A day on your job....

I worked hem/onc/bmt but it has been along time. Very very busy unit with acutely ill people. Lots of chemo and blood products. Since we had bmt clients they were getting high dose chemo, remission or consolidation chemo. We did total body irradiation clients and radioactive implants. I learned so much my six years there. I loved it. I only left as I had two families members in hospice who needed 24 hour caregivers. I did that for about a year and a half.

renerian

i´m working on pediatric hem./onc. unit in germany. we work in a three shift-system, so our work starts with the reports the one shift gives to the next. after that, we usually check the patients, take their rr,hf, temp, in the morning their weight, give the oral medications, i think it´s like in every other unit.during the day we give the i.v. chemo, prepare the kids for radiation or send them to examinations. the kids who have an infection and or/low white blood cell counts are given their antibiotics, analgetic and antipyretic medications.their have to stay in a single room so the risc of infections is as small as possible for everyone.an important part of our work is the skin-and mouthcare, we check the patients carefully and, if needed give them mouthwashes, lotions and medications.the kid´s who had surgery-especially the ones who had an "bone-surgery"-usually need a lot assistance in
their activitieslike washing, going to toilet etc.we have to check the urine of the kids- depending on their therapy- for pH, volume etc..some of the kids suffer nausea and vomiting, so we just stay with them while they feel very sick and bad or are in pain.
and surely we stay with dying kids and their families as long as needed.
we´re in the lucky situation that most of the kids are visited by their parents very often, without them i think we would have a lot less time for talking, comforting and laughing with the kids.you can imagine that e.g. giving medications to a kid is sometimes not as easy as giving it to a grown up :-)

I'm a CNA in a LTC facility, and in a typical day, this is how it goes.

1:30 PM
Clock in
Cange the water pitchers in each room and help the day shift.

2:45
Take report

3:15
Vitals
Showers
get residents up
Help other CNA's get their residents up
Take a break if time permits
5:15
rush residents to the diningroom for dinner at 5:30
Devide into who is going to do the hall trays and who stays in the diningroom. serve trays
feed the feeders
when the feeders are fed we chart meal percentages and collect trays.
We are usually done by 6:30.
After dinner i lay my people down and assist others
Do any remaining showers
any remaining vital signs
Go to lunch
lay down anyone on my hall who was left up
Do my rounds
Do my charting
Then clock out and do the happy dance right out the door!