So far this is my favorite rotation and I knew it would be, simply because I get to see, cut on, suction out and sew up patient's insides. You all know what a freak I am about doing the gross stuff and this rotation is maxing out the gross factor for me, today I had poo on my shoe... and I couldn't be happier :)
The surgeons and PA I'm working with are all extremely friendly, nice, helpful and informative, answer all my questions (even the dumb ones) without making me feel like an idiot. What's even better is the OR nurses are super nice too! In the OR the scrub nurse is the boss, if you touch, move, turn wrong and become "unsterile" she's all over you. Luckily I haven't done anything that has warranted a chastising. One of the nurses even said I "look comfortable in the OR" I was so proud that I fake it so well ;)
During surgery on my first day I developed a tickle in the back of my throat (fortunately we had discussed what to do in this situation during our practice day in school). So I stepped back from the table to cough and as I did everyone in the room stopped and turned to look at me. I'm sure they were watching to see if I was going to faint or vomit or something. So when I coughed they all turned back to what they were doing, it was funny and at the same time extremely unsettling to have the eyes of the entire OR staring at you waiting for you to crash and burn.
I also did "rounds" for the first time on Friday, I was supposed to be in the office observing post-op appointments but the Dr. decided I wasn't going to learn anything from a few patients with no complications, so sent me over to the hospital to "pre round" on the patients that had been admitted. Now I've never done rounds before, the rounds in Browning were...... let's just say extremely informal, so I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I figured I'd just wing it. Lucky for me at least one of my presentations was "good" so I'm going to consider that an overall win. :)
At the end of my first week I've seen a Laproscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal with cameras) Breast cancer lumpectomy, Hernia repairs (inguinal and umbilical - groin/belly button) Hemicolectomy (small section of colon removed) Sigmoid colectomy (last part of the colon before the rectum) and a couple skin lesion's removed. I've gotten to feel tumors, colon, small bowel, gall bladder, gall stones, nerves, lymph nodes, and liver. The last surgery today I got to suture up the three holes made for the "ports" used during the laproscopic portion of the sigmoid colon resection. I've been told by all the surgeons and the PA that pretty soon I'll be doing closing, writing the post op orders for in-patient and outpatient surgical procedures. I'm pretty excited and I can't wait to do more. For now I'll continue to practice my subcuticular suturing technique, so when the time finally comes I'll be ready to roll.
