The highs:
Lot's of learning: managing ventilator patients, Hyponatremia protocols, calculating a FeNa, indications for exploratory laparotomies, ECMO, Normal pressure hydrocephalus, CIWA protocols, evaluating a trauma, and the list goes on and on...
Procedures to do: Inserting a foley catheter into a ruptured bladder with vaginal fistula, Retrograde urethragram, Femoral stick ABG, lots of sutures and stapling. helping with chest tubes, Arterial line and exploratory laparotomy.
Seeing really cool injuries - Giant scalp laceration I could stick my entire hand down, stab wound to the neck, unfortunate C-spine fractures with spinal cord involvement ( jury's out on future paralysis) fractured pelvis, subdural and subarachnoid hematoma's, X-ray of roofing nails from a nail gun to the chest and heart!!! (I didn't actually see this patient but the x-ray was pretty impressive by itself)
Super awesome preceptors, who are smart and fun and happy to teach.
the Low's:
Mostly consist of my own inner dialog berating myself for not knowing the answers to questions, (especially the one's I actually DO know but somehow fail me when under pressure).
and the worst
The Attending who's displeasure with me was palpable. First he ignores me, then asks my preceptor why I'm doing the ROS cause I "apparently don't know what's important". Then he tries to make me look like a fool because when I asked the patient "any surgeries" and they said "no" I foolishly reported a negative hx of surgeries, so he calls me out on it cause he knows the patient had some kind of abd surgery cause of a scar (which he found doing the PE, which only the Residents and Attending's do on a level I trauma) Yep that night was an all time low and I cried on the way home from the hospital in the morning. (luckily he's now on days and I have new Attendings who are AWESOME!!)
Overall trauma is shaping up to be every bit of the amazing rotation I thought it would be. I would love to work in trauma... someday but I think I'll need a few years under my belt before I feel confident enough to be there (I'm guessing less "impostor syndrome" anxiety for me).
