Official "Intubater"

bellarosa · Jul 8, 2005

Congratulations! Way to go!

versatile_kat · Jul 9, 2005

Good job! Our program directors recommended we start out with Mac's and transition to Miller's once we felt comfortable ... when we first started going to clinical this past spring, intubations were all anyone thought about! And you're right, a dummy doesn't hold a candle to real human flesh.

Most students feel like the intubation "makes" the rest of the case. If you get it in the first time, you function with a sense of success and think more clearly. If you miss it, that's all you can think about at the beginning of the case (when A LOT needs to get done rather quickly) and it kind of ruins the rest of that case - which then leads you to second guess yourself on subsequent intubations that day.

Here's something I thought about any time I missed and it helped immensely! Intubating is a skill, just like IV's, A-line's, etc (albeit a more complex one). All it takes is repetition and some great clinicians to guide you and you'll get it eventually. So - when I miss on the first try, I step aside, focus on what the CRNA/MD does during their intubation and utilize whatever skill they showed on the next one. Whether it was getting a better sniffing position, changing the angle of my scope, switching blades or manipulating the cricoid before anyone else does to get a better view. All of these "pearls" helped tremedously in the beginning and kept my focus on the bigger picture of delivering anesthesia - not on how crappy my intubation was. This mindset eased my stress level tremedously going into the intubation and throughout the rest of the case (and you know how stressful you feel just starting out in clinical).

Good luck with the rest of your intubations (everyone)!

remigirl · Jul 10, 2005

Good job! Our program directors recommended we start out with Mac's and transition to Miller's once we felt comfortable ... when we first started going to clinical this past spring, intubations were all anyone thought about! And you're right, a dummy doesn't hold a candle to real human flesh.
Most students feel like the intubation "makes" the rest of the case. If you get it in the first time, you function with a sense of success and think more clearly. If you miss it, that's all you can think about at the beginning of the case (when A LOT needs to get done rather quickly) and it kind of ruins the rest of that case - which then leads you to second guess yourself on subsequent intubations that day.
Here's something I thought about any time I missed and it helped immensely! Intubating is a skill, just like IV's, A-line's, etc (albeit a more complex one). All it takes is repetition and some great clinicians to guide you and you'll get it eventually. So - when I miss on the first try, I step aside, focus on what the CRNA/MD does during their intubation and utilize whatever skill they showed on the next one. Whether it was getting a better sniffing position, changing the angle of my scope, switching blades or manipulating the cricoid before anyone else does to get a better view. All of these "pearls" helped tremedously in the beginning and kept my focus on the bigger picture of delivering anesthesia - not on how crappy my intubation was. This mindset eased my stress level tremedously going into the intubation and throughout the rest of the case (and you know how stressful you feel just starting out in clinical).
Good luck with the rest of your intubations (everyone)!

This is some really good advice kat. Thanks so much! Now I know how to look at my case each morning without being a big ball of stress about intubating! :)