgment skills to perform assessments designed to evaluate pain, psycho-social background and patient education needs. Based on this information, they must identify risks, make diagnoses, generate goals and establish expectations. They must be able to continually prioritize and implement changing nursing plans according to updates or new information. They collaborate with patient team members on a daily basis to coordinate care and meet the needs of their patients.

A cardiac monitor is essential in continuous monitoring of the patient, but a 12 lead EKG has the benefit of being able to better pinpoint the specific areas of the heart that are affected or damaged.

The purpose of this journal is to reflect on my experience and skills gained during my clinical placement at Ben Taub Hospital. On my first clinical day, I was excited and nervous at the same time. My first placement was in the PREOP/PACU area. I was assigned to help a patient who had been in the PACU area going on 2 days. Normally, once the patient comes from surgery they are only in the PACU area for a short period of time before they are discharged home or given a bed in another area of the hospital. This particular patient still had not received an assignment for a bed. The physicians would make their rounds to come check on him daily. The patient was a 28-year-old Hispanic male, non-English speaking, he had a hemicolectomy. He had a NG tube, urinary Foley catheter, and a wound vac. My preceptor had just clocked in and she needed to check on the patient’s vitals and notes from the previous nurse. Once she introduced me to the patient and explained while I was there, she then asked me to check his vitals. (Vital signs indicate the body’s ability to regulate body temperature, maintain blood flow, and oxygenate body tissues. Vital signs are important indicators of a client’s overall health status (Hogan, 2014). I froze for a quick second. I have practiced taking vitals numerous of times and I knew I could do it correctly. I started with the temperature first, when I was quickly corrected on a major mistake I had made by my preceptor. I HAD FORGOT TO WASH MY HANDS and PUT

Some important concerns when placing ECG electrodes on a patient are making sure the patient does not have long thick hair where the electrode needs to go. If there is hair, it needs to be shaved in that area. Also if the patient is oily or wet, they should be cleaned and dried off before electrodes are placed on the body. It is important that the ECG leads are placed correctly because you need to get the correct result from the leads. The consequences of incorrect placements are that you can get the wrong results. By not putting the electrodes in the right place, it can completely throw off the right result which can cause doctors to not worry when they should. The medical assistant can take steps to ensure the ECG reading accurate by going

Another problem surgeons faces is the connecting of the circulatory system of the heart. The coordination of atrial and ventricular contractions is necessary for efficient pumping of the blood. Any damage leads to a loss of coordination and diminished heart function. But how do surgeons and doctors come to make sure the circulatory is system is working at its best is by using an electrocardiogram, or ECG. With this procedure, electrodes are placed on key points of the body's surface to monitor the electrical activity of the heart. However, what happens if the low flowing of blood or blockage of the blood comes to happen. Myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks happens, and it its due to the blockage or reduction of blood flow to an area of

Recording an electrocardiogram or ECG, is a procedure which is performed daily all over the United Kingdom by thousands of healthcare workers and in particular nurses (Jacobson, 2000). The way in which this procedure is performed varies from geographical location to location and occasionally even more so, between staff on the same ward (Amos, 2000). This reason stated by Amos (2000), formed the basis of my decision to choose this topic.