Day 1

My first day wasn't nearly as draining as I anticipated. Perhaps that's because I didn't go to my first two classes on Tuesday, though I was still running around all day. I drank a grande frappuchino from Starbucks with an extra shot of espresso before going to the hospital.

I arrived 20 minutes early just to leave myself time to find my way and introduce myself to the right people. The head nurse, or at least the woman who I think is the head nurse, showed me around the place and showed me the supply room and whatever. As we were walking, a woman came in crying profusely saying, "Please don't tell me no bad news, is he alive?" She was talking about her baby (I don't know how old). Heather, the nurse who I was walking with, told me that that was the second baby death in three days. She told me that she felt like crying.

It was at this point that I realized no matter how much a person sees pain and death, he still feels it. I thought that people who worked in hospitals might have made it into such a science that they were desensitized to the passing of life. I guess that's only true for looking at blood and lacerations. I also realized at that time that I had no idea what to say to her in response.

Not long afterwards I learned how to transport patients on gurneys. I took them to and from CT scans and x-rays. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to steer the gurney well and bump patients into walls, or that I would be too slow, or that I'd forget to put the brake on and the patient would roll away.

I made it a point to learn the names of the patients I was transporting. I remember seeing in shows and movies that doctors and hospital staff are too impersonal with patients and I don't want to be that way at all.

I spoke to one patient, Michelle, while she waited for the x-ray technician to attend to her. She was there for a lot of pain following a surgery. It had been weeks since her surgery and she was still in excrutiating pain. I told her that it was my first day volunteering at the hospital, and she said, "It must be nerve-wrecking." This surprised me for two reasons. One, despite her pain she thought to speculate what my mental state might be, and two, if I was in her position and the person responsible for transporting me said that she had never done it before, I would be terrified but it seemed to be the last of her concerns.

I went back and forth from x-ray frequently and the technician there was very pleased with me; she said I was a huge help and she thanked me. It was nice to receive some positive feedback on my first day.

For awhile I had some down time where I really had nothing to do. I think I need to work on finding ways to be productive on my own.

I got the opportunity to help a physician put a splint on a broken shin. The patient was in a car accident and his leg broke. He had to go to the OR to have it surgically corrected anyway, so the splint was a temporary but necessary arrangement. My job was to hold the leg still while Dr. Patel wrapped it up. I was surprised when his foot fell a little bit as I tried raising it - his shin really was totally broken. I was also a little surprised at how heavy legs can get after awhile. Thankfully I didn't get grossed out by looking at his wounds or at the blood washing away. Dr. Patel was also sure to tell me that I was doing a really good job and thanked me for my help.

I had a really good experience. I'm so glad that the UCDMC is a teaching hospital so I can ask questions shamelessly without worrying about being a pest. Everyone there was so pleasant and helpful and patient with me. I'm really looking forward to spending more time there.