![]() |
|
![]()
October 10th, 2011
09:24 AM ET
Student doctors practice on you while you sleepAnthony Youn, M.D., is a plastic surgeon in Metro Detroit. He is the author of “In Stitches,” a humorous memoir about growing up Asian American and becoming a doctor.
As a plastic surgeon, part of my job includes the art of suturing. Over the past 15 years, I’ve repaired more than 10,000 cuts, incisions, bites, and wounds. I’ve seen it all — people who’ve been sliced by beer bottles, attacked by wild animals, and even injured by — I want to be delicate here — “personal, intimate devices.” I’ve done so much suturing that sewing up people has become second nature. I can repair a dog bite to the face blindfolded. I began by learning how to tie surgical knots. I had never been an Eagle Scout or a sailor so my experience tying knots was limited to looping the laces on my Nikes. I started with a “knot-tying practice board.” The board consisted of shoelaces and a simulated surgical incision made of plastic and rubber bands. The first time I picked it up I felt as if I had six thumbs on each hand. It took several hours, but at last I got a feel for tying knots. Then I became proficient. And then I became a knot-tying wizard. Next step, the real deal. Suturing. Many hospitals save their old, unopened sutures so their industrious students can practice. In order to impress the surgeons and get a good grade, I had to dazzle them with my suturing skills. The pressure was on. First, I collected a ton of unused sutures from the hospital. Then I borrowed some surgical instruments from my father, an ob-gyn. Finally, I went to the local butcher shop and bought a dozen pigs’ feet. I brought them home and stuffed them into my freezer. Why? The texture of the skin on a pig’s foot is very similar to human skin. Every evening I’d come home and practice. I’d cut the pig’s foot with a steak knife and practice stitching it together, over and over, countless times, until my fingers got sore. If the butcher didn’t have any of Porky’s piggies, I substituted chicken breasts, a decent alternative in terms of skin texture, and much tastier. By the time I started my third year, I was ready for real live human beings, who thankfully, for both of us, were usually fast asleep. The first person I ever sutured was a young mother who allowed me to repair her surgical incision while her ob-gyn supervised. I’ll be honest. I was a nervous wreck. My hands trembled, my pulse raced, sweat dripped down my forehead. For a moment my vision blurred. The simple incision whirled, expanded, and contracted. I felt as if I was peering through a kaleidoscope. Then I closed my eyes and pictured my trusty pig’s foot. I visualized myself suturing. I opened my eyes. I felt calm. I took a deep breath. With the doctor guiding me, I tied a perfect surgeon’s knot. I began suturing, slowly. Smoothly. Effortlessly. That moment — the first time a nervous, inexperienced medical student sutures a live patient — is not only a common occurrence, it’s a crucial component of a surgeon’s education. In order to become excellent surgeons, medical students need to practice on real people. Full disclosure. If you are undergoing surgery and you meet a medical student prior to the procedure, it’s likely that student will practice suturing on you. I’ve been that student hundreds of times, however, unless the patient asked, the surgeon never openly admitted to the patient that I was going to be the one doing the suturing. The surgeons often omitted this important piece of information to avoid the patient needless worry. I often would lie awake at night concerned that the sutures I tied that day would unravel, the incision would open up, and the patient’s guts would fall onto the floor. Although this never happened, I wouldn’t want the patient worrying about the same thing. Truthfully, the surgeons who oversaw me always made sure that my suturing turned out exactly the way they would have done it themselves. Of course, a patient has rights. A patient can refuse to allow a medical student to participate in his or her care. I understand if a patient feels uneasy allowing a medical student to suture while the patient sleeps. But to those of you who allowed me to practice on you when I was in training: My patients today and I thank you. |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. |
|
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you should publish more about this subject, it might not be a taboo matter but generally people do not speak about such topics. To the next! Best wishes!!
http://ijbssnet.com/view.php?u=https://fleettruckrepairshop.com/van-wrap-shop-near-me
https://www.payrollservers.us/sc/cookie.asp?sitealias=25925711&redirect=https://ocrv.info/
It’s hard to come by educated people in this particular subject, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
/
is canadian pharmacy viagra safe [url=https://cjepharmacy.com/ ]definition of prescription drugs[/url] store locator cvs pharmacy
good canadian pharmacy online [url=https://pharmacyhrn.com/ ]walmart online pharmacy refill[/url] android app store pharmacy
/
You should be a part of a contest for one of the best sites online. I most certainly will recommend this web site!
http://dol.deliver.ifeng.com/c?z=ifeng&la=0&si=2&cg=1&c=1&ci=2&or=7549&l=28704&bg=28703&b=37275&u=https://messiahp92t1.estate-blog.com/4299280/not-known-details-about-digital-marketing-course
/
http://www.chaosns.com/link.php?url=https://www.trimsarl.com/component/k2/item/156-lipsum-loror-dit/156-lipsum-loror-dit?limit=10&start=756340
generic cialis in canada [url=https://ckacialis.com/ ]cialis canada online[/url] cialis prescription online
https://rspcb.safety.fhwa.dot.gov/pageRedirect.aspx?RedirectedURL=https://donovanf60s1.aboutyoublog.com/4646300/how-2005-maserati-quattroporte-can-save-you-time-stress-and-money
24 hr pharmacy near me [url=https://pharmacyken.com/ ]jan pharmacy canada[/url] pharmacy tech study guide online
generic cialis with dapoxetine [url=https://rcialisgl.com/ ]when is cialis going generic[/url] free cialis
cialis pill [url=https://rcialisgl.com/ ]long term cialis use[/url] cialis without a prescription
It’s hard to come by experienced people for this topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
https://www.mydoterra.com/Application/index.cfm?EnrollerID=458046&Theme=DefaultTheme&ReturnURL=mallora-immobilien-direkt.de/forum/viewtopic.php?lang=es&p=167266
Hey there! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 3gs!
Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts!
Carry on the fantastic work!
Thanks for finally talking about > Student doctors
practice on you while you sleep – The
Chart – CNN.com Blogs < Liked it!
http://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=www.hootnholler.net/students-use-tech-to-fight-covid-advocate-for-racial-justice-in-samsung-contest-cnet/
https://go.onelink.me/v1xd?pid=Patch&c=Mobile20Footer&af_web_dp=http://troyq27n0.popup-blog.com/4022310/a-simple-key-for-semi-truck-repair-shop-unveiled
Very good post. I will be dealing with many of these issues as well..
https://dmca.com/Protection/Status.aspx?ID=edc817fd-d796-4c84-abb8-d1cb5b2e3719&refurl=https://www.valueofabusiness.blogdal.com/3118750/the-basic-principles-of-rv-repair-shop
erectile dysfunction symptoms kayamy ace inhibitors erectile dysfunction
erectile damage slilicy erectile issues
erectile triggers sicAdofs erectile bands
Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
http://www.kzsoft.to/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=1187&url=http://www.192.81.218.137/blog/2017/12/27/Microfranquias-sao-boas-opcoes-de-investimento/
erectile injection video kayamy erectile method
erectile therapy jordan slilicy low cost erectile treatment
erectile stimulus sicAdofs erectile pills canada
I was very pleased to find this page. I wanted to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new information in your blog.
https://reddit.app.link/?channel=mweb_branch&feature=xpromo&campaign=xpromo&$og_redirect=https://eduardov37m9.xzblogs.com/42603371/digital-marketing-course-for-dummies
https://bibliopam.ec-lyon.fr/fork?http://bradbury-pop.de/2014/04/euphoric/
erectile medicine kayamy erectile pills from canada
erectile curvature slilicy erectile disorder
erectile function after prostate cancer sicAdofs erectile function trial offers in sarasota fl
http://x.webdo.cc/global_outurl.php?now_url=http://seopostfalls.com
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do think that you should write more on this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don't discuss these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
http://fullstepminecraftthailand.siam2web.com/change_language.asp?language_id=en&MemberSite_session=site_95801_&link=http://ppcpostfalls.com
cvs pharmacy online account [url=https://pharmacyken.com/ ]herbals[/url] best online pharmacy that does not require a prescription
https://www.pcinhk.com/discuz/uchome/link.php?url=https://ocrv.us/
After I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. There has to be a means you are able to remove me from that service? Cheers!
http://plugin.mediaget.com/promo/?url=https://commercialrepairshop.com
https://www.elephone.hk/static/redirect?url=https://bulknearme.com
Good article. I am facing some of these issues as well..
https://www.iacconline.org/Redirect.aspx?destination=https://bestservicenearme.com
erectile dysfunction reviews kayamy erectile exercises
erectile organs pha slilicy erectile smoothie
does erectile dysfunction get better sicAdofs can erectile dysfunction cause depression
https://www1.mcu.ac.th/language/change/TH?url=http://bestservicenearme.com/
blak cialis [url=https://cialishav.com/ ]cialis hypertension[/url] best way to take cialis 20mg
cialis for sale in canada [url=https://cialisjla.com/ ]where to buy cialis[/url] cialis supplier uk
http://www.pharmnet.com.cn/dir/go.cgi?url=youtube.com/watch?v=mMiY21H7k60/
http://m.landing.siap-online.com/?goto=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VpVibWpXac/
This is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate infoÖ Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read post!
http://genki365.net/gnka01/common/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4acsVmHaQY
http://directory.vnews.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWLUdMgd2i8/
I really love your website.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as Iím hoping to create my very own site and would love to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Kudos!
http://splash.hume.vic.gov.au/analytics/outbound?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHUFNkLBHms/
fast erectile dysfunction drugs kayamy top male erectile pill
topical erectile dysfunction slilicy why erectile dysfunction happens
erectile dysfunction drugs sicAdofs erectile aliments
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who was conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner due to the fact that I found it for him... lol. So allow me to reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to talk about this matter here on your web page.
https://www.site-navi.net/sponavi/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=890&url=https://ocrvcenter.net
yoga for erectile dysfunction kayamy erectile injection therapy
erectile device slilicy erectile cure
erectile dementia sicAdofs erectile dysfunction reviews
Excellent web site you have here.. Itís hard to find excellent writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
http://services.nfpa.org/Authentication/GetSSOSession.aspx?return=https://bulknearme.com/
http://www.nudewwedivas.forumcommunity.net/m/ext.php?url=http://www.ocrv.club/rv-repair-shop-lancaster-california
http://www.january-river.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.commercialrepairshop.com
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/phpmyads/adclick.php?bannerid=653&zoneid=0&source=&dest=http://sprinterrepairnearme.com/
http://www.jimwrightonline.com/php/tcpdf_php4/serverData.php?a%5B%5D=<a+href=http://ocrv.pro/