MedEx Day 13

As cancer is a field I am immensely interested in, I was very excited that my last clinical would be at the Cancer Institute on Grove Road. However, this was the first time that many of the healthcare workers didn't seem to know I was coming. However, it worked out wonderfully as I found the nursing station in the offices that patients come in to have their appointments. Originally, I was going to have to shadow the secretary nurses, but I realized another nurse, funnily enough named Kate, was leaving to take vitals for the patients and transport them to their rooms. I knew in order to get the most out of the experience, I needed to put myself out there. So, I decided to leave and shadow her, and eventually I was able to shadow her for the rest of the day. All of the oncology patients were the nicest of people, and it was heartbreaking to see what they were going through. Nurse Kate mentioned that what she was doing was filling in for a medical assistant, and I started to think that I may actually enjoy working as one, if possible, for clinical experience! It was wonderful to bring a smile to some of the patients even as they were awaiting test results that could determine their future. As someone with a parent who gets anxiety at doctor visits before cancer news is shared, and his blood pressure shoots up, I saw similar symptoms with the oncology patients, and suddenly I saw my dad in each one of them. I truly wanted to talk to them longer and learn more about them. I tried to shadow a nurse practitioner or a physician, but understandably enough, they weren't comfortable with me doing so as they would be sharing potentially heartbreaking news with the patient, and it would likely be more difficult for them with a stranger in the room. I was reflecting on my past experiences with oncology patients during this one as well as I have had three in total, and I realized where I felt most comfortable and what I was most passionate about dealt with oncology patients. I definitely feel as though I'm meant to do something cancer related, but I am not completely sure what yet. I was also told by Nurse Kate that I was an excellent shadowing student, and that I asked great questions. It made me feel as though I was doing something right in trying to get the most out of the experience. In this facility, I also noticed that the nurses were treated much better by the physicians, and they actually acknowledged and talked to them. I realized that if I became a doctor, this is the one I would want to be as I still have so much respect for nurses and the necessary work they do. In retrospect, I realized that the doctors do seemingly more charting than they do seeing the patients. I don't personally mind this aspect, but the fact that nurses have to spend that time aiding patients with anything they might need made me understand the exhaustive nature of working in nursing. It truly takes a special kind of person. At this office, I also learned that cancer patients typically have a certain arm that the nurse takes blood pressure on as the removal of lymph nodes effects the arm to where pressure could injure it. I did not know that this was a question every cancer patient was asked! Overall, I was deeply inspired working with cancer patients at this office, and it made me even more passionate about working with this group of patients.