Saturday, March 19, 2011

Connecting the dots

We started out on a Med-Surg floor this semester. In lecture the last few weeks we've been discussing the heart. It is a complex little pump. Learning the text book rationals is a different kind of learning then following a nurse around. I feel like I am able to connect the dot between learning in lecture and lab. Like reading about CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) due to aortic stenosis and seeing an actual patient with CHF. You learn from the textbook that the heart will back up fluid into lungs. When you meet an elderly man who has CHF and you try to listen for his weakened breath sounds puts it in perspective. You need to know the science behind the disorder. The signs and symptoms. The treatments and options. You also need to know that the person you met in the hospital is an individual. Maybe an individual who is a non-surgical candidate who has also chosen to be a DNR.

Connecting the dots brings the two worlds of knowledge and practical application together. Bringing it all into focus. Hope I don't lose perspective...

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