One week down!

I am officially a week into my first rotation!

It got much more intense than that first day very quickly, and I discovered a) how to successfully forget every important thing we were taught in class and b) that 800 bed hospitals are very, very confusing to navigate. At this point I can fumble my way around the three towers to get back to the pharmacy, and maybe up to the cafeteria if I'm lucky.

On my first official day, I got to go on a STEMI code - a basic heart attack. I followed the pharmacist to the ER, and was allowed to help calculate doses for some of the medications. We then followed the patient to the cath lab (where they stick a wire through the femoral artery, snake it up to the heart, and inject flourescent dye to find the block). Here the pharmacist decided to quiz me on drugs that were given to the patient before we'd gotten there.

I froze. Something about aspirin? And morphine? Isn't there an acronym for this? I went into semi-panic mode - oh god, I don't know anything, I'm going to become one of those pharmacists known as Angels of Death, I'm never going to graduate or get a residency.

Luckily the pharmacist remembered being a student and, probably recognizing the look of horror on my face, laughed and supplied the acronym. I was able to fumble partially through at that point.

I can safely say I've never felt more stupid.

The rest of the week went much better, so I think the rest of the rotation will be fine. If occasionally terrifying. I had a great day in the IV hood, and another following the pediatric clinical pharmacist.

I'm also really grateful I'm not one of the students that had a much more clinical rotation as the first one. I can't imagine the anxiety I'd be having if that were the case.