nurse AU aycs prototype

It has been a usual morning for Maruyama Aya.

This will be her fourth month being with Hanasakigawa Municipal Hospital and her nth time of day shifts. As a fresh addition to the team, Aya is chewed and reprimanded for so many times already for her ‘recurring newbie mistakes’, for example: unable to act and think quickly, spending too much time on writing her reports, crying in front of patient, and so on forth.

All in all, Aya found that the internal medicine ward of Hanasakigawa Municipal Hospital is a good place - both for her growth in nursing skills and her mental growth.

It was the morning routine, Chief Nurse Yamato will open the day with briefing. The night shift nurses will tell their report for the day shift nurses to adhere, then followed up by more information if available.

In this day shift, there are three full time nurses on duty; Maruyama Aya, Matsubara Kanon and Shirokane Rinko.

“-To the day shift nurse, we’ll be having a new patient to our ward today.” Chief Yamato’s voice was calm. She tilted her red-framed glasses before calling a name. “So, Maruyama-san?”

Aya blinked as her name is called. She lifted her head from scribbling on her notes to her preceptor, Nurse Matsubara before to the Chief. Aya didn’t remember doing anything faulty the day before, she also didn’t miss the diaper change and IV patrol … what does the Chief have on her sleeve?

“You’ll be in charge to this patient. She’ll be in the Room 210 from surgical ward.”

Silence.

Perhaps knowing the flabbergasted expression on Aya’s face, Chief Yamato picked again, “I know you’re new, but this is also the path of learning. I hope you won’t neglect this responsibility.”

“I-I-I’ll do my best, C-C-Chief!”

“Maruyama-san, y-your voice is shaking~” Nurse Matsubara pointed.


.


Aya recounted what she had learned for her first four months in hospital.

Swift diaper change, careful bed sheet change, faster and on-point blood extraction, how to not be an easy target in the children room of internal medicine ward …

… well, being assigned to a patient is an other-worldly new responsibility that she must undergo.

Earlier, her preceptor--senior on nursing duty--Matsubara Kanon suggested for Aya to learn on the medical record of this said patient while waiting for the surgical ward to confirm about the transfer. As Chief Yamato wanted to check the medical record first, the Chief asked Aya to wait while doing her rounds.

After doing her rounds with Nurse Matsubara, Aya came back early to deliver back the cart she used to bring away used sheets for nursing staffs to clean.

“... I’m back.” a small but serene voice belonged to Nurse Shirokane entered the nurse station.

Nurse Shirokane might be silent - the only Nurse in the station who’ll speak a little, if Aya about to surmise. Nurse Matsubara said that she has years of nursing experience under her belt and that she’s quite well-known in some way.

If Aya remembered correctly, Nurse Shirokane handled a few patients under her care. One of them is ‘the most difficult patient’ of the internal medicine ward, or so Aya ever quote from her other senpai Nurse Wakamiya.

“U-Umm, Shirokane-san, mind if I ask a few question?”

“Is it about … attending the patient?”

Nurse Shirokane inquired. As sharp as always, so Aya must say.

Chief showed up by the nurse station right after, bringing a block of medical record to the counter. “Sorry for the wait, Maruyama-san, here’s the medical record! I’ll be off to surgical ward now to ask, please stay ready.”

Aya nodded to Chief Yamato’s order. Since she wanted to ask something to Nurse Shirokane, Aya pulled the medical record to the table for the raven-haired senior nurse to see.

Shirasagi Chisato, 19. Two years younger than her. The pink-haired nurse mused.

“Nephrotic Syndrome ...” Nurse Shirokane said. “The damage … seems to be big already.”

At first, Aya didn’t catch at what Shirokane had meant, then she noticed the senior nurse pointed at the list of surgeries that this patient has been through.

“Do you … know anything about Nephrotic Syndrome, Maruyama-san?”

Aya shook her head. “Not much aside that it causes the urine to contains more protein, also it can lead to edema and blood clotting?”

“That’s … already enough information for now, but you’d want to study … more later.”


.


From the small exchange with Nurse Shirokane, Aya caught several view points to remember when handling a patient under your care.

1)Get to know the patient’s disease
2)Make sure to make them comfortable
3)Don’t pry too much

Aya recalled to an event two months back when she’s following Kanon to treat one of the elder with Dementia in Room 202. That time, Aya asked too much to her preceptor about several grave topics (and overheard by the said patient) that the patient laughed at her in amusement.

Aya kept in her mind not to pry too much anymore, but she couldn’t really say.

Now, Aya stood in front of Room 210. She has checked the IV bottle a few times before bringing the bottle there, making sure that she doesn’t mess up.

Aya didn’t know why she felt so nervous to face the new patient. Someone just two years younger than her, to boot. There are older patients and younger kids in the ward that she have met before. Was it because the number of surgeries the patient has done before? Aya herself didn’t know.

The pink-haired nurse knocked on the Room 210, a soft voice welcomed her to go in.

Room 210 is one of the room with single bed, hence there’s only one patient in that one room. Internal medicine ward consisted of ten rooms, three of them are single bed like this, housing a patient and usually have one nurse assigned to them.

A girl with blonde hair eyed Aya from her bed. Her glare is one of sharp, judging one as Aya swallowed, dragging the cart with her.

Come on, Aya. Start up with your introduction, don’t get tongue tied. - she told to herself.

“Good morning, I--I’ll be the one who’s in charge for your care, umm, Shirasagi-san. My name is Maruyama.”

The blonde patient showed little to no interest on replying the conversation, bested the room in awkward silence.

Lost at what to say, Aya proceeded to hook the IV. Chisato’s arm is small and thin, but Aya didn’t find any difficulty to search for the veins - she needed to thank Matsubara-senpai for training her to swiftly change the IV in children room.

After adjusting the drip speed, Aya take a look at the room layout. She made sure that the nurse call button is reachable by the patient’s right side, and she made sure the blonde is comfortable with how the bed is adjusted.

“... If you need anything, please call me-”

“Maruyama-san?”

That’s the first time for Chisato to speak in-between their moments of silence.

“Yes?”

“Please don’t be nice to me,” she suddenly said. “I’ll die soon, anyway.”