This week I'm on the afternoon shift.
The benefit of starting at one in the afternoon – I get to sleep in.
Gotta love that. Now, who will I be looking after today?
Ah, she's great. Such a good sense of humour.
Good morning, Shannon. Hi, Connie.
Have you got my rooms today? I do. How's your night been?
Really good. You have a good shift. Oh good.
Did you want handover of Mrs Smith? Ah, please.
Time for handover so I know how patients have been doing earlier. Do you know her at all?
No, I haven't actually ...
Hey, excuse me, Cheryl.
Sorry ... just two seconds. OK. Thank you. Bye. Can I
just ask you a couple of questions ... Sure you can.
... about my patient? Yep, no problem. Uhuh.
Mrs Smith – what's the plan ... For extra information, I go to the coordinator.
Mrs Smith's going to go for a CT scan first and then she actually needs a nurse
escort as well so if you could go down with her, that'd be great ... Sure.
... because of her trachy and just make sure you remember to
take your trachy gear and all that sort of stuff. Yep. Uhuh.
If I'm not sure about a condition, I can ask a
staff development nurse. Good morning, Leonie.
Hi, Connie. How are you going?
I'm good, thank you. I'm a bit stuck. Can I ... Yes, sure.
... pick your brain for a moment? Mrs Smith, you know, she's the subarach lady.
And she's got the trachy in size 8, she's going for a CT scan.
What do I need to bring with me and what ...
Where's she going? Down Shens. No, just a scan downstairs.
Yes, just make sure you've got some tracheal dilators and also a spare trachy just in case it comes
out, you’ll need to put another one in, so usually you go for one the same size and one smaller.
And just make sure the orderlies come with some suction and oxygen equipment.
I hope Mr Garrett is feeling a bit better today.
Good morning, Paul.
Hi, sister. How are you feeling today?
Still got pain in my leg, you know. Still got pain in your leg?
The ... are you having analgesia for that?
Yeah, a bit of painkiller. And is it working?
Not really that well. No? No.
Oh, we'll have to get the doctors on to that. Yeah, OK. Thank you.
It's in my nature to be friendly and it's important because it
builds rapport between myself and the patients under my care.
Beautiful. 110 over 40. Yeah. OK.
Observations form a large part of my day. The ability to
assess while communicating is an important skill to have.
It not only makes the job more enjoyable, it also helps me pick
up changes in a patient's strength, attitude and medical status.
That's good. Nice and strong.
I work in conjunction with enrolled nurses. There's
really not a lot of difference between us.
RNs go to uni and do heaps of theory, whereas ENs attend TAFE and do more hands-on work.
In the workday, our tasks are very similar. However,
only registered nurses can give IV medications.
There are procedures and protocols that I must follow when preparing some IV medications.
They must be reconstituted appropriately as stated by their guidelines.
Identification stickers are then put on the bag and countersigned and
counterchecked so that all information is backed up and accurate.
This is for Mrs Smith. Yep.
New order.
Not too dementin
There you go. Thank you for that.
There you are, Connie. That's the oxycodeine for Mrs McEnroe. It's two-hourly period
Wonderful. Thank you for that. No worries.
Mrs Jennifer Gibson – she’s had some codeine phosphate at 6.30 this morning ...
DD drugs or drugs of dependence have their own procedure.
Whenever I and another nurse remove any from storage, I must
write the quantity in the DD book to keep a record of their use.
30 to 60 last came in about 6.30 OK, is this your pen? Yeah, thanks.
Tablets? Yeah, got it.
OK, we must go up to see ...
Some of the equipment I use includes the bladder scanner.
I monitor test results of patients and then follow instructions the
doctor has given. Now, what has the doctor prescribed for Mrs Fuller?
Flucloxacillin, two grams IV QRD for 48 hours.
I interact with many professionals in a wide variety of fields here at Royal Perth.
I'm just wondering about Mr James Whyte actually. His ...
He can do an independent sit-to-stand transfer. He's non-weight bearing on his left leg.
Have you got an bladder scan? Yes, there’s 800 ml in there.
OK. Why don't you put an indwelling catheter in for me?
At the moment, she's coping really nicely on puree and level 1
thickened fluids so sort of about the consistency ...
To become an RN, I did a bachelor degree in nursing. I was attracted to nursing for a
number of reasons. I knew I could travel with my job throughout Australia and overseas.
There are also heaps of career paths to follow
and I can advance my career with further study.
I love the personal side of my job the most – the great staff I become friends with and have
fun with, also the various patients I get to know and care for, if only for a short while.
I'm here. You'll be going home in a couple of days.
Bonus. Been waiting ... How awesome is that?
I’ve got to say it’s good. Been waiting for a while. It’s about time. It is.
Couple of weeks in here’s long enough. Are you going back to Marble Bar?
Sometimes it can get a bit sad. We build a rapport
as I go through the stages of recovery with them.
Thanks, Connie. Thanks for looking after me. Pleasure.
It’s really satisfying to see them back on their feet and heading home
to their families. That’s the part of my job that I find most rewarding.