How I did it: I was majoring in Respiratory Therapy, and when the time for clinical rotations came along, I felt so unprepared.  But on my first day, during my first clinical rotation in a hospital, a CODE BLUE was announced and all Respiratory Therapists were called to the 3rd floor.  I had to put the skills and techniques I've learned to use, so I jumped in and started to bag the patient with a hand ventilator.  I noticed my clinical preceptor tiring out from compressions, so we switched every 2 minutes for about 45 minutes.  I found myself in the center of nurses, my fellow RTs and a physician.  This physician was singing a song as he had me assist him in putting the patient on a ventilator.  Finally, an hour and a half later, the patient is now on a vent and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for close monitoring.  The physician congratulated me on a job well done (on my first Code Blue experience); I thanked him for singing because it kept me from panicking. 

I know I didn't save this man's life by myself, but I think being a part of this team still meant as much, because more people usually equals more confusion; but in this case, there was excellent communication. 

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Jan 23, 2009, 10:05PM PST | 1 comment | 6 cheers