I highly enjoyed my surgery rotation and gained a lot from my various experiences both in the operating room and in the clinic. Although I was not sure how I would react to observing surgeries so closely, I surprised myself by always wanting to be closer to the operating table. I was also surprised that the operating room felt like such a “hands on” experience for me. I enjoyed being a part of the process as we would roll the patient into the room and prepare them for their surgery. I most enjoyed the opportunities I had to be involved in the surgery itself. Most notably, I scrubbed into a laparoscopic lung resection which was converted to open thoracotomy with left upper lobectomy. The surgeon guided my hand to feel the patient’s lungs and asked whether I thought there were any nodules on the patient’s lower lungs as well. Neither myself, the surgeon or the resident felt any masses, and therefore we proceeded to resect the upper lobe. My other experiences in the OR that stuck out to me most were the robotic partial gastrectomies that I was involved in. During this type of procedure, the surgeon scrubs out to use the robotic controls. Due to the fact that the surgeon was training the resident and they were both scrubbed out, I was able to remain scrubbed in and bedside assist as needed. I switched out many of the instruments and the stapler as the surgery proceeded. It was a really unique experience to be so involved in the surgery and feel that my presence in the OR made a difference to the surgeon. 

I am very appreciative to the residents that took the time and interest in assisting me with adjusting to the rotation. They guided me through closing a patient at the end of the surgery and allowed me to take my time as I perfected my suturing skills. It was great to see myself improving in these areas. I also enjoyed learning how to change different wound dressings. Despite the fact that at the beginning of my rotation I was very unfamiliar with the various dressings used for different wounds, I was able to place UNNA boots and change other wound dressing with the other students by the end of the rotation.

Although when I began my surgery rotation I did not necessarily expect to want to spend future time in the OR, I am now much more open and interested in pursuing a career in surgery. I look forward to more learning experiences as I progress through my rotations and learn more about the fields that interest me most.