Nothing wakes you up faster in the morning than a code.It was not my patient but I found myself there in the room...the monitor looked like V-Tach and the alarms were going off.I went quickly to the room asking who's patient she was. I looked at her and knew she was not breathing. My second responder (her nurse) entered the room and I told her to call the code...I flattened her bed and suddenly the room was full of people...the ambu bag was being tossed to the head of the bed, as I was putting it together the resp. therapist appeared and started bagging. I started the compressions, then came the AED pads and finally the backboard. I asked for a switch and the next person stepped in after the first shock...still no viable rhythm. More drugs ,more CPR, the ET tube was finally in and another shock and she was back...now, the entire room is completely full of people,student nurses are in the door way looking in with a look of shock,terror, and awe on their faces. You know they are thinking I hope that never happens to me. Well, me too but, it will. The patient was sent off to the ICU. Our patient population is getting older and sicker and the people who are in the ICU's are ones who would have been dead 10 years ago. So, the ones on the PCU's and Tele and SDU's are the ones who would have been in the ICU 10 years ago. And the patients on your med-surg floors would have been in the SDU or Tele floors and the ones who would have been on med surg are now in skilled nursing facilities or rehab centers and so on. It's scary to me, but it's reality. This is the second code I've been in since January when I got to this hospital. 2 codes in 2 months, those aren't good odds. I hope that pattern changes. I have decided to stay here in Arizona until June, well, actually, the hospital asked if I'd stay and I accepted. Yeah, it'll be pretty hot by then,but, the money is good and the overtime is avaliable. This hospital is changing over to computer charting just like Good Sam did, so, luckily I already have had the classes and worked with the system...am easy transition for me.
Our little house in Columbus is still on the market,but we have started the search here for another one. It's a buyers market so, we hope to profit from that.
Remember first, do no harm.
