The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

After a month long hiatus of updating this, I figured it was time seeing as I just completed my Anesthesia rotation and this blog is called "The Gas Mask".

The Good

So first the good. I really enjoyed a lot of things about this month. The schedule was pretty awesome. I mean, when an attending tells you, "You're a fourth year; you need to leave before noon," it's gotta be a good rotation. I also enjoyed getting to do lots of procedures everyday. Well most everyday. It's something I really like about medicine and it was nice to get to do it. I was proactive about it and even got to help do central lines and do my own spinals for c-sections. Part of me feels like it was kind of sneaky to stand back there while the first patient thought the resident was doing it, but who would say, "It's your first time? Go right ahead!" Needless to say my technical skills got a lot better this month. The residents were great, and one even let me start an IV on him when I blew one on the sleeping patient in front of the attending. Then he took a picture of it with his iPhone to show the attending that I actually could do it.

I also really liked the test at the end. Mostly because when I went to take it, the director told me I didn't have to. You gotta love having special exceptions made for you. Turns out it pays off to do a little hard work before hand.

The Bad

I learned that while most people graduate medical school and change their name to Dr. ____, people who go into anesthesia graduate medical school and change their name to "Anesthesia". Surgeons tend to be a little condescending to anesthesiologists. Maybe because anesthesiologists make just as much, but also get to see their families. And get to practice the ABC's. Airway Book Chair. Anyway, the biggest bad of it all is just not having control of your own time - you have to meet the surgeons' schedules.

One of my favorite residents from this month actually defected out of general surgery into anesthesia. He was always happy and never once complained, "It's four in the afternoon and I'm still here!" He was one of the most laid back, easy going residents and it was shocking to hear him talk about how he was as a surgeon.

The other bad is mouth noises. I'm not a fan of them and there is an awful lot of suctioning that goes on in anesthesia. At least it's suctioning there and not somewhere else.

The Ugly

Guys who wear those decorative surgical caps. With Hawaiin print. Or worse yet, A&M. Girls like to look pretty, and that's fine if they buy decorative head wear. But no self respecting man should don one of those. Ever. Ever ever.