#IRON WK 9-10, medical ward , palliative care in Aus @ 鳳梨芒果都不行

I'm glad that it's the 4th weeks now, 2more weeks to go. I can tell that I'm "this" close to my achievement now.

This week, I'm allocated to a medical ward where I can find nursing in myself.

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For medical ward here, the ratio of the nurse to patient is 1 to 5-7, depending on the discharge again. However, the flow rate is relatively low comparing to the surgical ward.

In regard to the palliative care here, it is a very different experience for me. It was my first time to understand and feel "dignity".

For some who are not for resuscitation, medical staff does the minimum invasive treatment and provide as maximum comfort as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu6TY5aWzqo&t=1s

I was able to hold a hand of my patient in the last few hours of her life. I monitored her pulse manually and tried to experience the death.

She was weak, but still aware. She closed her eyes and breathed normally. In the beginning of the shift, She was able to nod her head or replied with a few words.

One hour later, the scene doesn't change, she was still there.

Soon and later, she started distressed in breathing, seemed like the pain just came to her unexpectedly. Morphine, Atropine, Morphine, Atropine, couple of doses given later, the unpleasant sensation seemed to be settled.

My senior nurse and I still hold her hand, my senior told her about her children before they arrived, at the mean time, we also checked if she is comfortable.

About 1 hour later, the daughter came, then following some other next of keens arrived. We gave them time and space to spend with till the last second.

It was the longest moment for them I suppose, she breathed slowly, her heart beat hard for another 4 hours.

I was not sure what happened and how her story finished in the end, but I believe she left peacefully with minimum pain.

The differences between the countries are I feel like we are treating ourselves when facing the death by the end stage of patient's life. In Tw, we monitor the vital signs more frequent when we saw the patients are deteriorating. As a perspective from medical staff, we believe we are doing a job, whereas a view of the family, they suppose they don't give up the last "hope" for the patient.

Overall, it's all about the difference of culture. There is nothing absolutely right and wrong.

But this experience really impresses me, I am glad that I am able to participate a part of this process and see another side of the world.

Always appreciate to those who I don't know, but taught me important things through their life.

I enjoy nursing because it's all about giving and receiving.

To be continued.......