just an update from clinical

I thought I would just check in and let you all know I am still alive and kicking.
Well so far so good I guess, well that is if you don't count the bleeding ulcer I had after the first couple of weeks of clinical. it was intresting we arrived at our clinical site and within two weeks they had us on the call schedule. wheeeeww how I ever got through that period of time I don't know. I heard once that in all things you have to go through stupid to get to smooth. hopefully I've been through stupid now.
our cases started at 0730 but I was there at 0450 on the day that was supposed to be my first to actually take a patient. the most simple thing like turning on the lights in the OR having never worked in there before took me forever.
Now after about 4 months I can say I feel pretty comfortable with most asa 1 or 2 type cases. not to say I havn't done 3 and 4's as well but I like to consult who I am with alot more durring those cases.
If there was one word to the wise I could pass on it would be a phrase. this is a phrase you can use anytime you feel like your in hot water with an MD attending or CRNA attending. most of which have somewhat pathological personalities I've discovered when comes to teaching people they deem as less signifcant than themselves... are you ready here it comes.

I MUST HAVE LOST MY DAMN MIND.....
seriously what do you say to that..... since most of the time it is sensless to try and defend you self I usually just say this one, explitive deleated sometimes. I love it becuase it immeadeatly stops the current persucution but at the same time in my own mind I am able to mock their pride by saying this and they don't even know it.

for example one day an attending helped me to start a case the patient the patient had an IV but not a great one so I was told to try and start another one. well once I got everything done to make sure the patient could sustain life ie vent, gas . ect I turned around that arms were tucked... and theye were draping well I went under the drapes in the dark with a 20 ga and tried unsuccessfully. I finanlly said to myself (like a fool) oh well she already has an IV anyway and the case really almost over so what the heck.
My attending came back in at the end of the case and said didn't I tell you to start another IV.???? Now at this point I have a choice to make do I tell her about my delima and what happend or do I say> I must have lost my mind... I actually tried to discuss the reason as to why I was deliquent in my IV starting task but quickly relized she was not havin it. so I defered to the I lost my mind techinque and it was immediatly over.
its tragic really that somtimes you cant reason with them. becuase a teaching moment is lost. in hind site I really needed to get another IV on an ectopic but at the moment I didn't understand what I do understand now.
well such is life and one day stupid will pass and we will all get to smooth I hope.

I always wondered what it would be like to start an IV in the middle of a case when patient is draped and everything. I would think it's always got to be a difficult stick, and also difficult to ask people to move who are performing the surgery so you can start another damn IV.

since most of the time it is sensless to try and defend you self