An obstetrician can extract a baby by C-section in a matter of seconds. It’s an unexpectedly rapid and brutal surgery even when medically indicated and scheduled, like for this mother. She had the time to have an epidural line placed into her spinal canal so she could remain awake during the procedure. They checked by ultrasound the baby was head-down, laid the mom down gingerly, doused her abdomen in brown betadine cleaning solution, and draped her in blue. They invited in the husband, dressed in an absurd blue-scrub jumpsuit, and he stood on the other side of the drapes with the anesthesiologist to hold his wife’s hand during the surgery. He seemed anxious, but the mom seemed quite at ease lying on the table considering what was about to transpire. Continue reading Cesarean Section
Operating Room Conduct Hints
The OR is a sensitive place filled with so many unspoken rules, ranging from blatant to subtle, that you must follow. During this week, my first actually being part of the OR team, I’ve received guidance from surgeons, residents, and scrub techs in the form of helpful suggestions and gentle scoldings. First, the basics: Continue reading Operating Room Conduct Hints
First Blood, Finally
Patients want the best care possible when they’re in the hospital, and in a practical profession like medicine, best essentially equates to most experienced care. At a training hospital like NYP Cornell, there are young trainees — like me — who are the least experienced and therefore need opportunities to improve. They’re always monitored and guided by our mentors, but yes, at one point, we must perform a task for literally the first time ever. And yes, there will be a patient will be on the receiving end of that. Continue reading First Blood, Finally
First night, first life.
At 1:33 am on Thursday February 18, 2016, a beautiful baby girl was born. It was the first delivery I witnessed and on the first night of working/learning in the hospital, and it was a wonderful introduction to real-life medical care. Thanks to primacy, I’ll remember the baby’s name (which obviously I can’t type here) and what happened in that room for a long time to come. Continue reading First night, first life.
Winter Run – a short story
It was winter’s first bitingly cold morning. Even the taxis and black cars, whining and spewing out dense clouds of smog from their tailpipes, seemed as if they wanted to hide inside. The frosted streets of Manhattan were devoid of other pedestrians, and so he ran aggressively, pumping his legs harder and faster than he should have, hoping to make his body heat itself. With every short and shallow breath, his mouth shot out plumes of steam that whorled his wake. Continue reading Winter Run – a short story
An Ode to “High-Yield”
“High-Yield.” What a phrase. I don’t know how or when it was commandeered for medical education, but it’s the tag that study guides have adopted to mean “yo dawg, test questions ask this all the time so memorize it.” For us students with finite memories and limited study time and lots of people to impress, “high-yield” are words we cling to dearly. Continue reading An Ode to “High-Yield”
Valuating a Pillow
How much am I willing to pay for a pillow? Turns out, a lot of money. Continue reading Valuating a Pillow
Mock Magic Personal Statement
Preface: while reading my friend’s personal statement about gaming, I thought back to applying to college 8 years ago and thinking about writing an essay about playing Magic the Gathering. I decided against it because gaming still has this weird stigma of being a fringe hobby and a waste of time, but back in January 2016, when solidly 25, I wrote a personal statement as if I were still 17. Continue reading Mock Magic Personal Statement