noun Chemistry .
a colorless, odorless, gaseous element constituting about one-fifth of the volume of the atmosphere and present in a combined state in nature. It is the supporter of combustion in air and was the standard of atomic, combining, and molecular weights until 1961, when carbon 12 became the new standard. Symbol: O; atomic weight: 15.9994; atomic number: 8; density: 1.4290 g/l at 0°C and 760 mm pressure.
When I hear the word oxygen, I don't go digging into the depths of my brain to try and recall its atomic weight or number. I don't care how much of the atmosphere's volume it constitues, just the mere fact that it is present in the atmosphere is sufficient enough for me. I don't care about the details. All I know is that it keeps me breathing which keeps me alive. Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs. Oxygen. It doesn't get more basic than that. If I were without oxygen, I wouldn't give a damn if I had clean water to drink or enough food to eat. Pain, of any severity, wouldn't even be an issue. Because, without oxygen, I would be dead.
If you haven't figured it out by now, we covered oxygenation in class today. And clearly I can't wrap my head around what we were taught: Oxygen is a medication and needs a doctor's order.
I understand that as a nurse, I just can't go around slapping a nasal cannula on any patient I damn well please. I realize that oxygen can harm people with certain pulmonary diseases. However, this is where my ER knowledge and experience will probably end up getting me in trouble when it comes to school.
Today, I stated that, "A nonrebreather is used in acute hypoxic situations. When a nasal cannula or simple mask just isn't getting the job done..." and that's when I was cut off by the teacher who reminded me that: Oxygen is a medication and needs a doctor's order.
For the last seven and a half hours I have been trying to make sense of it all. When I am at work and standing by a patient who starts to rapidly decompensate, that person depends on me to do something about it. I don't tell them, "Hold on until I can find help." I would immediately put them on a nonrebreather (as long as they are still conscious), yell for help, and then let the doctor make the decisions from there. However, I learned to do the complete opposite today. In a nutshell, I learned that regardless of what condition the patient is in, I can't do anything about it until I can get a hold of the doctor and obtain an order to administer oxygen at a higher concentration. So, by the time all of that is accomplished and I get back to my patient, it will be a miracle if they aren't dead. I don't understand the logic in any of that. Don't stress to me about Maslow and then tell me I can't make a life or death decision to give someone oxygen when it's desperately needed. I chose to work in the medical field to help save lives.. not to be the reason that they end.
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