Today was my first shift at the hospital as a CCE. I was supposed to start on Monday, but I got sick with congestion and wasn't well enough to go in on Monday. My first shift was exciting. I am up in the Medical Pulmonary floor which means the patients are there if they have a respiratory related issue. I didn't get to do too much with the patients, mostly because a majority of the patients were isolation patiens and CCEs are not allowed to go into an isolation room. The four hours went by rather quickly except for the final hour due to slight dehydration and fatigue.
I was able to discharge a couple of patients, which I was glad to do. Since patients don't choose to be in the hospital, they are pretty happy when they get word they get to leave the hospital. I would say the most rewarding experience I had today was with a confused patient. I was paired with a CNA and we were changing her. She was nervous about it so my job was to hold her hand throughout the task. That woman had a strong grasp. I found this particularly ordinary task to be the most rewarding because even though it was simple, my holding her hand helped to make her less nervous. Since this was my first interaction with a bed-ridden patient, I was nervous and started to feel like I was going to faint or have a panic attack. All it took for me to get out of my head was one look at the patient and reminding myself over and over again "You are here for her."
Next week I will be working two shifts during the week. By the end of the next two weeks, I hope to become more comfortable with the floor, have more patient interactions, and start showing my assertive side.
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