So today was my second day at the surgery. I went out with a district nurse today, shadowing her as she went out to see patients who can't get to the surgery themselves.
I wasn't expecting every patient we saw today to be elderly, but that was the case. I asked her about it and she told me that almost everyone she sees is elderly, most obviously because they have limited mobility as a result of their age which, I suppose, seems obvious when I think about it. Though she did say that she saw one young woman once who had had a Cesarean section, but the elderly in general have much more long-term problems that they need help with regularly.
Just as yesterday, the nurse was wonderful with the patients. She always knew exactly what they would like to talk about, and even if they want to talk or not. It seemed completely instinctive to her and I could tell that the patients had a lot of respect for her. I would most definitely like to have this sort of bedside manner as a doctor; it's so important to make the patients feel comfortable around you when you're having to be intimate with them, and to get information out of them when necessary too. People are much more likely to open up when they feel comfortable.
It was lovely seeing all the patients today and having a chat with them too; most are living alone and really look forward to the nurse coming. It adds some excitement to their day and it was a privilege to be a part of this, most were really interested in what I was doing and my ambitions.
Tomorrow I'm going to be in the childhood immunisation clinic which, again, I'm really looking forward to! I have been informed though that it often gets very loud with lots of screaming babies so I'm hoping it's not too bad tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment