Hospital Reflections

Being employed in the hospital as a volunteer and trainee, I have learned many things which the theories in school can't give. Even though the theory and actual practice have similarities, they are still two different environment.

I'm currently working at General Santos City Hospital which is a government owned institution. The hospital caters patients all around the region so we expect myriad of people being admitted daily. I'm presently assigned at the surgical ward and I have learned to love the area. Vehicular accidents and Orthopedic cases are usually prevalent in our area. In my first one month in the area, I have learned so many things beyond what nursing practice may give me. I have learned to reflect with life and appreciate every simple things that go along with our existence. I would like to share some of my reflections with you.

Love your parents more than any other people
Observing all the patients, their parents are there to be right on their side. No matter what will happen to us, the first persons that are always on the rescue are our parents. If we feel the pain, it is doubled to what our mother and father would feel. With these simple reasons, why not give them credits by showing them how much we love them in simple ways.

Be grateful your the one caring and not being cared
I have reflected this lesson in life when I was taking the vital signs of my patient. Her face is actually awful since she was suffering from the postoperative pain. I realized that I am still lucky not to experience what my patients experience - pain, pain, pain, and more pain! Just be thankful!

Be patiently patient with patients
Most of the time patients are restlessness and irritable. Well, we can not blame them with all that they have to pass through with the agonizing pain they have to receive. Let's just have to understand them and not to scold them whenever they try to be so short-tempered. As much as we can extend our patience to the highest limit, the better. We would be doing the same thing if we are on their shoes, right? What they need is love and care, we should give them those things.

Stay healthy through proper hygiene
In public hospitals, we can really expect people from the poverty line and hygiene is one big issue with them. As we all know, being clean is one way of staying healthy and preventing disease to take over us. The problem with these people is they live in unhygienic ways. Our responsibility is to help them learn things to be healthy with simple ways such as hand washing. We can't blame them for being ignorant but we can help them to become educated.

Don't drive when you drink
This quote has been overused but still people won't learn from it. I have seen different people in our ward with vehicular accident cases and most of them are obviously drunk. Would you like to have your own bloodbath plus large cuts and bruises all over your body? If that so, try driving when your drunk. Even though we try to be careful on streets, the problem also is with those who are drunk. We might get accidents even if we are careful on the road. So please, if I have to say this hundred times or even thousand of times. Please "DON'T DRIVE WHEN YOU DRINK!"

As for now, these are just some of my early reflections. Soon I'll have a thousand loads of things to share. Hope you'll learn some and unlearn some. Be safe!