Exposure to new techniques or treatment strategies:

My surgery rotation was a great opportunity for exposure to new techniques. Learning sterile technique and how to scrub in during our clinical skills class was definitely different from actually putting it into practice in the hospital. By the end of the first day of this rotation I had already scrubbed into four or five cases and was starting to get the hang of things. Obviously it took some time to master the specifics of maintaining sterile technique (and I did accidentally break it one or two times) but overall it was great to be able to get hands on experience with the surgical instruments and the typical course of action in the operating room.

Skills or situations that are difficult for you and how you can get better at them:

Aside from the countless hours spent in the OR, a significant portion of my rotation also involved morning and afternoon rounds with my assigned team. Whether it be general surgery or one of the sub-specialties, each week I was assigned new patients to “follow” and present at morning rounds. At first I was pretty nervous about this because I had to present not only in front of my preceptor but in front of all the residents along with the chief resident every day at 6am. However, after the first few days, I started to become accustomed to this as it became part of the daily routine. This allowed me to get better at my SOAP note writing skills in addition to my presentation skills overall, which will certainly come in handy in future rotations as well as future practice.

What was a memorable patient or experience that I’ll carry with me:

During my first week of rotations I was on general surgery which meant I would typically be assigned to GI cases (lap appendectomy, lap cholecystectomy, sub-total gastrectomy). Usually the cases featured the surgeon, a resident, and either a PA or medical student. However, on this first Wednesday since the residents were all busy at M&M, it was just me alone with the surgeon on a 5 hour bilateral double mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy and reconstruction. Prior to starting this rotation I was skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy surgery and if it would a specialty I would consider in the future. However, I can say with confidence that being able to first-assist the doctor that day was one of the most memorable experiences I had. I was constantly engaged, using my hands, and was able to assist the surgeon in more ways than I could have even imagined prior to beginning this rotation. Having this experience definitely keeps the door open to potentially pursuing a career in surgery after graduation, however since this is only my second rotation out of nine there are plenty of more experiences to be had!

What did you learn about yourself during this 5-week rotation?

This surgery rotation taught me not to limit myself or doubt my capabilities (or think you can’t wake up at 4:30am every day to work 12 hours a day 5 times a week!) It is often difficult not to compare yourself to other students, to the residents, and to the already established PA’s you are working with. However, it is critical to remind yourself that it takes time to master skills and patient care, and that this is only the beginning. I am thankful for having my surgery rotation at NYPQ because I was able to work not only on general surgery but in sub-specialties as well (vascular, ENT, neurology, urology) and was able to interact with different PAs from different backgrounds. Each PA that I worked with was able to teach me clinical pearls related to their unique specialty and I was able to obtain advice from each one regarding not only rotations but also the profession overall. I look forward to gaining even more hands-on experience on these upcoming rotations to ultimately become the best provider for my patients.