Wednesday 30 September 2009

A Valuable Lesson

Tomorrow is my last day of anaesthetics. That may not even be my last day of anaesthetics just in medical school, if I don't choose to persue it any further it could be my last day of anaesthetics ever.

Practically I've learnt a lot. Putting in a cannula isn't that scary, in fact most of the time as long as there's a visable vein and you're not shy about it, it goes in eventually. LMA's are even less scary, easy as long as you're not too shy or gentle about it.

The most valuable lesson I've learn in anaesthetics so far hasn't been any of these things. Anaesthetics has taught me to empathise with patients a lot more. Whenever doing anything surgical so far I may have had a chance to smile at the patient on the ward or have a chat weeks later in outpatients, but basically I've only had to deal with them unconcious. I've truely realised how scary people find operations and how a few kind words go a long way. The anaesthetists I'd most like to have out of the ones I've been placed with have all been the one's who've held the patient's hand whilst injecting them with proprofol if they wanted or distracted the patients with ideas for lovely dreams.

Lily xXx

2 comments:

madsadgirl said...

So, how likely is it that you might consider anaesthetics as a specialty now that you have completed the placement?

I was sure that you would recognise the hospital in my post. Was that where you were doing anaesthetics or was it just a routine visit for a lecture or something?

Lily said...

Anaesthetics is definitely in my shortlist. I have a bit of a phobia of intensive care though, which they deal with so I'm hoping to get a chance to spend some time there to see if I'd enjoy that aspect too.