Seeing as this is the end of my first orthopedic surgery rotation, it seems fitting that I do a run-down of the past 2 weeks:
Number of weeks in rotation: 2
Number of patients seen: well over 100 (I lost count on day 2)
Number of surgeries: 15
Number of new sutures learned: 1 (the horizontal mattress stitch is pretty awesome if you don't wan't a huge scar when they come out!)
Number of solo intra-joint injections performed: 1!!! (By far, the most exciting part of my day today!!!)
I wish I could say that being so stubborn and set in my ways will change after such an incredible, eye-opening experience, but due to the fact that I am so stubborn, I don't think that will happen. But, I can definitely say that this has, by far, been the best 2 weeks of my training thus far! I was so lucky to have such a fantastic teacher in my preceptor, who took the time that I needed to learn, and gain something from each experience.
I must say that learning about orthopedics in lecture and actually experiencing it first-hand is so different; I always thought that I could never imagine seeking a career in orthopedic surgery, because sitting in lecture, learning about how bone growth happens, and the types of bone pathologies on paper can become very tedious and boring.
However, in the clinic, when I was actually able to see the effects of these pathologies, and how they affect patients' lives, and the evidence of everything as seen on x-rays, MRI and CT imaging studies, in addition to the very hands-on nature of their assessment and treatment, my opinion totally changed. I loved the balance between seeing patients in clinic, and the ability to scrub into surgery, and have the procedural component included in there.
I am pretty sure that after this experience, I don't know how any other rotations will be able to live up to this one, and how challenging and fun it has been. I have been so surprised by how the things I have been so enthralled by in the classroom have turned out to not interest me as much in clinic, and the things that I never would have considered beforehand based on my classroom experiences have me thinking about the possibility of long-term career goals. I can honestly say that this has been the best summer I can remember in my entire life, with the combination of fantastic clinical experiences, wonderful (and much-needed) time off from the world of academia, and the chance to explore my place in medicine.
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Friday, July 29, 2011
Orthopedic surgery, round 1 run-down
Seeing as this is the end of my first orthopedic surgery rotation, it seems fitting that I do a run-down of the past 2 weeks:
Number of weeks in rotation: 2
Number of patients seen: well over 100 (I lost count on day 2)
Number of surgeries: 15
Number of new sutures learned: 1 (the horizontal mattress stitch is pretty awesome if you don't wan't a huge scar when they come out!)
Number of solo intra-joint injections performed: 1!!! (By far, the most exciting part of my day today!!!)
I wish I could say that being so stubborn and set in my ways will change after such an incredible, eye-opening experience, but due to the fact that I am so stubborn, I don't think that will happen. But, I can definitely say that this has, by far, been the best 2 weeks of my training thus far! I was so lucky to have such a fantastic teacher in my preceptor, who took the time that I needed to learn, and gain something from each experience.
I must say that learning about orthopedics in lecture and actually experiencing it first-hand is so different; I always thought that I could never imagine seeking a career in orthopedic surgery, because sitting in lecture, learning about how bone growth happens, and the types of bone pathologies on paper can become very tedious and boring.
However, in the clinic, when I was actually able to see the effects of these pathologies, and how they affect patients' lives, and the evidence of everything as seen on x-rays, MRI and CT imaging studies, in addition to the very hands-on nature of their assessment and treatment, my opinion totally changed. I loved the balance between seeing patients in clinic, and the ability to scrub into surgery, and have the procedural component included in there.
I am pretty sure that after this experience, I don't know how any other rotations will be able to live up to this one, and how challenging and fun it has been. I have been so surprised by how the things I have been so enthralled by in the classroom have turned out to not interest me as much in clinic, and the things that I never would have considered beforehand based on my classroom experiences have me thinking about the possibility of long-term career goals. I can honestly say that this has been the best summer I can remember in my entire life, with the combination of fantastic clinical experiences, wonderful (and much-needed) time off from the world of academia, and the chance to explore my place in medicine.
Number of weeks in rotation: 2
Number of patients seen: well over 100 (I lost count on day 2)
Number of surgeries: 15
Number of new sutures learned: 1 (the horizontal mattress stitch is pretty awesome if you don't wan't a huge scar when they come out!)
Number of solo intra-joint injections performed: 1!!! (By far, the most exciting part of my day today!!!)
I wish I could say that being so stubborn and set in my ways will change after such an incredible, eye-opening experience, but due to the fact that I am so stubborn, I don't think that will happen. But, I can definitely say that this has, by far, been the best 2 weeks of my training thus far! I was so lucky to have such a fantastic teacher in my preceptor, who took the time that I needed to learn, and gain something from each experience.
I must say that learning about orthopedics in lecture and actually experiencing it first-hand is so different; I always thought that I could never imagine seeking a career in orthopedic surgery, because sitting in lecture, learning about how bone growth happens, and the types of bone pathologies on paper can become very tedious and boring.
However, in the clinic, when I was actually able to see the effects of these pathologies, and how they affect patients' lives, and the evidence of everything as seen on x-rays, MRI and CT imaging studies, in addition to the very hands-on nature of their assessment and treatment, my opinion totally changed. I loved the balance between seeing patients in clinic, and the ability to scrub into surgery, and have the procedural component included in there.
I am pretty sure that after this experience, I don't know how any other rotations will be able to live up to this one, and how challenging and fun it has been. I have been so surprised by how the things I have been so enthralled by in the classroom have turned out to not interest me as much in clinic, and the things that I never would have considered beforehand based on my classroom experiences have me thinking about the possibility of long-term career goals. I can honestly say that this has been the best summer I can remember in my entire life, with the combination of fantastic clinical experiences, wonderful (and much-needed) time off from the world of academia, and the chance to explore my place in medicine.
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So, it's been half a year since you tracked that orthopedic count, huh? I'm sure you picked up a lot of lessons from your experiences with the patients you helped. Once you become a new doctor, I hope our paths would cross. =)
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