Voalte: A Short Story

Have you seen my husband? Is all my mom was shouting as she held my hand tightly, running back and forth through the hospital? A receptionist sent us to a room, which felt like coming into an isolated mausoleum. The cold air enveloped my entire body, ice has replaced my spine and numbness is all my fingers felt. The room was somber dark, dead silence; the only sound heard was the heart machine ... Beep … Beep. There wasn’t anything more traumatizing then seeing my father lain on the bed, unresponsive, tubes coming from out mouth and nose. The sadness and desperation in his eyes broke my heart. All of sudden the heart monitor went off with a loud buzzing sound. A nurse jumped out of nowhere “Code Blue”, in matter of seconds 4 nurses and a doctor surrounded my father, my mom and I mindset was at a shock, like were able to see what was happening but couldn’t do anything our body was some glued to the floor. The doctors and nurses tired to help my father but it was too late,

Clinical day started slow, I was a bit anxious about waking my patient up that morning but I knew I had to go in. I woke him slowly and took his vitals and proceeded with my assessment. As I assessed my patient, his wife came in to his room and I introduced myself. During the morning I found out that my patient was being discharged. Before discharge, my patient was going to be fitted for a LifeVest.

The stench of death hit my nostrils as I opened the door to go inside, which is why I always hated going to the hospital. We waited the fifteen minute queue, until I heard my name from a nurse. I followed the nurse into a small, beige room. I sat down on the examining table, as my doctor walked in. I told him my symptoms, and he did a quick check up. His cold fingers pressed against my lower back. “Breathe in and out.” He said. I did as told. “Slower.” he exclaimed. At that moment, while I was slowly breathing in and out, I could hear a small click every time I inhaled. The doctor looked up and said, “Ahhh, you seem to have pneumonia.” He explained to my mom and I what that meant because we were clueless. After he finished, he told us that if I waited any longer to go to the hospital, he wouldn’t be speaking to me, which opened my mom’s eyes finally. He told me that I couldn’t go to school for at least another two weeks, gave me a school note and my prescription. We left the hospital. My mom dropped me off, and went to pick up the medication. As I lay in bed, I remember thinking about everything that has happened to me in the past two days, and what the doctor told me. Those thoughts were interrupted by the opening of my bedroom door as my mom walked in. She handed me the medication. I swallowed the pills, and fell asleep. The next morning my mom walks in with a stack of papers. She said, “It’s alright if you’re not able to attend class,

On my first day on the ward it was decided that I should shadow one of the staff nurses to acustomise myself with the ward. During this induction we had to assist an elderly gentleman with sever diarrhoea the gentleman in question was quit large and almost completely immobile. On inspection of the

It was my first time in the second floor OR and I was placed there alone. I went to found Ronny and told him that it is my first time in the OR. He told me that when I go into the OR I must always have a surgical bouffant on. We went to a room in the OR where he gave me a walkie-talkie, this always the front desk to contact me when there is a patient pick-up. He said that it must be on channel one at all times and that the volume should not be loud enough to disturb other that I can hear loud and clear. As I understood him a nurse for help called him for something. As I was waiting for a patient pick-up Ronnie was walking out of the OR telling me that he will be back as soon as possible. As soon as he left there was a call for a patient pick-up.

She introduces herself as Dr. Vanessa and just when I think that I'm in heaven a young Asian girl in her early twenties she has a face of innocence. The girl was about 5 and a half feet tall wear tight pink scrubs and she had her hair gathered up into a ponytail. Dr. Vanessa kindly explained that she has taken a young medical student under her wing, then she asks if her intern may stay to observe and practice. In the back of my mind I have the vilest thoughts but a gather my composure and give her permission. Dr Vanessa steps out to allow her intern to take my vitals. I awkwardly begin to strike up a conversation while she is taking my vitals I learn that her name is bekka and she has been in med schools for one year. I figure that I have nothing to lose so I tell her a crude joke and to ,y surprise she loses her composure and abruptly laughs but, before I can react she returns to her serious persona. Bekka opens the drawer and removes a thermometer and some KY jelly. nearly smilling she asks me"have you ever had ur temperature taken rectally." I have a face of pure shock point at my genitals and she responds with a nod. The next thing I hear bekkha snapping one a

My educational fear in the past was during my first week off ICU orientation, I was assigned an admission from the ER of a post cardiac arrest middle aged patient who was placed on a therapeutic hypothermia. I verbalized to the Charge Nurse of being hesitant to accept the admission since I’m fresh off orientation. She told me “this would be a good experience for you”. I want to keep good positive impression to my colleague being a new nurse of my new unit and took on the mission to accept the assignment. After receiving a report, the unconscious patient arrived on our unit on a ventilator with hypothermic jacket and with multiple drips. My heart started to pound and said to myself “what am I getting into, transferring here in ICU is a mistake, and I just want to cry”. While being shaky, I took good long deep breaths. After the patient was situated the on the bed, I carried on the task according to the doctors’ orders and the protocols. I stayed in communication with my charge nurse for assistance, questions and moral support. I succeeded the patient care uneventfully on a 12 gruesome hours by working and collaborating with the charge nurse, the senior RNs as a

I awoke with the sound of beeps in the distance. My eyes fluttered, eyelashes blocking my small spot of a view. In the corner, I could see my mom, her head in her hands, shaking slowly from tears. I gradually moved my head to the left. The room was bright, with white floors and bleached walls. There were multiple carts full of medical supplies right next to me. While scanning the room, I could hear my mother gasp and run out of the door. Moments later, a tall lanky guy walked into in the room. He was wearing scrubs with little stars and a light blue stethoscope was dangling from

I’ll never forget how frightened and scared I was the day we left Nauvoo. We left our beautiful home and all of our possessions behind as we began our trek West to the Rocky Mountains. We didn’t want to leave but the persecution had become so bad from the people who hated our religion that we had no choice. They burned down our temple and stole our livestock and reports of members of our church being assaulted or killed were becoming more and more frequent. After my father’s business had been broken into and his printing presses destroyed, we had no other option but to leave. So we sold all the possessions that we could and bought a team of oxen. We loaded everything into the wagon, and started a journey that would last over a thousand miles

I had been instructed to introduce myself to the patients, so I started with the first room and began to work my way down the long and dimly lit hallway. Popping my head into each room, I quickly muttered my name and half of a greeting before rushing over to the next one. Many of the patients in the unit didn’t acknowledge me, and for that, I was grateful. It wasn’t until I had gotten to the last room, in fact, that I was even met with a

When I went in and sat down, I waited for Dr. Stanpole to call me. As I looked around to try and distract myself. Immediately I heard the footsteps of the nurses running past me like a horse in a race. I was confused, then got up from the bench and tapped one of the nurses passing by and queried "What's going on and why is everyone in such a hurry?". She passed me like if I wasn't even there so meanwhile I decided to wait here until I saw Dr. Stanpole coming. I asked him while hesitating, "What's going on, but mainly how's

The smell of fresh herbs filled the air around her as the sun shone down on her back, a sense of tranquility fell upon her in the lush, backyard garden. A soft tune could be heard from inside the house where the radio played. Tante Lou hummed along to the music while she snipped off sprigs of parsley to use in the meal she is preparing for her nephew, Grant, and his guest. Today was a special day. It’s the first time Tante Lou is meeting her nephew’s girlfriend, Vivian, and she wants to make a wonderful dinner for them all to enjoy while getting to know each other.

I was sure that it was homicide. The demeanor in her eyes, the way her corpse was contorted against the pristine hospital sheets…but the police wouldn’t take my case. It was that damned tequila bottle; they said it closed her airways. You’re lucky forensics even bothered. That was just an excuse. I knew the truth. It’s because I was advised to see a shrink, and the woman said it was schizophrenia.

"You understand your orders, Sergeant?" Lieutenant Vorne asked. He was an exceptional commander, though he'd been talking about retirement more and more lately. The man was getting up there in years. He'd finally given up on his thinning hairline last year and shaved his head; the hair never grew back.

17-year-old Greg suffers from leukemia, and is a patient at Appalachian Academic Medical Center (AAMC). He is refusing to give consent to have his blood drawn for a blood culture. The resident thinks he may be septic. Nurse Amanda Needle is an experienced Intravenous (IV) therapist that is well liked among the patients. She attempts to draw Greg’s blood during a time when his health status is poor. His color is jaundiced; face is gaunt; skin is sweaty; and breathing is labored. Nurse Amanda has taken care of Greg for the last four years so they are very familiar with one another. After a few attempts of assuring him how fast and accurate she will be to get the procedure over quickly, Greg continues to decline consent. Nurse Amanda surrenders