Milk of Amnesia/// U N I K L I N I K

The week after spring break, we were taken in groups to the University Clinic here in Bonn, which is a teaching hospital where many interns are shadowing doctors in hopes to be one someday. At this Clinic, we got the opportunity to shadow surgeons. Izzie and I were placed together and we shadowed doctors in the Urology department. The first Anesthesiologist we shadowed was really nice as she welcomed us well and told us some basis of the first procedure we watched, which was a Benign prostate hyperplasia procedure, where the patients' prostate was being cleaned out due to the excess growth of cells in it. Before taking the patient into the operating theater, the patient was put under anesthesia, after which Izzie and I got the chance to ventilate the patients lungs. Going into the operating room/theater, I was a little nervous because it was my first time seeing a real life surgery. I thought I was going to faint or something but I am gald I didnt. I was so mesmerized by what was going on around me. This first procedure I watched took roughly about 45 minutes. It is a very common procedure done on older men that isn’t too extensive. The second doctor we shadowed actually had an intern with him, which explains why he was a really good doctor to shadow. He came into the OR while we were watching the second surgery, which was the removal of a cancerous kidney (nephrectomy). This procedure was more extensive and took about an hour and a half and 2 extra surgeons. When Dr. Achilles came in, he began to ask Izzie and I question about what the surgeons were doing. At this point the kidney had already been removed and the surgeons were sewing back up the incision. He asked us what layer of muscle was being stitched, but we didn’t know this so we looked it up. We discovered that there are 3 abdominal muscle layer: external oblique, internal oblique and abdominal transverse. And that the surgeons at this point were sewing up the external oblique. After this procedure, Dr Achilles explained how to remove the sedative, IV solution with limited to no spill. We were scared as it was our first time but it was fun to do it. After this, we took the patient to the recovery room, while the nurses came to check on him. At this point, Izzie and I were so pumped and we just wanted to keep watching surgeries and learning from Dr. Achllies, but we had to go because we had class after. Dr Achillies was so kind and told us that we could come back anytime again to shadow him. Izzie and I are so pumped and we intend to go back one of this weekend to shadow some more. Having this opportunity was one of the things I was really looking forward to coming on this trip, and it made it a little clear for me that a career in the medical field is what I really wanted. Seeing the confidence and the responsibility of having someone’s life depend on you, and what you have learned to do made me question myself if I had what it takes to do this. It also helped me put things into perspective that what I am learning in school (especially physiology) are useful information that will help me in the future for my career. 

This also contributed to me seriously considering switching my major from BMEN to BIMS. BMEN is an amazing major for someone interested in the medical device aspect of medicine, but it is hard for me to think in the way of a BMEN student and to come up with innovative things. I spoke to Dr. Wasser weighing the pros and cons of both majors. He asked me one important question that he told me to ponder on. The question was, “What type of doctor do you want to be?” While I still don’t have an elaborate answer to this question. I know that I want to be the type of doctor that helps my patients in every way I can. I came into BMEN knowing it would be a challenge and wanting to get the skill of thinking critically to solve unexpected problems that may arise in my career with my patients. Thinking about what led me to do BMEN in the first place and talking to my dad, I have decided to stay in BMEN. Next adventure is going to be Bonn. I will keep you updated.

Bis spater. 
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Aggies in Crocs

my heart was full