I’ve been meaning to publish this post for ages but I’ve been really busy with my exams and crud like that. Screw you, not because I’m lazy…..well that may be partly the case. Anyway, quite some time back, I went to shadow an orthopedic surgeon. And it was probably one of the more interesting weeks of my life so far ;) I spent most of my time in the operation theater, helping to move patients from their beds to the operation table.  Closing the IV drip, talking to patients and other trivial stuff which could have been done (perhaps better) by an orangutan. Not to mention, making a complete fool of myself. And no, I’d rather not enlighten you on that topic. My cool points have been reduced so significantly  that they might as well give me a score of infinity on the dork scale. Back to the topic…

The clinical side of medicine is (for me at least) very intriguing. At the start of the day, I would follow the doctor on his rounds, meeting patients  with accidents, chronic problems and etc . It was really odd for me in his office, I felt completely out of place, sitting at one nearby corner next to him as he consulted his patients. Most of them didn’t seem to mind me being there but I felt like I was imposing the whole time. But apart from that, I thought that it was a really great experience, especially how vital communication skills are as it is used in extracting information for diagnosis.

Sorry for the blur picture, I took the picture of him (the orthopaedic surgeon) without him knowing. Hehe. Smooth like a ninja.

This is what I learned:

1.The importance of teamwork in the art and science of medicine.

Teamwork in medicine is not limited to just doctors, nurses, social workers and etc. Patients play an important role too!

2. How medicine is always evolving.

Evident from new surgical techniques  such as the laproscopy (key-hole surgery). With minor invasive surgeries like this, scars are minimised and the patient has shorter period of recovery. :)

3. How monoclonal antibodies are used for treatment and diagnosis.

The picture above is actually prostate tissue. The patient is suspected to have prostate cancer, since the tissues have spread towards his urethra, narrowing it down making it very difficult for him to urinate. Consequently, the urologist(a nice chap) had to cauterise  the excess tissue. He was even kind enough to sit down with me and  go through the anatomy of the urogenital system(I didn’t understand half the things he said but it was interesting nonetheless :P). He even told me how the PSA (prostate specific antigen) is used to confirm suspected prostate cancer cases.

3.What an anaesthetist  does.

Other than knocking the patients out, they also monitor the pH of the blood, partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide, systolic and diastolic pressure and the list goes on(correct me if I’m wrong). I’ve heard it’s a really difficult course as they learn more advanced physiology and pharmacology.

4. How it feels like I’m in a different world when surgeons operate.

It’s as if for this brief moment of time, the outside world has completely come to a halt . And all the focus is diverted onto the patient.  I guess it is sometimes true on how some doctors live in a world of their own. But still it’s for the right reasons, or something like that.

4. Not to stand so close to the surgical equipment.

Two surgical nurses yelled at me simultaneously as I got closer to take a few pictures, “OI!!!! Don’t touch it!!!” I don’t blame them actually since they had to go through the tedious task of sterilsing ALL off the equipment. They even had to sterilise that blue cloth. Having said that, a LOT of effort is put in order to ensure that the risk of  infection is reduced as much as possible.  Oh yeah, and the OT is cold like a freaking igloo.

5. I am not afraid of blood (at the moment).

Oddly enough, while some people even fear the sight of blood. I find myself liking its colour especially how it looks with the surgical lights on.  Perhaps, once I get the opportunity in med school of trying a few procedures then I’ll probably start hating it. I may find it a pleasant colour but it definitely wouldn’t be the same case if a patient dies  and it were on my hands!

6. That I do not get grossed out when I see a disemboweled patient.

There was one nurse who shot me a strange look when I asked if I could take a picture . Yea, even adults think I’m weird.  Going back on topic, the squishy thing above the intestines, which is the omentum,  is like an elastic bag/pouch which holds  the abdominal fat. Supposedly, the larger the size of someone’s omentum, the greater the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Interesting stuff!

7. That I definitely want to venture in a career in medicine.

Ultimately, this is a job that I can imagine myself doing for the rest of my life.