Friday was my last (official) day in the ICU. I was assigned to a 30-something year old patient who was s/p code (positive cath – clot was removed from her left main). She had many medical issues prior (none of them involved drug use, surprisingly), so her family had been through this type of scenario before. She was still intubated, on many vasoactive medications, shock liver, renal failure requiring SLED (a slow form of dialysis)…she was sick. So, I was definitely kept busy – but it reminded me of what I was going to be missing by leaving the inpatient bedside. I spent quite a bit of time with the patient’s mother, talking through what was going on and helping her sift through the mounds of information that she’s been getting from the 6 different doctors on her daughter’s case over the past few days. I like that. I like being able to create a bond with family members and help them through what could be one of the hardest times of their lives. It makes me feel like I’m making a difference.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’ll find things that I love about working the cath lab but it will be different. I’m looking forward to the new challenges that I’m sure to face and hoping for a smooth transition.
