3 intubations yesterday...all failed. I keep telling myself that this is a very hard skill to learn and its going to take a lot of practice. I voiced my frustrations to a friend also going into EM and he said
"It's easily the most difficult and dangerous procedure we do in the ED. That said, we're what, 2 months into our ER careers? We've got another 4 years of training to iron this skill out, and another 30 or so to perfect it. Sometimes we have to make sure our expectations are in line with our limited amount of experience."
This made me feel a lot better. I guess my concern is that the doc I am working with doesnt give me a whole lotta time to troubleshoot. Once i get in and fumble for about 10 seconds, he immediately takes over to 'show me how to do it.' Its very frustrating because i never really know what i am doing wrong each time. Intubating is a skill that has to be done right, quickly, everytime or else the patient dies. We sedate them then paralyze every muscle in their body. If we do not bag them and 'breathe for them' they die. If we do not get the tube into the right spot and ventilate them, they desaturate and die. Its a stressful 30 seconds and I am trying very hard to not be frustrated with myself for not doing it correctly yet.
But, I have plenty of time to learn...
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
PACU
Kid coming out of anesthesia:
"I didn't throw up on anyone did I?"
I reassured him, he did not.
"I didn't throw up on anyone did I?"
I reassured him, he did not.
Residency Application In!!
Submitted ERAS!! Finished my personal statement. Thats it! My residency application has been submitted and now I wait...and wait...and wait. Waiting for an email from residency programs wanting to interview me. Its the medical school application process allllll over again.
Difference is, I went on 3 interviews for med school. This fall and winter, I hope to get at least 15 interviews. thats 15 flights, 15 hotel rooms. 15 minimum, the more the better. Thats a lotta money....but hey, i shouldnt spare any expense at this point in my career right?
AOA [osteopathic] programs start looking at applications earlier than ACGME [MD programs]. Right now, I have applied to 13 osteopathic programs and when the MD programs open up to applications, I will apply to a lot more of them.
Here goes!!
Difference is, I went on 3 interviews for med school. This fall and winter, I hope to get at least 15 interviews. thats 15 flights, 15 hotel rooms. 15 minimum, the more the better. Thats a lotta money....but hey, i shouldnt spare any expense at this point in my career right?
AOA [osteopathic] programs start looking at applications earlier than ACGME [MD programs]. Right now, I have applied to 13 osteopathic programs and when the MD programs open up to applications, I will apply to a lot more of them.
Here goes!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
OR Music
Let me tell you, if you go in for a surgery and there's music, and then when you wake up, someone has shut it off, that's Bad.
Friday, August 3, 2012
our lives
"I haven't watched tv since last summer." Really Olympic athlete? We should do one for med school. "I eat lunch each day in earshot of retching" or "I put my finger in a bum....everyday." Psssssh."
-Nikki
Surgery is so unpredictable
A case that started this morning at 7:30am did not end until 3pm. It was supposed to be a 2 hour case. It was a double procedure and started with taking out the ovaries of a women.
It was being done laparoscopically and as I watched the screen I gasped when i saw what looked like a big hairball next to the ovary. Well, it WAS a big hairball. It was a teratoma, a benign tumor that is from several different tissues and can range from anything like hair, teeth, endocrine tissue, etc. Gross.
After that, we closed her up and repositioned her. We had to take out one of her kidneys because it was non functional and was getting severely infected. This was only supposed to take a couple hours but things did not go according to plan. The patient received several blood transfusion during the surgery and after calling a couple surgeons in to help, everything was repaired and the patient did fine. Just goes to show you how in one second, things can change. Episodes like this help us to remember that things dont always go perfectly and though each day things may go smoothly, it just one second someone who potentially die.
It was being done laparoscopically and as I watched the screen I gasped when i saw what looked like a big hairball next to the ovary. Well, it WAS a big hairball. It was a teratoma, a benign tumor that is from several different tissues and can range from anything like hair, teeth, endocrine tissue, etc. Gross.
After that, we closed her up and repositioned her. We had to take out one of her kidneys because it was non functional and was getting severely infected. This was only supposed to take a couple hours but things did not go according to plan. The patient received several blood transfusion during the surgery and after calling a couple surgeons in to help, everything was repaired and the patient did fine. Just goes to show you how in one second, things can change. Episodes like this help us to remember that things dont always go perfectly and though each day things may go smoothly, it just one second someone who potentially die.
Pimping
Dr. G and I standing at bedside checking if an epidural is placed properly because the women in labor is still in pain. Multiple family members and nurse in the room:
"What is the biggest concern I have right now in this situation?" -Dr. G
"umm, i dont know... [thinking Dr. G is talking to her, looks at me with confusion]"
"Oh no honey, he is testing me. Trying to put me on the spot in front of all of you." -me
happy to say i got the question right.
"What is the biggest concern I have right now in this situation?" -Dr. G
"umm, i dont know... [thinking Dr. G is talking to her, looks at me with confusion]"
"Oh no honey, he is testing me. Trying to put me on the spot in front of all of you." -me
happy to say i got the question right.
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