Week 7: Emergency Department Shadowing and Chest Compression Testing

This week flew by.  It started at 7:00 AM on Monday morning by testing several participants in the chest compression study. We have been bringing a mannequin down to the Emergency Department from the Simulation Center to make it easier on the participants, and every time we bring the mannequin through the halls, people think it is a dead person if we keep it covered. If we leave it  uncovered, people wonder why the person is so pale.  These mannequins aren't the kind you would have used in the past for CPR training. The one we use costs about $80,000 and has an array of capabilities. It is hooked up to a computer, and on command it can have a heart attack, get sick, make different sounds, change the size of its pupils, and many more features. They are normally used for training for the residents, doctors and hospital employees so they have practice before doing a procedure on a real person.  We are using this type of mannequin because it has an internal sensor that monitors chest compression depth, chest recoil, hand placement, and compression rate.

Anyways, our main goal for this week was to test as many Emergency Department nurses and EMTs as possible, so we have been coming in at various times to test as many people as possible. The earliest day was at 5:30 AM, but most days we went in around 7:00.  We have now tested 25 people, and we need at least 100. This coming tuesday we will be testing the residents, which will hopefully give us another 10 people, and we will be tracking down people who now work in other departments this coming week. We will also be testing the weekend crew tomorrow morning beginning at 4:30, but the med student I am working with is covering that shift since I am going to the beach for the day. Thank you Peter!

On Tuesday I had my first evening shift in the Emergency Department, and it seemed completely different than the morning.  On Tuesday mornings all of the residents are at Grand Rounds so the PAs cover their shifts, and Tuesday evening was busy.  I followed a resident who was just finishing her first year, and I saw many interesting patients.  I don't get grossed out by blood, but I have found that the self-inflicted traumas do bother me.  We saw 8 traumas from 6-11, and it was a busy night. I wish I could say more about the patients I saw, but because of patient confidentiality I can't. I am really enjoying the time I spend shadowing in the ED.