Page 12 of Love Medley
It’s just more proof that I don’t measure up.
I remind myself that I made the right choice to become a nurse, but I still feel like I failed—because it wasn’t the choice my father wanted. And somehow, that matters more than it should.
Damn. Okay, I have a long shift ahead of me, and I need to get it together. Whatever I’m feeling on the inside, I’ve learned not to show it. I paste on a confident smile and head back to the nurses’ station.
After getting sign-out from Denise, I bury myself in work, managing multiple patients requiring blood draws, IV placement, and medications. While I'm finishing up some charting, I hear someone call, “Jake, come here for a sec.”
It’s Alicia Cummings, the charge nurse, standing next to a gangly kid in blue scrubs who doesn’t look a day over twenty. “This is Thomas Kane,” she says, gesturing at him. “He’s a PCT in the ER who’s interested in becoming a nurse, and I was hoping he could shadow you today.”
Patient care technicians, like Thomas, are very helpful to have in the ER—they take vitals and help out with patient care.
“Sure.” I’m startled that Alicia chose me of all people to guide him—I’ve only been at this job for five months. But I turn towards him, smiling, and shake his hand. While Thomas has a shy, toothy grin, he unexpectedly has a firm grip; I bet he’s going to do just fine.
Fortunately, the ER is packed today, so it’s the perfect time to shadow—there should be plenty to see. I did this myself, back when I was still figuring out whether I really wanted to be a nurse versus me just wanting to stick it to my dad. But as soon as that first shift started—the energy, the unpredictability, the way nurses eased the patients’ fear and pain—it hooked me.
I hope Thomas willfeel that too.
Alicia nods. “Great. Room 3 is on the chest pain protocol. He needs labs drawn and an IV placed with a saline lock—can you do that?”
“I’m assuming that the doc already looked at the EKG? Let me grab stuff from the Pyxis. Are the orders in?”
Alicia shrugs at my questions and vanishes into another room.
“You guys get medications from the Pyxis, right?” Thomas asks as we walk over to the massive light grey machine sitting in the corner.
“Yeah, you have to badge in every time, and you have to have a doctor’s order to take out any medications. But orders are hit or miss in July.”
Thomas raises his eyebrows. “What’s so significant about July?”
I grin. “The interns are brand new and don’t know what they’re doing yet.”
Thomas laughs. “Oh, that’s why so many people in white coats are walking around with confused looks on their faces.”
“Yup.”
But I’m surprised to see that the orders are already in the system, placed by someone named Lucy Chang.
“Well, I stand corrected.” I point to the screen. “This is a med student order. And look, she’s already bugged her attending to sign the order for her—that’s the doc that oversees everything she does. Five stars for this one.”
After I grab the IV supplies out of the Pyxis, I motion to Thomas to grab one of the metal stands with attached trays sitting in the hallway. Together, we head to the patient’s room.
After knocking on the glass to herald our presence, I slide the door open and enter the room.
“Hi, there.” I smile at the slightly overweight man named Frank sitting on the bed in the exam room. I’m guessing the middle-aged woman sitting on the chair next to him is his wife. “I’m Jake, one of the nurses, and this is Thomas, one of the patient care techs. He’s helping me out today.”
“Hi,” Frank says to us, looking sheepish. “I feel really ridiculous getting everyone so worked up about me. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Chest pain is nothing to scoff at,” I say as I wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water. “You did the right thing coming in.”
“That’s what I said, Frank!” the woman to his right exclaims, whacking him not so gently on his arm. “You always downplay your symptoms and wait until the pain is so bad you can’t hide it from me anymore!”
Frank laughs. “I know. I’m a horrible patient.”
My grin widens. It’s obvious they have great affection for each other. “I’m sure you’ve had your blood drawn before, but I’ll walk you through this. The doctor wants me to put in an IV and draw some labs. Your blood pressure is fine, so we don’t need to start fluids on you, but we can also use the IV for giving CT contrast or medicine.”
“Okay.”
As I snap on a pair of nitrile blue gloves, lay out the contents of the IV kit on the metal tray, and label the glass tubes for the labs, Thomas washes his hands.
