Today is the last day of our favourite Micronesian patient who has undergone coronary artery bypass graft. Luckily, it is our unit meeting so the staff members were almost complete so when they requested for a group picture, it was almost hard to squeeze in everyone in the camera phone. But just before the picture was taken, the patient’s wife has asked for a minute to say something that sent chills to our spines. She and her husband were so thankful for making our institution their second home. She almost broke down into tears saying how they appreciated what we have done for them. I almost cried myself when I saw his husband, a tall man with a body of a wrestler, wiping his tears. The man rarely speaks English and his wife usually communicates with us for him. She even added that the staff members in our institution are like loose diamonds which are hard to find.

The hospital shifts are already known to be crazy and I could day that my mind somehow has adapted to this craziness. I have to right to complain because this is what I prayed for and many would kill for this job. The only consolation I get from enduring the long and tiring shifts is the words of gratitude from the patients and their relatives. They could not believe that they are actually in a public hospital because they are getting good service. Delighting them is actually not an issue to me the only problem I have is getting rid of blackheads that seem to enjoy staying on my face. Am I really that hospitable?

I am back to work. I was early and able to manage to clean my black-painted finger nails before the endorsement. I had the nicest staff nurse as the bedside nurse, the jolliest one as the charge nurse and the most industrious orderly. It was also the second day of the nurse orientee. This day was one of the lightest duties I have had although the entire toxicity rate of the ward I am in was really nothing compared to that I have had at the Lung Center of the Philippines.
We had our usual cheerful and welcoming rounds. If I were a patient, I would feel really welcome and relaxed when entertained by this pack of nurses.
One thing that I have learned from my mentors is to build rapport with the patient. You need to interact with them during rounds and when wheeling them to and from the laboratories. In almost a month of being in that ward, I should say that I was at 95% compliance.
Since I felt so recharged, I was extra nice to the patient. In my second and last part of rounds for vital signs taking, I complemented an elderly patient for her pleasant and relaxed appearance. I did not know that she was due for discharging that day. After an hour, I just saw her being wheeled out of her room by her caregiver while the trolley was being pushed by her son. I then took the wheelchair from the caregiver’s hand and wheeled them to the lobby. I still managed to carry out a pleasant conversation with them. While waiting for their ride, the patient asked me who will wheel the trolley and wheelchair back to the ward, I said I will. She kept on thanking me until their car arrived and she grabbed my hand and stuffed money in my palm. I politely declined but she insisted.
Yeah, it must be nothing to them but it meant a lot to me. I know by the look their eyes that they were satisfied with our service. Too bad, I learned from my charge nurse that she forgot to ask the patient to fill out the patient satisfaction survey. To me, it is way important to see a well-filled out survey form than to get monetary reward.
Funny thing is, this is a kind of business where you could not say, hope to see you again!
Way to go!

After my duty at the LCP, I went straight to UST for the perimetry and IOP exams.
I arrived before 9:00 a.m.
Maybe I was really grumpy due to the lack of sleep and because I have waited for more than one hour already. I was no longer in the conversation mood. I barely answered the questions of the guard, the receptionist, the optometrist/ophthalmologist (who I think was just an intern so for the lack of a better word I will just call her the doctor) and the technicians in the exam room.
I was taken aback when the doctor called my name in shouting manner. There’s a difference between calling out loud and howling. I thought to myself, am I in a public hospital? The last time I checked, UST is a private hospital and I was there as a paying patient through company insurance. I knew, the experience will not be nice.
I showed her who the boss is. I threw my bag on the floor, then she began speaking softly and acting politely. I never intended to get a red carpet treatment; I just wanted to be treated nicely.
After the refractory exam, I was then again asked to wait in the hallway in eternity.
Alas, my name was called again. I was asked to go inside a darkroom along with an elderly woman who I guess will be having the same exam like mine.
I feel awkward as the examiners referred to us on first name basis and we were being instructed as if we were idiots. The lady examiner even pointed out to the elderly that it was her eighth time already and by that time she should have mastered the exam.
I was thinking, if she has mastered it, then she should have not reached the eighth trial. The lady is a dud!
While having my perimetry exam an employee went in and talked to the examiner about his personal issues. Then the other man concerned went in and they had an altercation. I think they have noticed that they are already drawing attention to themselves and causing distraction among those having perimetry exam so they have decided to take it outside. Which I hoped had happened.
The exam took about 20 minutes for each eye but I had to redo the exam on my left eye because according to the lady, I was missing flashes or I had clicked on occasions when there were no flashes. On the third attempt, I simply told her, maybe because I am not actually seeing those lights or maybe I am seeing lights when I am not supposed to see them. Arrogantly, she told me that it does not go that way.
If I was in my fighting mood, I would have snapped so I just took the exam again and decided to get it over with.
After the tedious and sleep inducing exam, I was again asked to wait outside.
After about fifteen minutes, the doctor called me again in the same manner. I let her shout at the top of her lungs and make her look like an idiot before I stood up.
She asked me to sit down in the exam room and dropped some fluid in my eyes. She took my intraocular pressure. It only took a few seconds. Then she asked me that we’re done. I asked if I could have some tissue, she just pointed the same gauze that she used wiping my eyes after she instilled the solution in my eyes.
Finally, I got the result.
Seriously, I will not ever go back to this hospital.