What is a Med Tek doing in an O.R.?

Most would probably answer "STAT extraction". Perhaps a possible stat blood transfusion or maybe a stat blood exam such as cbc. But what if I told you that this Med Tek does not work in a lab? This Med tek works inside the operating room. To be exact, this Med Tek works in a cardiovascular operating room. If you were a Med Tek who is working inside an operating room, you would probably tell yourself "What the hell am I doing here?". And those were the exact words I told myself.

To be quite humble and honest, I do not know anything about the operating room. From the basic equipments and supplies to as simple as proper handwashing. I know how to wash my hands (DOH Recommended Proper Handwashing Technique) but it is a bit different from how they do it in the OR. The aseptic techniques I learned from microbiology are also different. In short, I have no idea on what's going on. But as I have been saying throughout my blog, the adaptability of a Med Tek just kicks in. This med tek skill is just handy. Before I go out of topic, I will answer the question at hand: "What is a Med Tek doing in an OR?"

The answer is simple. The Med Tek is working there as a clinical perfusionist. In other countries, there is a specific course, or a degree perhaps, that is offered to be able to become a clinical perfusionist. I have mentioned this job on my recent posts: Job Hunting and Transition. Here in the Philippines, medical technology graduates are trained to become perfusionists. It takes about 6 months of training and study to become certified (based on the training offered at the Philippine Heart Center). But according to seasoned perfusionists themselves, it takes more than a year or so before a heart surgeon and an anesthesiologist give their full confidence on a new perfusionist. Trainings are very extensive. You have to get familiar with all the medicine and drugs. You have to be knowledgeable on the anatomy and physiology of the heart. And as always, normal values for blood gases, blood chemistry, hematocrit, hemoglobin and blood pressure. There is a lot to memorize. And of course the heart-lung machine itself. You have to know how it works.

Coming from a laboratory background, everything is just overwhelming. Especially knowing that your intervention is very direct to the patient. When you release a urinalysis result, you won't worry on what meds or antibiotics you have to give the patient. During perfusion, you are in charge of the patient's meds, his/her heart and lungs function, his/her blood gases, in short, the patient's life.

I wouldn't know much since I'm kinda the new guy but I have to say that this new found job has bigger responsibilities. Let me rephrase that because I think that all Med Teks have big responsibilities. The responsibility is direct and the outcome is more instantaneous. I think that is better. A Med Tek in an OR might not be the same as a Med Tek in a laboratory. But it's still the same. Both has the responsibility as a health professional, both should be dedicated to the preservation of life and both are in service of health for patients. I maybe new to this job and may not be at my comfort zone as in the lab, but I would certainly show my new colleagues that a Med Tek in an OR is as good as a Med Tek in the lab.




Tell your friends about medtek101.blogspot.com! God bless!

Like me on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/MedTek101

Follow me on twitter @BuhayMedTek



Want to be a millionaire in 10-20 years? Get and Read this FREE ebook  by following this link... http://bosanchezmembers.com/amember/go.php?r=15799

Marunong ka ba ng BOX OUT?

Kung Med Tek ka, malamang sa malamang oo ang sagot mo. Hindi mo palang siguro alam pero nagawa mo na 'to. Maraming ibig sabihin kasi yung box out e. Sa larong basketbol kasi talaga ginagamit yung salitang yun. Ito ay isang technique na ginagawa ng manlalaro para makakuha siya ng rebound. Para sakin, ang pinakamagaling siguro na rebounder at mang-box out na NBA player ay ang hall of famer at 5-time NBA champion na si Dennis Rodman. Lupet nun e! Kung paano naman 'to nagagawa o nagagamit ng Med Tek e basahin niyo na lang yung mga bagong depinisyon ng box out. Kahit mga hindi med tek makaka-relate dito:

1. Box out - Pandiwa. Pagbakod ng isang lalaki sa ninanais na kababaihan upang hindi na mapormahan o maligawan ng iba pang lalaki. Halimbawa: Pare, box out-in mo na si Camille, baka maunahan ka pa.

Kung may ka-I.S. (internship syndrome) ka e dapat talaga ma-box out na yan. Siguro mas applicable 'to sa mga lalake pero pwede na din siguro gawin ng babae.hehe.


2. Box out - Pandiwa. Paghawi sa ibang pasahero ng bus, dyip, taxi o anumang pampublikong sasakyan upang maunang makasakay.  Halimbawa: Na-late ako kaninang umaga, na-box out ako nung ale sa bus.

Ang dami nito sa EDSA! Yung mga taong mahilig gumawa nito, yun din yung mga tao na hindi marunong pumila. Pero sa totoo lang, pwede mong sabihin na isang skill 'to e. Yung iba kasi parang eksperto sa pag box out. Parang barumbado na nga lang e pero nauuna naman sila makauwi.


3. Box out - Pandiwa. Pag pigil sa ibang tao na makuha ang pagkaing inaasam na nasa hapag-kainan. Pwede ding tumukoy sa pangunguna sa pila ng pagkain basta't ginagawa ang paghawi sa iba (lalo na sa buffet table).
Halimbawa: Hindi ako umabot dun sa lechon, na-box out ako agad ni sir Edward.

Sa mga piesta, kelangan mabilis para makakuha ka ng gusto mong pagkain. Sa lab, dapat mas mabilis ka kase sigurado akong mabilis sa pagkain ang mga Med Tek. Pero minsan, lalo na pag mababait yung mga kasama mo, ibo-box out na nila yung ibang pagkain para matirahan ka naman at hindi ka maubusan. Hindi naman patay gutom ang mga med tek, mahilig lang talaga kumain. hehe.


4. Box out - Pandiwa pa din. Pangunguna sa pag pila sa mga libreng bigay (freebies) ng mga Med Rep tuwing convention, seminar, meetings at iba pa. Halimbawa: Naubusan ako ng bag na bigay ng Abbott, hindi kasi ako naka-box out e.

Ito ang skill! Kung skill daw ang phlebotomy, skill din ito na matatawag. Wag man natin aminin pero minsan mas madami pa ang tao na nasa mga pila ng mga booth ng med rep kesa dun sa mga tao sa loob ng mismong convention.hehe.



Paki-share naman sa ibang Med Tek! Paki-kwento na may blog na ganito ha.hehehe. Paki-Like na din yung facebook account at pa-follow sa twitter (follow din kita). SALAMAT!

Pa-Like: http://www.facebook.com/MedTek101

I-follow sa twitter @BuhayMedTek

Bagsak ba ang ekonomiya ng bansa? Hindi kaya! Naka-SALE ang stock market! Ano pa inaantay mo? Invest na sa PSE (Philippine stock exchange)! Basahin mo 'tong post ko... http://medtek101.blogspot.com/2013/02/rising-tiger.html o kaya click mo to... http://bosanchezmembers.com/amember/go.php?r=15799

Pasasalamat

Naka-isang taon at kalahati din ako. Hindi gaano katagal. Pero busog naman sa karunungan, sa kaibigan at syempre kasiyahan. Pag nagsimula ka sa kahit anong trabaho, pakitang mahiyain muna. Conservative ang kilos, nakikiramdam sa mga tao sa paligid. Mahirap humirit agad, baka masabihan ng feeling close agad. Nung unang mga lingo ko, talagang animo'y mahiyain ako. Konti lang ang salita, hindi masyado umiimik. Isang tanong, isang sagot. Sa mismong trabaho naman sa loob ng laboratoryo, todo ang pagiging seryoso. Syempre kelangan magpa-impress. Maliban sa sobrang aga pumasok, dapat mabilis ang pag-iisip. Dapat matalino. Bago e, dapat impressive! Napapa-aral talaga ako pag uwi ko. Hindi naman sa pagmamayabang pero reference lab nga kasi. Mataas ang standard. Kaya kahit ilang buwan na akong nagtra-trabaho e parang first day ko pa din. Mahirap ang naging transition ko. Mula histopath tapos mircobiology. Tsk tsk... Sa staining lang ako nakaka-relate ng konti. Haha!

Sa mga katrabaho naman, nag-adjust din. Iba-ibang tao, iba-ibang personalidad. Merong malakas tumawa. Merong mahina lang. Merong makulit, meron din sakto lang. May maingay, at may... mas maingay. Madali lang naman silang pakisamahan. Iba-ibang tao na merong iba't ibang personalidad pero may dalawang hilig lang naman kasi. Pag nalaman mo yung dalawang hilig nila na yun e parang nahuli mo na ang kiliti nila. Ang una, pagkain. Ang pangalawa, mas madami at masarap na pagkain. Kaya pag lunch break, ang saya! Pinagbubuklod ng kainan na may kasamang kwentuhan at halakhakan. Minsan nga may halong chismis pa. At minsan, hindi ako maksabay kung tunay na buhay na ba ang chismis o yung napanuod lang nila sa telenovela nung gabe. Tapos patong-patong na kwento dahil nagsasalita ang lahat ng saby-sabay pero mauuwi naman sa sabayang tawanan. Walang kapantay 'to! Mas masaya pa 'to sa pinaghalong Goin' Bulilit at Bubble Gang (Kung may edad ka na, mas masaya pa 'to sa pinaghalong Going Bananas at... student canteen siguro! haha!).

At kung personalidad din lang ang usapan, e talagang nagsta-standout ang lahat. May madaldal, meroong naman malakas ang boses, merong bibong-bibo, merong pasaway, may balidoso, pero lahat siguro maingay o makwento. Lahat mahilig kumain pero konti lang ang marunong magluto. May designated kusinero pa nga kami e. At gaya nga ng sabi ko, iba-iba man e solid naman ang samahan. Kayang-kaya ko sabihin na nagustuhan ko naman ang pakikitungo ng bawat isa. Ang galing nga nila e, napasayaw (kung maitatawag na sayaw) nila ako ng gwiyomi nung anniversary ng program sa Bayleaf Hotel. Walastik, sobrang hiya ko nun.

Ang mga ilang di ko makakalimutan na nangyari sa labas ng laboratoryo e yun mga kakaibang outing namin. Yung unang outing na nasamahan ko sa Laguna, nagulat ako. Mahigit 15 kami nun pero parang pang 4 na tao lang yung pool! Ang kakaiba din siguro e yung baon namin. Kung ang usong baong ulam sa outing e ang walang kamatayan adobo, sila ay sinigang na baboy ang dala. Hanep! Yung pangalawa naman nung Christmas party. Sumakay kami sa shuttle/bus nung institusyon namin. Dahil nga siguro gobyerno at nagtitipid, e parang pwede na dalhin sa junk shop yung shuttle. Hindi ko malilimutan nung umusok yung shuttle ng amoy nasusunog na goma sa SLEX. Ang kapal ng usok, ang baho at dumidikit sa damit.hehe. Iniwan na lang namin yung shuttle sa police station at binalikan kinabukasan. Pero ang mas nakakatuwa e yung sigla ng grupo na hindi nawala. Sumakay kami ng dyip na pampasahero. At imbes na ma-bad trip e lalo pa kaming nagkatuwaan. Gumawa pa nga kami ng laro sa loob ng dyip at sinali pa yung ibang pasahero na hindi naman namin kilala. Adventure din na matatawag yung lakad namin sa Siquijor at Dumaguete. Mahabang kwento 'to. Basta sobrang saya din. At walang aswang sa Siquijor! Ang dami ngang dayuhan na pakalat-kalat e. It's more fun in the Philippines!

Madami talaga akong natutunan, lalo na sa Microbiology. Ang dami naming nasalihan na EQAS. Meron sa Hong Kong (4 na beses sa isang taon), meron sa Salmonella, at meron din sa gonorrhea. Yung kaalaman mo bilang Med Tek, talagang lalawak ng husto. Nahirapan talaga akong sumabay dun sa galing nila. Siguro nga kahit papaalis na ako e hindi ko pa din naabot yung standard nila. Advance na kasi talaga, pang reference lab na talaga. Kaya kung nasa microbiology ka man ngayon or hindi at gusto mo ng training, dito kita i-rerefer.

The Transition

Change. It is the only thing that is constant in this world. In a field like Medical technology, we always tend to search for improvement. Looking for new discoveries, researching something new in healthcare, and finding the latest technologies and updates. As a professional, we are never satisfied so we broaden our horizons, open our minds and look for something not necessarily better but something great.

I have worked inside a clinical laboratory ever since I graduated college and passed the boards. I decided it's about time to try something new and challenging. From being a phlebotomist to a rotating Med Tek staff to a Histopathology staff to a Microbilogy staff (reference lab), I might say that I made it to all the corners of a clinical laboratory. And so, I sought for something different and new for me. Hence, I found a challenge and accepted it.

Perfusionist. Wikipedia defined it as "a specialized healthcare professional who uses the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass to manage the patient's physiological status". From the clinical lab to the cardiovascular OR. To be honest, I would see myself more as a researcher working for a private company rather than a perfusionist. After all, the latest job I had was at a reference laboratory in a research institution. It's going to be a big transition for me. That's for sure. But just like any other Med Teks, we adapt. It's in our nature. For example, if there's no more reagent for our machines, we do manual. If there is less supply, we make sure it's enough until the next delivery. If there's few syringes left, we make sure we never miss an extraction. It's in a Med Tek's DNA: the ability to survive, the ability to change and the ability to be better.

Facing a new phase in one's career is nothing ordinary to a Med Tek's life. You take a new course, you learn and you grow. Switching from one job to the other is difficult, it's probably harder if you're going abroad.  It's hard to make a change. It's even harder to resign and make a resignation letter. It is a process, as one of my colleague would say. Transitions are never easy. But it would be great and fulfilling if you could overcome it. I guess as I start a new path in my career, I would use all the skills and knowledge that I acquired from my past experiences. As a Med Tek, I have always believed that it is innate to us that we are always ready for any changes or transition.



Tell your friends about medtek101.blogspot.com! God bless!

Like me on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/MedTek101

Follow me on twitter @BuhayMedTek

*Shoutout to ARSRL (Antimicrobial Resistance Surveilance Reference Laboratory) of DOH-RITM! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, thank you for all the laughter, thank you for all the adventure, and of course, thank you for all the priceless moments! Thanks for the memories guys!

Stocks are down... A good time to invest?

I almost had a month of silence. No post for my blog this June. Well, as you have read my last post, I just felt a little discouraged and depressed after the incident that happened. I just didn't feel like blogging about healthcare pros. I guess we just have to move on.

Speaking of moving forward, the stock market is moving... backwards?! Well, if you have been watching the news lately, you already know that the PSEi is down. The usual explanation they give is that foreign investors are massively selling. What does this have to do with medtek101? Nothing really. But I did wrote a couple of post that invited my fellow Med Teks to invest in the stocks. My stand now with the stocks going down is still the same. Invest wisely. Experts are even saying that this is the best time to buy stocks because market prices are cheaper. Again, make your own research or ask some people who you believe knows about these stuff. If you have a financial adviser, the better. Happy investing!!!



Tell your friends about medtek101.blogspot.com! God bless!


Like me on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/MedTek101

Follow me on twitter @BuhayMedTek

Want to be a millionaire in 10-20 years? Get and Read this FREE ebook  by following this link... http://bosanchezmembers.com/amember/go.php?r=15799

Disclaimer: Investments involve substantial risks. Medtek101 and/or the author of MedTek101 does not make any guarantees or promises as to any results obtained from reading this blog. The reader should not make any investment decision without consulting his/her financial advisor or conducting his/her own research.

A disappointing return

Last week, I returned to the government hospital where I had my Med Tek internship. We transferred a relative who will undergo a possible brain surgery due to a traumatic head injury. Being back after five years or so, I could say that the hospital had a very few improvements. Not much renovations I should say. The quality of service is still far behind from that of a private hospital. It might seem unfair if I compare government and private hospitals but does it mean that our less fortunate fellow countrymen should be deprived of an excellent quality service? If I would not compare them, then it is as good as saying that the government should not improve the quality of healthcare services and hence do nothing.
Before I give my opinions to this matter, I'll share some few things that happened in the ER, in the OR, and the ward. First of all, I want to mention that the government hospital is a tertiary hospital with approximately 300 bed capacity which is located in Manila. (DAY 1) At the emergency room, we were endorsed to the neurology department but later transferred to the ER surgery department. They were evaluating our relative and after the evaluation, the doctors did not bother to tell us what's going on. We were asking nurses, and doctors as well, but we seem to be invisible to them. Of course, we got a little bit anxious and just like any hospital, they immediately respond to anxious relatives. They told us that they needed to run another set of exams, x-ray and CT scan. After these tests, they concluded that surgery is needed. They gave us a list of medicines needed for the operation. We bought it and gave it to them and they told us to wait outside the hospital until the operation was done. When the operation was done, we still could  not see our relative, even when she was transferred at the ICU. And yes, we were still outside the hospital waiting to be called in case anything was needed. (DAY 2) When she was transferred to the ward, we finally saw her. After 24 hours of staying outside the hospital and restlessly waiting if our names would be called, we were finally able to go inside the hospital. The ward was clean, as they claim it. The small cockroaches freely crawling around the ward would say otherwise. Nurses can be frequently seen, I guess the RN heals project of our government has proved its efficacy. I do hope that they are compensated justly. Ironically, the response of the nurse's station is slow. Frequent follow-up is needed.
But the slowest response became the fatal one. (DAY 3) It was around 2 a.m. when we told the nurse station that the patient seems to have difficulty in breathing. The nurse in charge claimed that she already called for the resident doctor. As we have timed it, the doctor came more than 1 hour after we reported that the patient seems to have trouble breathing. After a few minutes after the doctor came, our relative was pronounced dead due to cardiac arrest probably secondary to acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
The doctor did not even had the courage to explain what really happened. We only found out that cause of death was cardiac arrest secondary to AMI when we had the death certificate.  
I don't know how to start and give comments about this matter. It's hard to separate your professionalism from your own personal experience as a patient's relative. I will try to be fair in choosing my words.
First, doctors or any health workers for that matter should be fair to all types of patients: rich or poor, charity patients or paying patients, indigent or not. It would also be easing for the relatives if doctors would talk them and give them an idea of what the patient is going through. Being uninformed makes the patient and the relatives restless. ICU and OR are restricted areas of the hospitals. Its sterility have to be maintained. But I have to point out that it would be decent if there is a proper waiting area for the relatives. "Cleanliness is next to godliness" as the saying goes. For crying out loud, it is a hospital. Being clean is not an option. It is a must. And get rid of your pest problems. I was actually pleased with the performance of the nurses especially the ones in the RN Heals program. I got nothing but praises. Finally, the biggest issue here is the response time. I don't know how many residents are supposed to be monitoring the wards. But all I can say is either the doctor is trying to revive another patient during that time or the doctor is simply negligent. It is your duty to save people's live. You made an oath, not the patient's relatives nor me. I have to strongly address that being late for more than one hour after being informed is unacceptable. 
Going back memory lane and meeting old friends brings smile. Losing a loved one in a hospital you used to work for bring tears. Not just ordinary tears. These are tears of sorrow, tears of anger and tears of disappointment. I was hoping for something great when I re-entered that hospital especially after seeing some  good old friends. But the story was different, there might have even been some patient negligence. It was a disappointing return indeed.
To all my fellow Med Teks and health workers, please treat every patient with utmost respect. Never mind if the patient is paying or indigent. Always remember that the patient is someone's relative, brother, sister, mother, father, best friend, family, or a loved one. To all the nurses, Med Teks, health pros and doctors to that government hospital that are giving their best everyday, thank you and job well done. To a certain Dr. G of that hospital, may you always sleep well at night.        

Dedicated to our Ate Helen... May you Rest in Peace!

Evangelina "Ate Helen" Barroso (06/06/1950 - 05/15/2013)