A Day in the life of a Filipino Nurse in Germany

I wake up. It's 5:30.

I get dressed and prepare to walk my normal 15-minute walk to the hospital.

I arrive around 5:45, get into the locker room, change into the hospital's blue scrub shirt and white pants, put on my shoes, and go up using the elevators to my station.

I place my bag on our cabinet, and take 1 paper with the list of all our patients' names, diagnosis, food cost, and special infos.

I grab a cup of coffee, and sit down on one of our spinnable chairs, and prepare for the endorsement.

''Do you know patient A ?'' my colleague asks me. 

'Yes, I had pm shift yesterday'

''Well, there's nothing new with him, he has to have an MRT today, his Drainage is still to be hanged 10cm üNWH, Bloodtests are prepared, you can give him 1 L of additional infusion today,  he still has his antibiotics, he had fever but we are supposed to wait till it goes down by itself. it can be something central, the doctor said.''

''how about patient B?''

''No, she's new. I dont know her yet. ''

''Patient B is an 89 yo man who fell down the stairs yesterday in his house. he has a history of  heart disease that's why he was taking Marcumar, an anticoagulant. He also has renal failure, beginning alzheimers, has no immediate relatives, lives alone, a careworker drops by him once a day,

because of the fall, he now has subdural hematomas on both sides of the brain and last night, we did a bedside trepanation that discharged 50 ml of old blood., he is awake and responsive, but he is only oriented to person, vital signs are stable, CT scan is scheduled for 10 am.''

and it goes on until I receive all my planned endorsements,

when the night shift goes,

I begin my round.

Take the temperature, control the pupils, check the monitor alarms, check the orientation of the patients ( important in the nuerosurgical dept), give oxygen if needed, suction tracheal canulas if needed, check blood sugars, hang the first NGT systems, do the first reposittioning of patients, order tranports to CT/ ORs / MRTs, write 1st documentation, prepare for the doctor's visits.

8.30- carry out doctors orders, and give the patients their breakfast if they cannot eat alone.

9:00-9:30 have our breakfast / breaktime in the nurses' room

9:30- wash the patients, reposition, give medications, send patients for examinations, prepare blood tests, assist doctor in lumbar puncture, or head trepanation

12- do the last round, temperature, pupils, vital signs, suctions, documentation, last repositioning, give i.v. antobiotics

1:00- empty drainages, Catheters for balancing, write vital signs on monitoring sheet

2:00 endorsement to pm shift.

then I get to go down to the lockers again, change, and walk my 15 minute walk back home :)

sounds simple, but you have to do this to all patients. on a normal shift, I get 6-8 intensive cases patients, or 16 normal and mobile patients.