Once or twice a semester, we take a day of clinicals to do an OR rotation. Today was my day. I had really wanted to see an open heart operation, but there were no open heart cases on Fridays unless they were emergent, so...
I started off with a laparoscopic colecystectomy that I was told was going to be a laparotomy. From there, I went to get another case and was told that they didn't really have anything interesting and I should just wait around the nurses' station. So, I pushed until they let me go see a temporal artery biopsy. I think the surgeon didn't realize I was a student, because I ended up assisting by running the Doppler they were using.
After that I got a tour of the open heart operating room even though there weren't any procedures.
After lunch, the only things they had for me to see were a removal of a portacath and a haemorrhoid repair. During the repair, in which I assisted in a few very minor ways, the circulating RN said I was a lot more free than the other students who usually stand off to the side afraid. What can I say? I think growing up in a church and social circle that included doctors has made me a lot less intimidated by them than most nurses seem to be.
Anyhow, it wasn't the best day it could have been. The OR educator said I could come back on my own time to see an open heart procedure if I wanted, so I'm going to wait until this clinical rotation is over and then go back...
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