hey y'all,
got into so much trouble. In part because i'm so shy and quiet at times and i second guess myself a lot of times. And being so tired on top of it doesn't help either. I'm working on speaking up but not offending people.
So i get asked so many questions everyday and for the majority of the time, thankfully i manage to answer some of the questions right. But sometimes it requires a lot of thinking and reflecting or the preceptor has to stir me in the right direction. Some things are just not at the tip of my tongue.
So the other day, was so tired and sleep deprived and i got asked some basic doses and for the life of me, my brain was in sleep mode and just couldn't function. I drank coffee and anything i could to help but the tiredness would not go away. I was miserable and slow. And of course, people dont remember your good days, they remember your bad ones. So one preceptor basically labeled me as not knowing basic anesthesia stuff and not caring.
I mean i do care but that day i was so exhausted and slow. I swear, i couldn't move, i was in a twilite zone, and thats called sleep deprivation. Whatever, lesson learned, i'm sleeping earlier now.
See, there are advantages and disadvantage of front-loaded and intergrated programs. I met some students from the intergrated programs. And to be honest, they feel much more comfortable then i am in the OR now because they've been there since the beginning.
But, they've said how challenging it can be at times because they'll have a patient with a coexisting disease and they havent taken co exixting class yet and it can be difficult to intergrade coexisting disease into the anesthesia plan if they havent done it yet.
With me in the frontloaded program, i already know all that stuff but i have to constantly review because some of these classes i took in september and the material is just not on the tip of my tongue and i have go back and review. But, as far as clinicals i'm catching up to the intergrated people because i have clinicals 4 days a week and they have it 1 day a week. And what i learned today, i can practice again over the next three days. The intergrated people have to wait another 7 days to practice again what they have learned today and thats what frustrated them at the beginning. And when they come back, they tend to forget what they learned the week before. But there up to 2 days a week now but a shorter clinical day then i have.
So, in the end no program is perfect.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The weeks of up and downs.
Hey y'all,
this past week wasn't one of my proudest weeks. yeah, your definitely going to have ups and downs, highs and lows but you just have to keep on tract with what your doing. And remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Definitely, talking to your classmates helps a lot too. And its comforting to know that you are not the only one having really great days and some bad ones too. This past week was pretty intense and having a really tough and mean preceptor doesn't really help your cause but.....what can you do? just do your best and put it everything you have. And again, I'm so glad that one of our professors brought up the topic of having 2nd toughs about doing this anesthesia thing. its a normal reaction because 1) your sell shocked the first week and everything just seems overwhelming and 2) you are transitioning into this new role. You dont have that crutch anymore of running to the resident it is your decision now.
So, its a normal reaction and i'm glad that i wasn't the only one feeling this way. And at the end of class, he just said to give it a couple of more semesters and if anyone of us is still having doubts then thats when action should be taken on our part. Honestly y'all, i love anesthesia and i already see myself settling into this new role and i should be fine.
Anyways, let me tell y'all about a few more cases i had. I still can't believe that i intubated a couple of kids already. I mean, i havent done my peds rotation yet and i'm now learning peds in the classroom. Anyhow, i was so nervous. First off, we did an inhalation induction that put the kid to sleep. I overpressured my sevoflurane to 8% and i have a mixture of oxygen and n2O 30/70%. I stuck the mask on the kid's face and that little guy was out like a light in a matter of 1 minute. The fact that the little guy was crying actually helped the induction go faster. Then after he was out, my preceptor started the IV while i stared ventilating the little guy all the while my eyes were glued to his vitals signs and watching his little chest rise. Then we induced him with a little propofol while i turned down my sevoflurane (avoiding overdosing here). I gave a couple of more breaths then i was reading to intubate. This little munchkin was like 3-4 years old.
Guys, as i reached for my laryngoscope and blade i literally felt my pulse shoot up and i swear i began sweating. I just took a nice deep breath, cranks his little head back, scissor his mouth open with my right hand. Inserted the blade with the left hand all the way to the right of the mouth. Swept the tongue to the left and lifted up and pointed my laryngoscope towards the clock anchored on the wall of the OR. And voila!!!!!! I had the best view ever so far!!!!!! i had a full grade one view!!!!I told my preceptor what i saw, kept my eyes on the cords. He handed me the ETT and i inserted the RAE ETT pass the cord, inflated the ballon, attached the ETT to my circuit, check for condensation in the tube, looked for ETCO2 on the monitor, listened for breath sounds and we were ready. I turned my ventilator on, double checked to see if my sevo was on, double checked the settings on the vent (i set the settings up before the patient came into the room) and then we positing him for surgery. off course we did a lot more after that before the time out, but surgery was smooth and emergence wasn't that bad. But when the kid came back to it, OH BOY!!!! he was not happy. He was out of control, he nearly sucker pushed me in the face!!! Man, those little guys are strong i was holding him down on the stretcher while someone else was pushing the stretcher. But overall, it was a great experience and i wouldn't mind doing more kids for anesthesia.
We did a couple of more kids after that but they were not wild on emergence like the first kid. But, you know what? peds anesthesia is not bad you know. I know i said i really liked regional anesthesia but peds anesthesia is definitely in the running as far as what i would like to do after this program is over.
Peds anesthesia.....we'll see
peace out y'all
this past week wasn't one of my proudest weeks. yeah, your definitely going to have ups and downs, highs and lows but you just have to keep on tract with what your doing. And remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Definitely, talking to your classmates helps a lot too. And its comforting to know that you are not the only one having really great days and some bad ones too. This past week was pretty intense and having a really tough and mean preceptor doesn't really help your cause but.....what can you do? just do your best and put it everything you have. And again, I'm so glad that one of our professors brought up the topic of having 2nd toughs about doing this anesthesia thing. its a normal reaction because 1) your sell shocked the first week and everything just seems overwhelming and 2) you are transitioning into this new role. You dont have that crutch anymore of running to the resident it is your decision now.
So, its a normal reaction and i'm glad that i wasn't the only one feeling this way. And at the end of class, he just said to give it a couple of more semesters and if anyone of us is still having doubts then thats when action should be taken on our part. Honestly y'all, i love anesthesia and i already see myself settling into this new role and i should be fine.
Anyways, let me tell y'all about a few more cases i had. I still can't believe that i intubated a couple of kids already. I mean, i havent done my peds rotation yet and i'm now learning peds in the classroom. Anyhow, i was so nervous. First off, we did an inhalation induction that put the kid to sleep. I overpressured my sevoflurane to 8% and i have a mixture of oxygen and n2O 30/70%. I stuck the mask on the kid's face and that little guy was out like a light in a matter of 1 minute. The fact that the little guy was crying actually helped the induction go faster. Then after he was out, my preceptor started the IV while i stared ventilating the little guy all the while my eyes were glued to his vitals signs and watching his little chest rise. Then we induced him with a little propofol while i turned down my sevoflurane (avoiding overdosing here). I gave a couple of more breaths then i was reading to intubate. This little munchkin was like 3-4 years old.
Guys, as i reached for my laryngoscope and blade i literally felt my pulse shoot up and i swear i began sweating. I just took a nice deep breath, cranks his little head back, scissor his mouth open with my right hand. Inserted the blade with the left hand all the way to the right of the mouth. Swept the tongue to the left and lifted up and pointed my laryngoscope towards the clock anchored on the wall of the OR. And voila!!!!!! I had the best view ever so far!!!!!! i had a full grade one view!!!!I told my preceptor what i saw, kept my eyes on the cords. He handed me the ETT and i inserted the RAE ETT pass the cord, inflated the ballon, attached the ETT to my circuit, check for condensation in the tube, looked for ETCO2 on the monitor, listened for breath sounds and we were ready. I turned my ventilator on, double checked to see if my sevo was on, double checked the settings on the vent (i set the settings up before the patient came into the room) and then we positing him for surgery. off course we did a lot more after that before the time out, but surgery was smooth and emergence wasn't that bad. But when the kid came back to it, OH BOY!!!! he was not happy. He was out of control, he nearly sucker pushed me in the face!!! Man, those little guys are strong i was holding him down on the stretcher while someone else was pushing the stretcher. But overall, it was a great experience and i wouldn't mind doing more kids for anesthesia.
We did a couple of more kids after that but they were not wild on emergence like the first kid. But, you know what? peds anesthesia is not bad you know. I know i said i really liked regional anesthesia but peds anesthesia is definitely in the running as far as what i would like to do after this program is over.
Peds anesthesia.....we'll see
peace out y'all
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hey Y'all
hey y'all,
sorry for the late update. The first month of clinicals is really difficult, more difficult then i expected. I was just having trouble juggling things and fixing up my schedule to make time to blog. Its been a month now and i think that i've finally gotten a hang of it.
The first few weeks were really hard actually. The hardest part for me personally is just getting use to so many different personalities at clinicals. So far, i've had about 13 preceptors and each one thinks they are better then the next. And as soon as you've picked up a few tips from one preceptor, another one comes along and tells you that your doing things wrong and this is how you do it. Get the picture!!!
Anyways, i've learn not to focus on that aspect but instead pick up ideas here and there from each one and incorporate what i've learned from each into my practice. There are so many ways of doing anesthesia. And frankly, the hardest part if it all is emerging a patient from anesthesia. Wow!!!! Landing that plane after a smooth ride is not that easy. EVERYONE of the preceptor i've had so far does emergence differently.
Anyways, let me tell you about a few cases i've had so far.
lets see!!!hmmm
I had a brain aneurysm my 2nd week of clinicals. And you guys should have seen the looks on my classmates faces when i told them. Pure shock!!!!
i'm a novice after all. i've read what do in those situations but haven't put it into practice. lets just say that i was working like a dog. I had no idea what my assignment was going to be. We had just finished a case and my preceptor and i were walking and talking and mingling. Of course he was quizzing me about anesthesia stuff and all. His phone rings, he gives me this awful look and says " i know your new at this but we have to take this assignment, just do the best that you can, under normal circumstances you would never get this assignment on your 2nd week but we have no choice."
It wasnt too bad actually. In the beginning my preceptor and i were running around like crazy in the room setting up, gathering supplies for the worse case scenario. It was pretty intense the first hour and half. We actually went up to the unit to pick the patient. Brought he/she down and performed anesthesia. the patient survived and i learned a lot that day.
I had a number of laparoscopic robotic assisted surgeries. Those i find bizzar because the surgeon is literally sitting in the corner of the room controlling this robot. And frankly, the surgeon looks like a big kid playing a video game. He takes off his shoes and he literally looks like a big kid playing a video game. I mean, i know this is serious stuff. But men, this guy was having way way way too much fun for me at that corner.
I had a couple of bowel obstruction cases. Those were done with rapid sequence induction.
OOpps!!! look at the time.....i have clinicals in the morning.....i'll tell you guys more later.
peace out
sorry for the late update. The first month of clinicals is really difficult, more difficult then i expected. I was just having trouble juggling things and fixing up my schedule to make time to blog. Its been a month now and i think that i've finally gotten a hang of it.
The first few weeks were really hard actually. The hardest part for me personally is just getting use to so many different personalities at clinicals. So far, i've had about 13 preceptors and each one thinks they are better then the next. And as soon as you've picked up a few tips from one preceptor, another one comes along and tells you that your doing things wrong and this is how you do it. Get the picture!!!
Anyways, i've learn not to focus on that aspect but instead pick up ideas here and there from each one and incorporate what i've learned from each into my practice. There are so many ways of doing anesthesia. And frankly, the hardest part if it all is emerging a patient from anesthesia. Wow!!!! Landing that plane after a smooth ride is not that easy. EVERYONE of the preceptor i've had so far does emergence differently.
Anyways, let me tell you about a few cases i've had so far.
lets see!!!hmmm
I had a brain aneurysm my 2nd week of clinicals. And you guys should have seen the looks on my classmates faces when i told them. Pure shock!!!!
i'm a novice after all. i've read what do in those situations but haven't put it into practice. lets just say that i was working like a dog. I had no idea what my assignment was going to be. We had just finished a case and my preceptor and i were walking and talking and mingling. Of course he was quizzing me about anesthesia stuff and all. His phone rings, he gives me this awful look and says " i know your new at this but we have to take this assignment, just do the best that you can, under normal circumstances you would never get this assignment on your 2nd week but we have no choice."
It wasnt too bad actually. In the beginning my preceptor and i were running around like crazy in the room setting up, gathering supplies for the worse case scenario. It was pretty intense the first hour and half. We actually went up to the unit to pick the patient. Brought he/she down and performed anesthesia. the patient survived and i learned a lot that day.
I had a number of laparoscopic robotic assisted surgeries. Those i find bizzar because the surgeon is literally sitting in the corner of the room controlling this robot. And frankly, the surgeon looks like a big kid playing a video game. He takes off his shoes and he literally looks like a big kid playing a video game. I mean, i know this is serious stuff. But men, this guy was having way way way too much fun for me at that corner.
I had a couple of bowel obstruction cases. Those were done with rapid sequence induction.
OOpps!!! look at the time.....i have clinicals in the morning.....i'll tell you guys more later.
peace out
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