Tod Minor Emergency Journal

Running Head: TOD MINOR EMERGENCY JOURNAL Tod Minor Emergency Journal Kimberly Muccio Youngstown State University Tod Minor Emergency Center is a Mercy Health institution in Warren, Ohio. The people who come to this emergency room range from people with simple fixes like nausea and vomiting to people with severe injuries bone breaks and fractures. During my day at Tod Minor Emergency, I shadowed one of the two nurses on duty that day. The patients would check in at registration and then their name and chief complaint would come up on the computer screen in the nurse’s office. The nurses would alternate every other patient. First, I would call the patient into the back and check their weight and write it on their paper. We would take them to the one of the four rooms and I would get their vitals while Jen asked them questions regarding their current health state, their drug use, and their mental state. Jen would tell the patient’s that the doctor would be right with them and we would go give the doctor a brief synopsis about the patient. When the doctor looked at the patient and prescribed them medications, the nurse and I would go back into the patient’s room and give them a paper prescription while explaining each and every medication and what it was prescribed for. The purpose of the paper prescription is so that the patient could take the prescription to their pharmacy of choice. After that, the patient would sign a paper saying that the nurse went over all of the medications and the patient would be discharged. This was a really good experience for me because I got to give 3 IM injections and I got to witness hemorrhoids, rashes, and a variety of other problems that were presented at the minor emergency clinic. It was also very helpful to practice vitals over and over again. Throughout the six hours I was there, we probably saw 20 patients so it was a very eventful day. This community setting was, without a doubt, for all levels of health care delivery. The nurses at Tod Minor Emergency had to be ready for any health problem that walked in the door.

Running Head: TOD MINOR EMERGENCY JOURNAL Whether it be a headache or a broken bone, the nurses have to know how to treat every situation and also prioritize the complaint by severity. Also, it is important to note that this emergency room could not function without all of the members of the team. When the patient walks into the door, they are greeted by the registration team. Then from the registration team they are greeted by the nurse who walks them to the room. From the nurse, their specimens can be looked at by the lab team. The patient is then looked at by the doctor and discharged by the nurse. Without every piece to this puzzle, the emergency room would not run smoothly. I think this is also an example of all levels of health care working together to meet a common goal. In the community setting, there is a very wide variety of patients. The nurses at Tod Minor Emergency did a tremendous job not being judgmental and treating every injury or health concern with the patient’s best interest at mind. I really enjoyed this clinical and I am glad that all of my clinicals have been filled with amazing learning experiences.