My last week in Sacramento, in addition to trying to pack and get everything back in my car, I was sent follow a resident in the Emergency Department. This service is especially difficult because its patients range from the mentally…
Of all of the medical specialties I knew I’d be seeing, I’ve had the most history with cancer. The first operation I ever learned of was my mother’s mastectomy. She much later was treated for bone cancer. My father and…
Just blood vessels? It struck me as too narrow a field to specialize in. Not as glorious as Cardiothoracic. But now that I have seen them in action, the vascular surgeons are some of my most admired. They deal with…
After multiple shifts with plastic surgeons in the OR they take over after mastectomies or other cancers are removed. They are called to the Emergency room to evaluate superficial , I appreciate not only their physical skill, but the variety of…
A cardiothoracic surgery to remove masses from the lung amazed me by not only the coordination of the surgeons, but their ability to use imaging and touch. The patient was ventilated as needed for the doctors to reduce the size…
Things I learned in my first week as an intern. Don’t use the elevators or stairs closest to the operating rooms! It was no big deal when the elevator wouldn’t go, it let me back out. The stairs though…require a…
The most important thing I had to do before observing surgical shifts at the UC Davis Medical center was to get good shoes. The recommendation by former interns: Dansko clogs. The dress code for arriving is business casual, usually followed…
My internship at UC Davis Med Center began immediately following our HAPS conference in Vegas. So, while others were touring the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, I had a daylong drive north. For the three months I rented a…
I decided to be a role model, so had to go through the motions of applying. The easiest part was paying the $20 application fee. Having been a professor of anatomy for over 15 years, I have done my share…
Last Fall I got roped into serving as an advisor to our “Caduceus Club” at Pasadena City College. These students want to go into health-related careers…and even if I never did, I agreed to open a classroom once a…