So I finally got into the groove of Surgery and being on my team, only to have 4 weeks fly by and then have to switch teams yesterday. That really gets my goat, because I feel like this entire process of third year has been like that. Finally get comfortable and "good" on one rotation and then all of a sudden, time's up and you're on to the next one. Anyway, I'm now on a team that's comprised of all women- which is both empowering (I sort of expected there to be more guys) and terrifying (too much estrogen is hazardous to your health). So it's a whole new system to learn but fortunately, the other students on the team have been great about showing me the ropes so it hasn't been 100% terrible. Four more weeks of General Surgery including this one and then 2 weeks of SICU, a week of Hand, and a week of Urology and I'll be dunzo. CAN'T WAIT.
I finally got pimped in the middle of the hemi-thyroidectomy I scrubbed into yesterday. It was long overdue I suppose. And while I managed to rattle off the blood supply and origins to the thyroid (thank you Surgical Recall!), naming all the branches of the subclavian artery and the fact that the strap muscles contain both the superior AND the inferior bellies of the omohyoid escaped me. Oops. It is truly incredible how much one can sweat in the middle of an otherwise freezing cold OR.
Also, coolest thing seen to date- on call last night I got to see a TMA, or total metatarsal amputation. Pt was a poorly controlled diabetic with crazy looking toes. And by crazy, I mean "dead." Ulcers, wet gangrene, pus, the works. The scene in the OR was straight outta Saw, sans the dark corners, creepy music, and murderous dude. So much blood, and I still can't get the sound of cracking bone out of my head. Surgery definitely has its fascinating moments and I enjoy them as much as I can, but I can unequivocally say that it's not the field for me. I like seeing my patients preferably when their insides are not splayed open on the table in front of me.
On an unrelated note, I went back to the hospital where I did my IM rotation to pick up some stuff I had left behind, and man alive did I miss it. It's inevitable that I make the comparisons between where I was and where I am now and Medicine just seems like so much more of a lively field to me. It's intense in its own way, and of course it comes with its own set of challenges, but I'm definitely looking forward to going back after Surgery is done. 8 weeks left! Hopefully it goes as fast as the first 4!
I can't think of a single reason why I should be a doctor, but I can think of a thousand reasons why I should quit. They make it hard on purpose. There are lives in our hands. There comes a moment when it's more than just a game, and you either take that step forward or turn around and walk away. I could quit but here's the thing, I love the playing field. [MG]
1 comment:
That is disgusting (the amputation), but I'm glad you have the cajones to do what you do. Pretty cool, though!
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