Anesthesia

Today marks the end of my anesthesia roatation. During the past month, I was always at the operating room helping administer Bupivacaine and Midazolam to patients who were about to undergo herniorraphy or C-section. I experienced tapping the subarachnoid space several times (although some were traummatic, hehe) and delivering the anesthetic agent. I also experienced intubating for the first time but I must admit I still lack the suave moves in doing so. I guess the past month was a productive one because I learned a lot!

Yes, during the past month I'm a full-pledged "anesth" (short for anesthesia) intern. But aside from the technical stuffs, I'm also reminded during my stay at the anesthesia department of the little things a doctor like me should learn.

I learned how to be more humane and talk nicely to a nervous patient who's about to go under the knife, especially to an elderly or a child. To try to understand their intense anxiety and make them feel comfortable as much as possible before their procedure.

I saw the value of being nice to the OR staff (or any hospital staff for that matter), because they are the ones who will make your life easy as a doctor.

And, finally, being an "anesth" intern reminded me to be an honest doctor. Being in a position of authority requires one to keep his integrity intact. It's pretty hard to do, but not impossible.