INFORMATION ABOUT BLOG: Most juniors are require to go into depth with their daily log updates and weekly reflections. However, those of us working in the hospital or in the operation room, have to keep our blogs to a minimum due to confidentiality. This is a safety precaution taken by all and taken very seriously as the consequences are severe if anything is said that is not supposed to like: patient information, and details about the procedure. Because I spent most of my time in the OR I have to keep my blog updates short and to the point.
Monday March 02, 2015- 7:00 am- 3:00 pm.
--Today was the first day of the LINK internships. My mentor, the chief of anesthesiology showed me around the OR and introduced me to several of the nurses and surgeons. We also sat in on 2 different surgeries and one examination. The first surgery was on a woman who had breast CA in her left breast. The second surgery was spinal surgery on a man. The examination included checking the urethra of a man. I felt for my first day I got to know the OR pertty well and what was expected of me as an intern.
Tuesday March 03, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today I shadowed a different anesthesiologist at Mercy and we observed 3 types of surgeries. The first surgery was on a woman of elder age who was getting a right total knee replacement. The second surgery was on a woman of middle age who was getting a right total hip replacement. The third and final surgery was a bilateral knee replacement, which means both knees; this type of surgery must be performed quickly as anesthetics tend to wear off about part way through the second knee. My mentor today taught me about a femoral nerve block and what the technique and anatomy of that is; the femoral nerve block is an anesthetic that relieves pain post surgery and also helps with the numbing beneath the hip. It is performed near the groin. Also, in my shadowing experience we went over local anesthetic mechanisms and how they work which is by blocking the NA+ channels.
Wednesday March 04, 2015- 8:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was a slow day at the hospital. I sat in the office for the first 3 hours of my day and worked on my research project for the LINK exhibition. Then I got to sit in on an epidural as well as a carpal tunnel surgery. I also observed the beginning of a rod placement in the knee of a patient and watched them do x rays. Overall I was happy with the way the day went and got to meet more then one of the anesthesiologists I will be working with as LINK continues. I got plenty of work done and am starting to familiarize myself with the work environment.
Thursday March 05, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today I sat in on two types of fusion surgeries as well as one Caesarean section. The fusion surgeries were very intriguing yet you could not see much; however, the C Section fascinated me as I got to sit in close on that one. The nurses who were in there explained to me the process and the pace they must perform the surgery at as it is critical to the baby and mothers life. So far I believe this was my favorite experience in LINK and I'm learning to the best of my ability as my mentor has been doing pop quizzes on me.
Total Hours Week One: 31
Monday March 09, 2015- 7:00 am-11:00 am
--Today was a short day for me as there was only going to be one surgery I could to sit in on. My mentor would be working that case all day and he said because there wasn't going to be much else going on to report back the next morning. The surgery I sat in on was a robotic prostate removal in an older male. The robot is a machine with 5-6 arms and is controlled through a computer like machine where the surgeon uses fake hands to control the movements. I also learned about different types of college courses I could take if I was going to pursue multiple different careers in medicine.
Tuesday March 10, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today started out with follow ups on a recent amputee patients as well as a mother who gave birth. Follow ups require the anesthesiologist to do post op notes. Then I observed a surgery removing a hernia in the lower stomach, upper pelvis and was quizzed on American History as well as the structure of the heart. The last surgery I sat in on today was one with an older man who was getting nodes removed from his upper pelvis area. Tomorrow will be a busier day but overall I felt like things went well and I am growing great bonds with all my mentors.
Wednesday March 11, 2015- 7:45 am-3:00 pm
--I sat in on three different surgeries today. One of which took three hours. The first was a laparoscopy cholecystectomy with an older woman which is the removal of the gall bladder. The second was a vein location and stripping procedure on a man (3 hour) and was interesting because they had to perform on 5-6 different spots. This is performed on the varicose vein which is a large and often tangled vein which can prevent blood flow. The last surgery I was only able to sit i on the beginning part; however, it was a spinal procedure on an older woman with severe pain. I was not fully entitled to what they were doing as the anesthesiologist I was working with was teaching me about what platelets are and how they function. I enjoyed today particularly because I got to work with two more new doctors that I haven't had the opportunity to get to know.
Total hours week two: 20
Monday March 16, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- I was over in the ASC yesterday, otherwise known as Animas Surgical Center which does things a little differently in the OR and sends it's patients home the same day. The first surgery I observed was a shoulder arthroscopy rotator cuff repair. This is where a camera is inserted through an incision to examine tears that may be inside the shoulder and that is where the surgeons found the rotator cuff tear. The second surgery I sat in on was a left dorsal wrist hardware removal. The patient had plates and screws inserted after fracturing his wrist and the duration of time the plates were inserted is not necessarily safe. They cut his tendons open which required repairment of those as well. My final observation was on a younger man who had a distal radius fracture (forearm). I would have to say this was one of my most interesting days as I was in a new part of the hospital as well as new surgeries.
Tuesday March 17, 2015-7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today I got started right as I showed up on a total right hip resurfacing. The difference between that and a replacement is that the total hip is that they replace all the main components of the hip like the ball in the acetabulum and the piece in the femur. In the resurfacing they only do the acetabulum piece. Then we went right into a partial knee replacement where half the patella was smooth and the other was shredded so a metal plate was inserted. The last one was on the back and I switched between that and a total knee replacement. I did not get to see either completed before I left but I overall enjoyed the people I got to work with.
Wednesday March 18, 2015-9:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was the second to last day of my internship as well as one of the busiest I got to attend in the ASC. I started my first surgery at 9 due to an appt earlier that morning. This surgery was a right shoulder scope rotator cuff repair. For this specific surgery the patient had to be sat up in sitting position and examined with a camera to find the tear. Then right after Doctor McCallum and I went to prepare a right knee scope with partial medial meniscectomy, the removal of a meniscus tear. The last surgery I sat in on in the ASC was a right middle finger extensor tendon tenolysis and hardware removal. This was a repeat surgery for a man of middle age to try to get his tendons to stretch more then they were because the hardware was damaging them. My mentor soon left after that and I decided to stay for awhile longer and sit in on a surgery in Mercy with a colleague that involved removing the acetabulum.
Thursday March 19, 2015-7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was the last day of my internship and it didn't fully hit me until my mentor told me goodbye, he was on call so there wasn't much going on or that I could observe because they weren't until later in the day. But I started out in the OB, watching him perform a labor epidural to relieve the pain of a woman having contractions. After that we went back to the main OR and I sat in on a 4 hour laparoscopic sigmoid resection, otherwise known as a colon removal. This surgery was extensive but it had to be one of my favorites because I got to see something I hadn't yet in the OR and I was more tied into the action. The anesthesiologist I was following allowed me to work the microstimulator. This device shocks a patient neurologically to see if they are paralyzed or not and in this specific case it was critical that the patient remained still. After that I walked around with my main mentor for awhile since he was on call and he had to go into PACU for a follow up on a patient who had surgery several weeks ago. Then he released me to go and as I left I went into the physicians lounge and one of the surgeons, Doctor Orndorff, told me that if I ever wanted to do another rotation during the summer, to feel free to call him.
Overall, I feel as if this internship was a once in a lifetime for several reasons. As such a young student and someone who thought she knew what she wanted to do, this opened up my thoughts to so many more paths I could take. It allowed me to learn about things that many people wouldn't learn until they were in college, even if it was just the basics; and I formed bonds with people that have made a huge impact on my life in just three short weeks. Everybody at the hospital was so welcoming and kind and were always offering something whether that was knowledge, lunch, or just being humorous. The reason I say humorous is because once you get to know these people you may find them to be just like you or your peers at the teenage year(s). If I had to rate this experience, I would say think about it. There are no numbers needed, the medical field is such a great environment to be a a part of because you learn so much about yourself and others and what this world could be like if we all worked together. It is intense, and it is't for everybody, but everything deserves a chance in my mind. It was so hard to leave, but I know I will be back and I cannot thank all the doctors and my teachers who helped make this possible.
Monday March 02, 2015- 7:00 am- 3:00 pm.
--Today was the first day of the LINK internships. My mentor, the chief of anesthesiology showed me around the OR and introduced me to several of the nurses and surgeons. We also sat in on 2 different surgeries and one examination. The first surgery was on a woman who had breast CA in her left breast. The second surgery was spinal surgery on a man. The examination included checking the urethra of a man. I felt for my first day I got to know the OR pertty well and what was expected of me as an intern.
Tuesday March 03, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today I shadowed a different anesthesiologist at Mercy and we observed 3 types of surgeries. The first surgery was on a woman of elder age who was getting a right total knee replacement. The second surgery was on a woman of middle age who was getting a right total hip replacement. The third and final surgery was a bilateral knee replacement, which means both knees; this type of surgery must be performed quickly as anesthetics tend to wear off about part way through the second knee. My mentor today taught me about a femoral nerve block and what the technique and anatomy of that is; the femoral nerve block is an anesthetic that relieves pain post surgery and also helps with the numbing beneath the hip. It is performed near the groin. Also, in my shadowing experience we went over local anesthetic mechanisms and how they work which is by blocking the NA+ channels.
Wednesday March 04, 2015- 8:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was a slow day at the hospital. I sat in the office for the first 3 hours of my day and worked on my research project for the LINK exhibition. Then I got to sit in on an epidural as well as a carpal tunnel surgery. I also observed the beginning of a rod placement in the knee of a patient and watched them do x rays. Overall I was happy with the way the day went and got to meet more then one of the anesthesiologists I will be working with as LINK continues. I got plenty of work done and am starting to familiarize myself with the work environment.
Thursday March 05, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today I sat in on two types of fusion surgeries as well as one Caesarean section. The fusion surgeries were very intriguing yet you could not see much; however, the C Section fascinated me as I got to sit in close on that one. The nurses who were in there explained to me the process and the pace they must perform the surgery at as it is critical to the baby and mothers life. So far I believe this was my favorite experience in LINK and I'm learning to the best of my ability as my mentor has been doing pop quizzes on me.
Total Hours Week One: 31
Monday March 09, 2015- 7:00 am-11:00 am
--Today was a short day for me as there was only going to be one surgery I could to sit in on. My mentor would be working that case all day and he said because there wasn't going to be much else going on to report back the next morning. The surgery I sat in on was a robotic prostate removal in an older male. The robot is a machine with 5-6 arms and is controlled through a computer like machine where the surgeon uses fake hands to control the movements. I also learned about different types of college courses I could take if I was going to pursue multiple different careers in medicine.
Tuesday March 10, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
--Today started out with follow ups on a recent amputee patients as well as a mother who gave birth. Follow ups require the anesthesiologist to do post op notes. Then I observed a surgery removing a hernia in the lower stomach, upper pelvis and was quizzed on American History as well as the structure of the heart. The last surgery I sat in on today was one with an older man who was getting nodes removed from his upper pelvis area. Tomorrow will be a busier day but overall I felt like things went well and I am growing great bonds with all my mentors.
Wednesday March 11, 2015- 7:45 am-3:00 pm
--I sat in on three different surgeries today. One of which took three hours. The first was a laparoscopy cholecystectomy with an older woman which is the removal of the gall bladder. The second was a vein location and stripping procedure on a man (3 hour) and was interesting because they had to perform on 5-6 different spots. This is performed on the varicose vein which is a large and often tangled vein which can prevent blood flow. The last surgery I was only able to sit i on the beginning part; however, it was a spinal procedure on an older woman with severe pain. I was not fully entitled to what they were doing as the anesthesiologist I was working with was teaching me about what platelets are and how they function. I enjoyed today particularly because I got to work with two more new doctors that I haven't had the opportunity to get to know.
Total hours week two: 20
Monday March 16, 2015- 7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- I was over in the ASC yesterday, otherwise known as Animas Surgical Center which does things a little differently in the OR and sends it's patients home the same day. The first surgery I observed was a shoulder arthroscopy rotator cuff repair. This is where a camera is inserted through an incision to examine tears that may be inside the shoulder and that is where the surgeons found the rotator cuff tear. The second surgery I sat in on was a left dorsal wrist hardware removal. The patient had plates and screws inserted after fracturing his wrist and the duration of time the plates were inserted is not necessarily safe. They cut his tendons open which required repairment of those as well. My final observation was on a younger man who had a distal radius fracture (forearm). I would have to say this was one of my most interesting days as I was in a new part of the hospital as well as new surgeries.
Tuesday March 17, 2015-7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today I got started right as I showed up on a total right hip resurfacing. The difference between that and a replacement is that the total hip is that they replace all the main components of the hip like the ball in the acetabulum and the piece in the femur. In the resurfacing they only do the acetabulum piece. Then we went right into a partial knee replacement where half the patella was smooth and the other was shredded so a metal plate was inserted. The last one was on the back and I switched between that and a total knee replacement. I did not get to see either completed before I left but I overall enjoyed the people I got to work with.
Wednesday March 18, 2015-9:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was the second to last day of my internship as well as one of the busiest I got to attend in the ASC. I started my first surgery at 9 due to an appt earlier that morning. This surgery was a right shoulder scope rotator cuff repair. For this specific surgery the patient had to be sat up in sitting position and examined with a camera to find the tear. Then right after Doctor McCallum and I went to prepare a right knee scope with partial medial meniscectomy, the removal of a meniscus tear. The last surgery I sat in on in the ASC was a right middle finger extensor tendon tenolysis and hardware removal. This was a repeat surgery for a man of middle age to try to get his tendons to stretch more then they were because the hardware was damaging them. My mentor soon left after that and I decided to stay for awhile longer and sit in on a surgery in Mercy with a colleague that involved removing the acetabulum.
Thursday March 19, 2015-7:00 am-3:00 pm
-- Today was the last day of my internship and it didn't fully hit me until my mentor told me goodbye, he was on call so there wasn't much going on or that I could observe because they weren't until later in the day. But I started out in the OB, watching him perform a labor epidural to relieve the pain of a woman having contractions. After that we went back to the main OR and I sat in on a 4 hour laparoscopic sigmoid resection, otherwise known as a colon removal. This surgery was extensive but it had to be one of my favorites because I got to see something I hadn't yet in the OR and I was more tied into the action. The anesthesiologist I was following allowed me to work the microstimulator. This device shocks a patient neurologically to see if they are paralyzed or not and in this specific case it was critical that the patient remained still. After that I walked around with my main mentor for awhile since he was on call and he had to go into PACU for a follow up on a patient who had surgery several weeks ago. Then he released me to go and as I left I went into the physicians lounge and one of the surgeons, Doctor Orndorff, told me that if I ever wanted to do another rotation during the summer, to feel free to call him.
Overall, I feel as if this internship was a once in a lifetime for several reasons. As such a young student and someone who thought she knew what she wanted to do, this opened up my thoughts to so many more paths I could take. It allowed me to learn about things that many people wouldn't learn until they were in college, even if it was just the basics; and I formed bonds with people that have made a huge impact on my life in just three short weeks. Everybody at the hospital was so welcoming and kind and were always offering something whether that was knowledge, lunch, or just being humorous. The reason I say humorous is because once you get to know these people you may find them to be just like you or your peers at the teenage year(s). If I had to rate this experience, I would say think about it. There are no numbers needed, the medical field is such a great environment to be a a part of because you learn so much about yourself and others and what this world could be like if we all worked together. It is intense, and it is't for everybody, but everything deserves a chance in my mind. It was so hard to leave, but I know I will be back and I cannot thank all the doctors and my teachers who helped make this possible.