 |
|
|
|
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. soundoff (1,129 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next »Leave a Reply to Pleasure Way Van Repair Shop
Next entry »Test may be better gauge of heart attack risk
« Previous entryQuiz: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
|
  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.
 |
|
|
|
Autumn. The air turns cool and crisp, leaves change color, and third-year medical students descend on hospitals to learn to be real doctors… by practicing on real people.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrti/.jukebox?action=viewPodcast&podcastId=7003&url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=JMZUXyq3QZk
Very good info. Lucky me I found your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I have bookmarked it for later!
http://friendlystaff.com/guestbook/go.php?url=http://yelp.com/biz/ocrv-center-anaheim-4
Great article. I'm going through many of these issues as well..
http://wwwnuevo.jus.mendoza.gov.ar/c/blogs/find_entry?p_l_id=29236&noSuchEntryRedirect=https://ocrv.today/fire-truck-repair-near-me
pillole viagra roma [url=https://llviagra.com/ ]purchase women viagra[/url] disfunção eretil viagra
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be interesting to read articles from other writers and use something from other web sites.
https://www.treneo.com/scripts/redirect.php?target=https://yelp.com/biz/ocrv-center-yorba-linda-2
http://citidex.sfgov.org/cgi-bin/sunindex/getData.cgi?docColor=deptsonly&dispRec=yes&contact=TedYamasaki&phone=(415)557-4815&url=ocrvcenter.co/motorhome-renovation-near-me
http://austinfurniturerental.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=facebook.com/ocrvcenter
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, however I genuinely thought you'd have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could possibly fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
https://www.sprinter-forum.de/clickcounter?url=http://ocrvcenter.net/rv-inspection-near-me
Good post. I absolutely love this website. Continue the good work!
https://www.starnow.com/Link.aspx?l=4815&return_url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=pks0jvQTfJQ
cialis 20 mg soft http://rcialisgl.com/ buy cialis
http://sportsinsights.actionnetwork.com/affiliatewiz/aw.aspx?B=53&A=188&Task=Click&TargetURL=https://ocrvexperts.com/blue-sky-rv-collision-repair-shop-near-me
cialis canada org doc https://rcialisgl.com/ cialis pill canada
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It's always helpful to read articles from other writers and use a little something from other websites.
http://www.nhpri.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=instagram.com/ocrvcenter
https://www.spoke.com/tb/company/4fd5ed66f26148054d00196f/ounder+Collective+closes+2440M+seed-stage+tech+fund++28Nov-200929/https3A2F2Fyoutube.com/channel/UCCWA5o3d2u11KvEjA3wLVUA/videos
When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you can remove me from that service? Cheers!
https://polo-v1.feathr.co/v1/analytics/crumb?flvr=email_link_click&rdr=https://ocrvluxurycoaches.com/rv-plumbing-repair-near-me
canadadrugs pharmacy http://xlnpharmacy.com/ Keflex
gastro health https://pharmacylo.com/ cialis super active
http://yellowpages.observer-reporter.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleettruckrepairshop.com/passenger-van-repair-shop-near-me
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the web. I am going to highly recommend this web site!
https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/securedredirect.do?redirect=https://ocrv.fun/rv-repair-shop-torrance-california
Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I've read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this blog.
https://www.itic.org/redirect?r=96fe14b2-fa4d-4b35-860d-365da81621d2&redir=https://ocrvart.com/rv-headlight-repair-near-me
This site truly has all of the info I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
https://5100.itmo.ru/go.php?url=https://fleetservicesorangecounty.com/van-body-shop-near-me
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that will make the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
https://www.loma.org/global_loma/handler/TechDirectory.aspx?companyid=10737446431&action=web&dest=https://youtube.com/watch?v=wvzHVHJ4ifg
Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility problems. Whenever I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in IE, it's got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, excellent blog!
http://sintesi.provincia.brescia.it/portale/LinkClick.aspx?link=https://fleettruckrepairshop.com/limo-van-repair-shop-near-me&mid=872
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative.
I am gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this
in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
https://slack-redir.net/link?url=https://boxtruckrepairshop.com/ford-luxury-van-repair-shop-near-me
I was able to find good information from your blog articles.
https://laneaward.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=yelp.com/biz/ocrv-center-anaheim-2
I lovve reading through a post thaat will make people think.
Also, thanks for permitting me to comment!
https://www.etis.ford.com/externalURL.do?url=https://ocrv.xyz/rv-driver-seat-repair-near-me
Office.com/setup or Setup.office.com is the website/webpage for the activation of
Microsoft Office & Microsoft 365. Microsoft Office gives limitless advantages with the best per-user
monthly subscription Plan. visit our website for activation here https://offficesetup.com/
Excellent web site you have got here.. It's hard
to find quality writing like yours nowadays.
I truly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
I really love your site.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you create this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m trying to create my own personal site and want to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Many thanks!
http://transportation.automation.com/statistics/logClick.php?statType=commerce&pageId=33&Id=189&redirect=https://ocrvshop.com/rv-repair-shop-chino-hills-california
I was pretty pleased to discover this web site. I need to to thank you for ones time for this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every part of it and i also have you saved to fav to check out new things in your site.
http://manoeksportas.vz.lt/invitePage.do?id=309782144&url=https://ocrv.us/rv-repair-shop-culver-city-california
I blog frequently and I truly appreciate your content. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
https://cartridges.planetark.org/r/ocrv.fun/motorhome-roof-repair-near-me
http://www.ta-capital.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=facebook.com/ocrvcenter
viagra causes blue vision [url=http://llviagra.com/ ]turkish viagra wiki[/url] taking viagra young men
viagra generic online https://jokviagra.com/ what is viagra used for
http://gikit-pack.com/change_language.asp?language_id=en&MemberSite_session=site_45415_&link=http3A2F2Fyelp.com/biz/ocrv-center-anaheim
http://3d.skr.jp/cgi-bin/lo/refsweep.cgi?url=https://ocrvexperts.com/farmers-rv-collision-repair-paint-shop-near-me-orange-county
cialis no persription https://cialisee.com/ generic cialis (tadalafil) 20mg 30
https://megalodon.jp/?url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMlGBtbaJVI
bookmarked!!, I love your blog!
https://www.worldarchitecture.org/community/links/?waurl=https://sprintervanrepairshop.com/city-bus-repair-shop-near-me
I blog frequently and I really appreciate your content. The article has really peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
http://m.landing.siap-online.com/?goto=https://fleetautorepairshop.com/sprinter-van-alignment-shop-near-me
This is the perfect webpage for anyone who hopes to find out about this topic. You know so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that has been written about for ages. Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
https://www.streetmap.co.uk/redirect.srf?id=toshibam&d=https://fleetvehiclerepairshop.com/sprinter-van-mechanic-shop-near-me
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This piece
of writing posted at this web page is actually pleasant.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It's always interesting to read through content from other writers and use a little something from their web sites.
https://www.gemeentemol.be/tellafriend.aspx?url=http://club-maserati.com
http://remontmix.ru/out?t=1&mid=19521&url=https://meganleary.com/
https://i.w55c.net/ping_match.gif?rurl=https://meganleary.com/
Hi, I do think this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to return once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
http://www.redirect.me/?http://www.arizonasvision.com
https://www.dailygood.org/more.php?op=get&url=https://club-maserati.com
I absolutely love your blog.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal website and would love to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Thanks!
https://analytics.tradedoubler.com/r.php?u=https://meganleary.com