intubation

this past week I had a "bridge week" between clerkships where we learned all about

Anesthesiology.

which really means 5 big things:

*I went into an OR during a surgery for THE FIRST TIME.

(I know what you're thinking, your FIRST time in an OR? how long have I been in medical school? but yup... I also felt the need to announce that it was my "very first time in an operating room" to the entire room - which got me some strange looks, but maybe a little extra help too ??)

*I learned what an anesthesiologist actually does (and how much fun anesthesiologists are)

*I placed IVs, then let people practice placing them on me

(actually totally painless thanks to a lidocaine injection and excellent technique from my fellow medical students :) )

*then I INTUBATED TWO PEOPLE -

which, for anyone who isn't quite sure what that means, kind of looked like this video from the TV show ER except a whole lot less dramatic.

*we talked a whole lot about management and leadership, and about doctors as leaders. These discussions were probably the coolest part. The difference between management and leadership is that Management helps maintain a system and Leadership is how you change a system.

Doctors need to be a part of both.

For the final day, we read an article about how to evaluate your life in the HBS Review. The author says in order to make sure your energy and time go to the right things, ask yourself 3 questions (paraphrased):

(1) how will my career make me happy and fulfilled?

(2) how will my significant other and my family be a continuous source of happiness and growth?

(3) how will I stay out of jail?

He says the third question seems like a joke, but one of his classmates was Jeff Skilling, the infamous CEO of Enron, so maybe not...

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"the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality,

the last is to say thank you"

-max depree