Over the holidays, I was on my third month of pediatric anesthesia, a really fun experience. It was fascinating and a little mindboggling to ask the children what they wanted for Christmas. Elementary school kids are getting presents that I don't even get myself. They are becoming incredibly adept with electronic devices, and I wonder what it says about our society. When I got Legos, these children are getting remote-controlled helicopters. When I got a bike, these kids are getting iPads. I don't think it's wrong or bad, it's just really interesting. There is a part of me that thinks books, building blocks, and board games are the way to go, but electronic devices can stimulate creativity just as much.
In any case, the clinical volume around the holidays was interesting to me too. We had a lot of surgeries before Christmas, after which the volume dropped off significantly. Many of the patients were school-age teenagers with orthopedic injuries using the winter break as a time to recuperate. We also had a lot of outpatient procedures such as urologic or ENT procedures so the children did not have to stay in the hospital overnight.
The second time around pediatrics was much easier and much more fun. I really believe in the educational theory that after being exposed to something new, you go away for a while to let it simmer, assimilate, and integrate. Then when you come back to it, it feels natural, reflexive, and easy. I got to be a lot more independent with these cases and have a lot more fun as I did not have to think as hard about doses, sizes, and procedures. It made me confident that I can safely anesthetize healthy children for simple procedures.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
In ancient Greece, the asclepion was a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine. Asclepius learned the art of surgery from the centaur Chiron and had the ability to raise the dead. The Rod of Asclepius is a roughhewn branch entwined with a single serpent.
Blog Archive
Hi! I am Craig Chen, a third year resident physician in anesthesiology at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. I went to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to medical school, I studied philosophy and biology at Stanford University, along with a minor in creative writing.
Labels
- Book Review (56)
- Death (73)
- Philosophy and Ethics (81)
- Poems and Stories (136)
Search This Blog
Posts
Disclaimer
The author of the site does not provide any medical advice and information here should not be construed or used as such. Using this site does not create a physician-patient relationship and is not intended to replace the services of a licensed, trained physician or health professional. No health or medical related decision should be based in whole or in part on anything contained here. Any opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the author nor do they reflect the opinions of any of the author's affiliations. Content on this site may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up-to-date. Any comments posted to the site can be edited, modified, or removed by the author of this site.
No comments:
Post a Comment