“Did you save any lives this week?” my parents often ask. Well, not directly. It's unlikely any one thing I do directly saves someone's life definitively. The seniors might, by spotting a pattern in a critically unwell patient and acting promptly. The nurses might, by actually giving the treatments and – well, good nursing care goes a long, long way.

Did I save any lives this week? Not directly. Not dramatically. But I did put in the lines to allow for lifesaving renal replacement and vasopressors, I guess. I did keep things safe as much as I could (prescribing, handovers, making sure there were good senior plans for important things). And if that sounds like working on a regular medical ward, then yes, it is! The stakes tend to be a little higher (if you don't fix the problem, that's it – you can't escalate to anyone else. (Transfers don't count)

It's changeover week, and I leave having learned so much, done quite a lot, and received overwhelming kindness from unexpected corners.

#ICU #reflections

#ICU