General Surgery

I've had a wonderful experience in my surgery rotation so far and have been very fortunate to work with yet another group of amazing people! Everyone has been so welcoming, patient (even though I'm sure they're swearing at me in their head...Ha), and willing to teach me anything. While I would have never imagined myself doing surgery before this, I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed my time here and will be disappointed to leave! I have a feeling that I'm going to love so many specialties and have a hard time deciding when all this is said and done with!

There are a several things I've had the pleasure of doing in surgery... making incisions, retracting, holding the lap cameras, suctioning, cyst excision, wound closure, and a few others. As a student, it's a lot of "hold this" and "look here", but scrubbing in and being part of a surgery is so exciting! Being able to see the internal anatomy and getting to feel it with your own hands is absolutely AMAZING! One of my favorites is to see bowel peristalsis during an open abdominal surgery ~ so cool! The human body never ceases to amaze me! My first suturing experience was rather interesting, as I had to stitch up my preceptor's hand after a slip with the scalpel. Of all the times he could have cut his hand for the first time... of course I had to be there =)! His hand still seems to be functioning, so I guess that counts as a success?!

Most of being a student is trying to NOT look like a complete idiot, a daily goal of mine in which some days I succeed and others I do not! Ha... There have been so many times when I've thought "I wonder if I look as stupid as I feel" ~ which I've come to find out is a general consensus among many of my classmates. Throughout PA school, you basically lose every part of yourself in an attempt to become a (somewhat... Ha) competent medical provider in two years. During this time, we give up our normal lives and devote everything to our studies... we no longer eat or exercise like we should, little time for family/friends, we're mentally broken and numb to every ridiculous assignment (i.e. read 80 pages and only 2/18 quiz questions is actually from the reading), stress becomes the norm, sleep is a reward, and not mention the level of irritation you develop against the rest of the world. Thank goodness for supportive families and PA friends to suffer alongside! =) I have been blessed with a wonderful support system and amazing experiences so far... almost 2 rotations down, 5 more to go!  

In an attempt to maintain my sanity, I try to find time for laughter! If you don't work in medicine or haven't been a student of medicine, you may not find these quite as funny... When I need a good laugh, I visit this site and typically laugh until I cry! Enjoy...

whatshouldwecallmedschool:

HOLDING RETRACTORS

WHEN A PROFESSOR TELLS US TO HAVE FUN OVER THE WEEKEND...

I’m like:

WHEN MY PRECEPTOR SENDS ME HOME EARLY FOR THE DAY

I’m like:

WHEN A NON-MED FRIEND OR FAMILY ASKS ME TO HANG OUT DURING SURGERY ROTATION

I’m just like:

(the original video for this little clip is even more amusing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh7UgAprdpM&feature=related) 



CHECKING OUT THE WAITING ROOM AT THE DERM CLINIC
(frankly, I think this applies to most waiting rooms... LOL)

TRYING TO SCRUB OUT OF MY SURGICAL GEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

I was like:

Bahahahaha.... I could go on forever ~ love that website! 2 weeks left and next up is Emergency Medicine...

~ Lacie

6 Weeks of Dermatology... Complete!

Where has the time gone?! I finished my first rotation in Dermatology last week and while I have not enjoyed being 4 hours from my home and loved ones, I LOVED Derm!

The staff at Hermitage Dermatology were amazing! Everyone was very welcoming and willing teach me whatever they could. I honestly dreaded moving so far from home, but everyone there made it a wonderful, worthwhile experience. Thank you! 

Most people believe that Dermatology is a boring specialty and that all you do is look at rashes. I can't lie... there were a lot of rashes!  But to our patients, that rash was keeping them from living the life they wanted. Imagine if your skin was constantly itchy and burning, and then imagine what that must feel like on a day like today (97 degrees here in Hermitage!). If you've ever had an itch like this, you know that it can drive you crazy! Not only is it irritating and painful, but some of these conditions can be unsightly and keep people from wearing comfortable clothing or even going out in public. The treatments these patients receive are life changing, and to me... that's not boring at all! Not everyone was a first time fix, but I loved seeing smiling patients come back in for their follow-up! 

In addition to the common "rashes" such as contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and acne, I also saw rarer conditions of Pemphigus Vulgaris (a blistering disorder) and Lupus. And then there was a lot of fungus, some scabies (eeee!) and sooooo many more... but I would bore you with a huge list of medical mumbo-jumbo and the teacher in me would feel the need to explain everything... ha! Needless to say I went home daily thinking I had a new skin condition and with the feeling of "itch"! lol... 

I also saw a lot of cosmetics throughout my rotation, including Botox injections and fillers. Who knew that a bottle of Botox in your armpits could keep you from sweating like a madwoman?! Sign me up =)!

The days moved quickly and it was a nice mixture of medical conditions, cosmetics, and procedures. Anyways... I survived the first rotation and added Dermatology to my list of possible specialties =).

Next up is General Surgery and somehow, I was lucky enough to have this rotation in Hermitage as well... Stay tuned to see how that goes and hopefully I can snag a few pictures of wound care to share... just kidding! I really spared you the gross details of some Derm procedures (like the cyst I&D)! haha

After my mom spent 1/2 a day in my baking apartment, she bought me another air conditioner... so I plan to stay cool this weekend. Thanks mom!! You're a life saver, as always!

Stay cool everyone!

~ Lacie