Surgery So Far

After two and a half days of relatively painful orientation (at least we got to wear scrubs) I finally started my surgery sub-specialty rotation yesterday late morning. The intern came to fetch me and brought me into rounds, where the attending, who talks just like Taub from House with the notable addition of “eh?” and “aboot”, said, “Did someone just come into the room?” without looking up from his computer. The intern stumbled over his response, eventually communicating that a new person had indeed entered and it was Katie, the new medical student.

“Hello, student. Now back to rounds…”

I got to work this morning at 5:30am, which actually wasn’t as bad as I’d feared but now I am falling asleep. (It’s 7:30pm.) My team has yet to visit the OR since my addition to the team, which I think is why I am bored already on this rotation. Today I rounded three times on the same people, devised a more efficient way to put together “the list”, and went home. I don’t get to follow any of my own patients, nor do I get to present anyone in rounds, talk to any patients, or touch anyone for any reason. (Swine flu!) (Although I did get to remove someone’s staples yesterday. That was fun in the absence of anything else to do.)

Unlike Family Med, I expected to be really busy and stressed and have a ton to learn for Surgery. So far, no one has even talked to me, much less allowed me any actual responsibility. The surgeons are all restless and grumpy and picking on everyone because their hands are feeling twitchy after being out of the OR for so long. It’s a weird feeling to hope that someone gets sick and needs to be taken to the OR, but I, well… you understand, right? I don’t actually want someone to get sick, of course. It’s just OH MY GOD someone get sick so we can wash our hands really well and them stick them in the patient’s belly.

Sorry, was that too much?