Congratulations, it's a state in the USA...
Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Yep, now is a scary time to be a final year medical student in Queensland.
Those still in QLD will no doubt be sick of hearing about how the health system is in a sate of decay and disrepair. All I can say is I wish that I could refute it.
There is a bit of what we would call a doctor deficit in my hospital at the moment.
Things are that crazy here, I decided to shave off my monster mutton chops because I feel the need to be taken seriously by the expectant women I have been seeing in the antenatal clinc. I normally wouldn't care what they think, but seeing as I have been seeing them without a doctor, I want to at least give some impression of professionalism. I still double check everything with the doctors and midwives before I send them home, but I still find it sailing a bit too close to the wind.
I am also concerned for my poor shoes. A fact I had not known before starting this rotation; Amniotic fluid eats leather. I found out the hard way when assisting my first caeser, and got covered head to toe in blood. The mother is placed on the operating table tilted slightly to the left, and as first assistant, that is the side I have to stand on. The explaination the doctor will give is to avoid compression of the vena cava (main vein) by the baby in the womb. I think it's so all the blood and crap runs away from the doctor preforming the procedure. As such, I got soaked and my shoes drenched in amniotic fluid. The next day when I was putting them on, I noticed they were peppered with little holes.
Great.
Today, I was assisting again, and I was aware of the trick, so I jumped out of the way when the sack was popped.
Too slow of course.
At this rate I won't have any clincal shoes left at all by the end of the rotation. I am seriously considering buying some gum boots.
I was un-inspired by c-sections to begin with, because you are focused on the mother, and the baby is pulled out in the first 10-15 min. Then there is about a good half hours work stitching her up again. By that time the baby is gone to the paeds ward and long forgotten about.
Yesterday I witnessed my first vaginal delivery. We have to watch two and deliver four. I thought it went very well. Very little screaming, a slight bit of groaning and boom, a baby. The mum did extremely well actually, seeing as she was 18 and the baby was her first, with labour lasting about 8 hours. First babies take for ever apparently. Then she named the baby after an american state. But not Texas, as she wasn't that big (cheesy joke of the day achieved...)
There is definately something about the viginal deliveries that seems cooler though from a spectator's perspective. I think it has something to do with all the exhasting hard work and then massive relief and happiness when the baby arrives. Everyone in the rooms is happy and thankful, even to the dodgy med student standing in the corner who didn't do a thing but gawk.
I love being a med student.
Oh well, off to bed, Gynae clinic in the morning. Then antenatal... I hope we don't get hammered again...
*sigh*
posted by Grim @ 9:42 pm
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