Full Circle

I started my anesthesia residency at the VA, and a year and a half later, I'm back. Seeing the attendings who first taught me everything, who guided my hands and made me think out loud reminded me how far I've come. The small group of nurses, surgeons, and technicians also watched me at my fledgling stages, and I remember them and feel honored to work with them again. The veteran patient population feels the same, a group that has weathered so much, that is always appreciative of the care we give. These are some elements of the VA that make it feel like home.

The thing that struck me most is the difference in culture. The VA operates at a much slower pace than Stanford does. While at Stanford, there is a flurry of activity to get rooms turned over, patients in the room, and cases started, at the VA, I'm always ready before everyone else is. There is no pressure from the surgeons to move things along. Things take their own pace. It's good for trainees as we can really take the time to prepare ourselves, do things correctly, and learn and reflect, but the pace can also drive me a little crazy. There are days when our caseload could be finished a lot quicker, but we end up taking all day. But that's the VA.