Brunnhold Public Hospital
From ThornsWiki
| Brunnhold Public Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location Information | |
| Name | Brunnhold Public Hospital |
| Location | Brunnhold, Anaxas |
| Type | Public Hospital |
| NPC Information | |
| Proprietor | Brunnhold University |
| Employees | Director Barnaby Winthrope |
| Play Status | |
| Play Status | Open |
Contents
Appearance
Brunnhold Public Hospital is a brick building with 3 stories, a basement, and 4 wings, two in the Stacks and two on university grounds proper. Each is set of wings is in a V-shape and the sets are connected at the tips of the V's by a research and administrative wing that goes under the aqueduct. The wings are segregated by race – the human and wick wings are on the Stacks side of the building, while the galdori and passive wings are on the university side of the building. The hospital is kept almost obsessively clean and brightly lit with phosphor lighting. Overall, the Brunnhold Public Hospital is smaller than Vienda hospital in size, since Vienda is a much bigger city. As a result, residents often go to Vienda for their residency, since there's more of a demand there.
Each of the four wings has these rooms:
- Emergency room
- 3 operating theaters – there are also 2 operating theaters in the connecting building
- One recovery room, used for all operating theaters in the wing. The connecting building has its own recovery room.
- A handful of inpatient rooms – 6 on the human and wick side, 8 on the galdori and passive side
- A general care clinic that's open 8 days a week
Each emergency room is set up as if it were a doctor's office. There's a receptionist right inside the door, who will send for a doctor there isn't one present. There are a number of chairs and, if needed, wheeled stretchers for patients who cannot walk. There are 4 exam rooms in each ER and a patient will be moved there for diagnostics to provide them some privacy. If the injury is minor, the doctor will treat it and send the patient home. If the injury requires surgery of any sort or observation, the patient will be moved to either one of the surgical theaters or one of the inpatient rooms. In cases of trauma, where death is certain if surgery does not happen as soon as possible, the diagnostic stage is skipped and the patient is moved directly to the nearest unoccupied surgical theater.
The doctors and residents of the hospital will diagnose any patients that come to the hospital, though wicks, humans, and passives will be directed to a clinic for very minor injuries after diagnosis. All serious injuries will be treated, though experimental treatments and heroic measures will only be used for galdori patients.
The Research Wing has 2 stories and a basement. The first story is dedicated to administration offices and the apothecary labs, while the second story is dedicated to research. The basement is mainly used for storage and has a tunnel for transport between patient care wings.
There are also specialist clinics that are in buildings around the hospital not directly connected to the building. It's considered a high honor to be hired at a BPH specialist clinic, as the administration of BPH has very high standards for the doctors they hire.
It is understood that, in the case of a catastrophic event such as a riot or devastating storm, all doctors and residents associated with the hospital will immediately report to the hospital or open their clinics for patients to help keep the hospital from being overwhelmed to the point of becoming a bottleneck.
History
Brunnhold Public Hospital was established as a branch of Brunnhold University in 2443 as a teaching hospital. For the first 125 years, it was considered a branch of Brunnhold University and shared its budget, but now Brunnhold Public Hospital operates independently and has a separate budget. The Headmaster or Headmistress of the university has ultimate say over how the hospital is run but, for all intents and purposes, this is merely a figurehead position, as they almost always agree with whoever is the Director. As a result, the Director rarely actually consults the Headmaster or Headmistress. The only matter that is always a duty of the Headmaster or Headmistress is the hiring and firing of Directors.
The hospital is moving slowly towards complete independence, though. An advisory board was established about 20 years ago, with the blessing of the Headmaster at the time. The long-term plan is to shift some of the Director's duties to this board, as there has been a problem within the last 50 years with Directors leaving after 5-10 years due to burnout. The current Director and Headmistress agree that it's important to take some of the duties off the Director's shoulders to increase the stability of the hospital as a whole.
Operation
The doctors, residents, medical students, administrative personnel, apothecaries, and researchers are all galdori. Residents are allowed to do procedures and tests on their own, with a doctor supervising or reviewing their records as they go. Medical students are only allowed to observe a doctor going through their duties.
In the human and wick wings, humans are hired to do small jobs like housekeeping, cooking, and supply management. In the galdori and passive wings, passives are responsible for these duties.
Occasionally, a particularly responsible human or passive will be assigned to patient care, where they're responsible for checking in on patients, taking vitals like blood pressure and pulse, and so on. The most senior human "care associates" can even give the patients medication though, of course, a doctor will figure out the proper dosage and have one of the hospital apothecaries prepare the medication. (Passives are not trusted to handle medication in any form.) Since there are very few inpatient rooms and the people who are given these positions usually stay on for years, there are very few positions of this type open. The patient is always allowed to request a galdori for these duties if they're not comfortable with a human or passive doing these duties.
It's important to note that there is one type of medication that "care associates" and residents are never allowed to give to patients. Due to the risk of addiction and sale to the black market, opiates are only administered by a doctor or an apothecary. Specialty residents are allowed to administer these drugs, though, as they have already obtained their doctorate degree.
Medical Regulation Act
Shortly after Brunnhold Public Hospital was established, an important law regulating medical services was passed. There are two parts to it:
- 1. Only a galdori who has gone through formalized training through Brunnhold or another university can use the title "Doctor".
- 2. Humans and wicks who wish to practice surgery, midwifery, or provide apothecary services must obtain the sponsorship of a galdori doctor and a writ from that sponsor.
The process for obtaining this writ can be a bit complicated. Occasionally, a galdori doctor, midwife, or apothecary will take on an apprentice, though those who only work through a hospital are not allowed to do this. At the very least, potential galdori sponsors will observe the person wanting sponsorship at their duties before deciding whether to officially sponsor the person or not. This creates a bit of a sticky situation, though, as humans and wicks aren't allowed to enter these professions without a writ, but they need to practice their profession to receive a writ. As a result, the law was amended to allow humans and wicks who have obtained sponsorship to have apprentices, though they are only allowed one apprentice at a time.
This law is more strictly enforced than the literacy laws but, of course, surgeons, apothecaries, and midwives slip through the cracks all the time, since the Seventen can't keep track of everyone. The use of the word "Doctor" is much more strictly enforced than the writ aspect of this law and it's almost guaranteed that, if a human or wick has the audacity to call themselves "Doctor", they will be quickly investigated, shut down, and possibly even banned from the city.
It's also important to note that this does not cover humans or wicks who wish to use euphemisms like "herbalist" or "healer". The Seventen may investigate if there's a complaint against these people and may rule that they need a writ, but if the "herbalist" or "healer" doesn't have a complaint filed against them, there's nothing the Seventen can do.
Lastly, this law only applies to cities, so if your character is a nomad, this law doesn't apply unless you settle down in a city. If your character lives in a village, the Seventen are generally more lax about enforcing this law though, again, humans or wicks who describe or advertise themselves as "doctors" will definitely be dealt with, even if they live in a village.
Please note that this law does not apply outside of Anaxas, as each nation has its own standards for medical training.
Uniform
Galdori employees wear pants and short-sleeve shirts similar to scrubs. They are made of sturdy fabric in a green that matches Brunnhold University uniforms. Students and residents have a patch embroidered on the left side of the shirts, on the chest. Doctors are given long-sleeved white coats to wear. Humans and passives wear blue scrubs. Everyone receives 2 sets of uniforms upon hiring and uniforms are replaced at no charge when they become too stained. If an employee doesn't have access to a washing machine, the hospital will wash their uniforms for no charge in the laundry room.
Services Offered
There are many services that the hospital offers. First and foremost, it trains residents and medical students in how to properly care for patients. The hospital is very open that it's a teaching hospital and, as a result, they provide services at a lower cost than some doctors, surgeons, and apothecaries. They, of course, do not undercut the costs too severely, as having independent medical providers is in their best interests. Their presence helps control the size and budget of the hospital, keeping it maintainable over the long term. There are some plans for expansion, but everyone agrees that a slow and steady approach to this expansion is better over the long-term.
As far as patient services go, the hospital provides general care, emergency care, surgery, lab work, diagnostic testing, and limited inpatient care services. The hospital is much more likely to be utilized by galdori and passives, since the hospital doesn't take trade for services. Students who are injured during their stay at Brunnhold are sent to the hospital for care.
Personalities
NPC: Director Barnaby Winthrope – closed NPC, only allowed to be played by mods. NPCs: 4 doctors who are heads of each wing – closed NPCs, only allowed to be played by mods and players who have doctor or resident characters. (Details to come.)