Week 1: Breath In, Breathe Out
Zoey B -
My first week of senior project consisted of a lot of research. The main focus of my research was on different ways to deliver oxygen to a premature child. This is arguably the most important thing that technology has aided in over the years. Most premature babies will suffer from RDS or respiratory distress syndrome at some point during their stay in the N.I.C.U.. During my internship, I observed an RN taking care of two premature babies in the critical care nursery (CCN). One of those babies was on oxygen and had just been moved from an incubator to an open crib. Throughout the day, we watched his vitals and noticed that his oxygen saturation often dipped below the ideal levels. Once the RN decided that she needed to intervene, she showed me different ways to move the baby, so he would take in more oxygen through the nasal cannula. The RN also took the time to show me other devices that they use to deliver oxygen to neonates including CPAPs and ventilators. After seeing these machines, I spent the rest of my week researching how nurses would observe oxygen saturation levels and deliver oxygen in the past. I also researched newer non invasive techniques that are being used today.
The other part of my internship included observing the general care of a baby in the CCN including feeding and the Care checks that nurses do every three hours. I observed how the RN assessed the babies and then charted their stats after each care check.
The rest of my week consisted of volunteering in the emergency department at YRMC west campus.
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