At the end of Day 2, I fell asleep at 6:30 PM and didn't wake up until 5:30 AM. I'm not only shadowing, I have the unique experience of LIVING with a surgeon for a week. I know when he wakes up, his drive to work, his rounds, his surgeries, his clinic and how he balances his family life. My aunt is a part-time Nurse Practitioner in the Heart Failure Clinic at Borgess, so she has much more normal hours than Dr. Pratt (my uncle). Monday was my first full day shadowing and it was EXHAUSTING.
Monday Hour-by-Hour
0530-Wake up, make coffee and eat a quick bowl of cereal
0600-Start the drive to Borgess (It takes about 20-25 minutes)
0645-Enter hospital, change into scrubs, and begin rounds on the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit). We visit the patient who had a CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) yesterday, and she is doing very well. She is alert and sitting upright in her chair, rather than laying down.
0830- Once we finish rounding, we head down to pre-operative holding where we meet a nervous older gentleman who will also be having a CABG that day, but his heart will stop during the procedure. The CABG from the previous day had to keep the heart beating due to calcification and complications with cross-clamping. Dr. Pratt gives him a quick consultation and speaks with the family.
0900-Dr. Pratt scrubs in and I am given my mask and eye protection. I stand on a stool at the head of the patient so I can observe the chest from an aerial view.
During the procedure, the anesthesiologist talked me through some of the actions Dr. Pratt was doing. He was a friendly physician and I decided to ask if he would be open to having me shadow him this week. He agreed and I am going to be shadowing him tomorrow (Day 4).
1330-Once the procedure was finished, Dr. Pratt and I spoke with the family. Again, this was one of my favorite parts of the day. The joy was abundant.
1400- A quick lunch in the hospital cafeteria with Dr. Pratt. I'm having pesto pasta with shrimp and a side of grapes. I have never been so hungry in my life. Even just observing surgery takes a ton of energy.
1500-We walk across the street to the vein and vascular clinic to see two of Dr. Pratt's follow-up patients. One had an aortic aneurysm that Dr. Pratt would keep watching, and the other had a CABG the year prior.
1700-After filling out paperwork for what seemed like an eternity, it was time to go home. I showered off the day and promptly passed out.
Tips and Tricks for Shadowing
You can't take any personal belongings with you around the hospital, so I decided to fill this tiny pouch with necessities and tie it into my scrub bottom strings. Once I double-knotted it, I just tucked it into my pants. Viola! Whenever I had a free moment, I would pull out my pouch and eat a bite of my Luna bar. This definitely helped me keep going throughout the day. Nobody could tell it was there.
Stay tuned for more updates!
