6 months of ICU done...
There's something rather satisfying about being one of the many sets of hands to stabilise someone really unwell on ICU.
“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.