THE FIRST DAY

Aishwarya Babu’s Medical Log: Day 1 - The Emergency Room

Today is Monday, June 24, 2024. It is my first day at Revathi Medical Center in Tamilnadu, India.

The first thing I did today was talk to the owner of the hospital, Dr. Eswaramurthi. We made a 12-day plan for what I’d do during my stay at Revathi. He asked me about my education and my plans for the future, especially regarding the medical field. I told him that I wanted to become a doctor and go to a university to study medicine. Since I’m a sophomore in high school, Dr. Eswaramurthi suggested that our plan cover the basics of each department in the hospital.

After my discussion with Dr. Eswaramurthi, I went to the Human Resources (HR) Department to get my ID. There, I met Mr. Michael who introduced me to the work done in the HR department. In HR, they find, hire, train, and support new interns and employees. There are only two other people who work with him in the HR department, Mr. Bubathi and Ms. Lakshmi. They handle the IT logistics and overall technological aspects of the hospital.

Today, I will be in the emergency room (ER). The ER is in the very front of the hospital, the first thing you see when you walk. Ms. Lakshmi dropped me off and introduced me to the staff. The Head of the ER is Mrs. Chithra. I will be at the ER today and tomorrow. My task at the ER is to observe how they operate and how the patients are while in the ER.

Perhaps an hour into my observations, a patient was wheeled in from an ambulance. He is foaming at the mouth, and his upper body is completely drenched in blood. They are doing their best to pump air into him since his airways seem to be closed.

The patient’s boss came into the emergency room to debrief the doctor on what exactly happened. The patient was called to fix something at a person’s house. While he was working, he slipped and fell backward. It was from a height of 10 meters, so around 32 feet. He was rushed to the hospital within ten minutes, but his condition was worsening fast.

The patient seems to have injured his head, neck, and upper torso area. His heart rate quickly picked up but returned to stability within a few minutes. Their main goal right now is to stabilize his heart rate and his breathing, then they will tend to major injuries.

They have ordered the patient a CT scan to see his internal bleeding and to check for bone fractures. His imaging was sent back with a few fractures in his skull and heavy internal bleeding. While he is still breathing, they are still discussing the possibility of death.

After reviewing his CT imaging, he was sent to be prepared for surgery. In preparing the patient for surgery, they dressed him in hospital gowns and shaved his head. They also prepared a bed for him to be sent into surgery since he cannot be sent off without a bed.

While this patient was getting his CT scan, another patient came in. She was a younger woman accompanied by her husband. The patient was unable to walk on her own and was coughing uncontrollably. She was extremely fatigued and unable to speak either. Her husband spoke for her instead, sharing that she had heavy head pain and a constant gag reflex. A bowl was held out for the patient, who continued to gag without restraint, yet she was unable to vomit. The female patient was eventually sent up to the fourth-floor wards to be attended to for a few days.

My first day comes to an end with the first patient finally being sent to surgery and the second patient heading upstairs via elevator to her ward and to be attended to by a specialized doctor.