—By Courtney Venable, Senior—
“Code blue – Jones 9,” echoed loudly over the speaker system in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) as I completed my 0700 charting. In excitement, I looked over at my preceptor as she smiled and said “You should go! Find Daniel. He is the nurse responsible for attending codes today!” I quickly made a lap around the unit and when I could not find Daniel, I began jogging to Jones 9 to make sure I didn’t miss the action.
Upon arriving, the Jones 9 staff directed me to the correct room where Daniel and ten to fifteen other healthcare individuals stood. As a result of pulmonary aspiration the patient was not breathing. Daniel searched to locate a pulse and quickly yelled “I have no pulse!” Knowing the patient was a full code, Daniel quickly began doing CPR – rotating with a male pharmacist after each set of compressions. In addition to doing CPR, multiple drugs were administered through the patient’s central line and his vitals were continuously monitored. When approximately 30 minutes had passed and the patient still remained unresponsive, the team began to ask if there were any further ideas or suggestions. At this time, I began to think about how long 30 minutes was to go without a pulse or a breath and it became more apparent that the chances of this patient surviving looked less and less likely with each minute that went by. In that very moment, a nurse yelled “I have a pulse!” I looked around the room at the expressions of others and I was able to see that everyone had the same chills as I – a life had been saved!
This past summer, I was presented with an amazing opportunity to work as a summer MAPP intern at Houston Methodist in the medical ICU. As a native Houstonian, I spent winter break looking for summer internships in my hometown when I came across the MAPP program. Not only was it paid and offering housing (a bonus for a college student) but it was a full-time job at the #1 ranked hospital in Texas. I jumped at the opportunity and after applying and completing two rounds of interviews, I received a FaceTime request with my two new mentors offering me the job!
Not only did my time at Houston Methodist solidify and expand the medical knowledge I have acquired these past four years in school, but it also gave me hands on experience working with very complex patients and practicing skills that classes and clinicals cannot quite give you. I spent time seeing an array of different procedures including bronchoscopies, intubation/extubation, lumbar punctures, a thoracentesis, bedside tracheostomies, MRI’s and the insertion of a femoral line, PICC line and tunneled catheter.
As part of the MAPP program, you’re additionally given the opportunity to shadow in two to three different departments of your choice. As a student interested in becoming a nurse practitioner, I chose to work under a family nurse practitioner in general medicine and a family nurse practitioner in outpatient oncology. This experience has taught me that nursing is not just a profession but a calling and that nothing is more humbling than to know that you have impacted a patient or family member in a very difficult and trying time. Each and every patient I have met thus far has taught me something new about nursing, life and myself. I can’t wait to get back to nursing school to finish what I started.