A Clinical Experience: AMS

0645 As I walked into University Hospital, I had one thing on my mind: Patient Care... that was my objective. Regardless of whatever case I was to receive, my main focus was to cater to my client's needs and make he/she feel comfortable and that their needs were being met. With that being said, I wondered... what kind of patient was I going to have today? Any guesses? They gave me a 79 y.o. male w/ AMS & Parkinson's disease.

Some of you may be wondering...what in the world is AMS? AMS is a medical abbreviation that stands for Altered Mental Status. Most Common Causes of Altered Mental Status are:

· CNS process (hemorrhage, non-hemorrhagic stroke, seizures, mass lesion)

· Intoxication

· Trauma

· Sepsis/infection

· Cardiac/vascular

Patients with altered mental status present from slightly confused to comatose and everything in between. Knowing a patient’s baseline mental status is helpful for agitation is common behavior.

Indeed, this is very true; for my client was constantly taking off his gown, puling the sheets off of him, screaming & acting a doggone fool, etc. As I observed all of the above, I said to myself: "This is going to be a busy day." Indeed it was...I tell you from the time I got on the floor (0700) to the time I left the facility (1315) I was up and about constantly providing care (all w/ a smile on my face of course, lol). My instructor and the health care providers on the floor were amazed at the job I was performing b/c they knew I had a difficult patient. For they stated periodically throughout my shift: "You've earned your keeps today! You're doing a great job. Keep it up!" And that is just what I did...I continued to provide excellent patient care until it came time for me to report off. When that time came, I thanked the health care professionals that I worked with for teaching me and giving me the opportunity to work alongside them. Last but not least, I said bye to my client and thanked him for allowing me to take care of him and practice my medical skills.

As I look back on this day, I pat myself on the back and say: "Job well done Steph!" I had a very challenging day and I dealt w/ it in a professional matter. I'll tell you from firsthand experience...in medicine, you'll have difficult days where you have challenging clients and what not but you just have to roll your sleeves up and grab the bull by the horns, lol. Sure they'll be some surprises here and there but as long as you do everything you can and you do it out of the goodness of your heart all will work out for you in the end. For Dr. Michael DeBakey stated it best when he said: "Being compassionate, being concerned for your fellow man, doing everything you can to help people -- that's the kind of religion I have, and it's a comforting religion."