"You saved a life tonight"

We went into the clinic at 9:30 am on Thursday and left at 1:30 am on Friday. We saw patients, we went to lecture and we came back to help deliver a baby. Then Doctor Hardcore said, "it is time to work." There was an ectopic pregnancy and she needed emergency surgery. It was my turn to scrub in. Obviously, I've never seen an ectopic pregnancy and this ectopic pregnancy, like most, was in the fallopian tubes. I don't know how this looked compared to other ectopic pregnancies, but right when they opened her up, I could see immediately where the ectopic was located. It had not burst and the doctor was easily able to remove it. She also had a pretty good sized cyst on her ovary, so the doctor burst the cyst. It was an exciting night because we were able to remove the ectopic before it burst, which could have killed the patient. I got to suture the fascia layer and the fat layer! It might not sound that exciting, but it is so awesome that Dr. Hardcore not only teaches us but he lets us help. I was a little surprised because it was so late and I know he was tired. I wouldn't have been surprised nor would I have blamed him if he would have just done the suturing himself so he could get home and get to bed sooner. Of all of the preceptors in this rotation, I think Farley and I probably got the best one. He maybe very hard to in contact with and we are working more hours than any of our peers, but we are allowed to do more hands on work than anyone else I've talked to. I have always had OB/GYN on my short list of possible residencies and after working with Dr. Hardcore, I know that I would be happy in OB/GYN. However, I did go to medical school fully intending to do pediatric hematology/oncology so I am not willing to say that I have made a decision to go into OB/GYN yet. It is nice to know that there are multiple things specialties that I would be excited to spend the rest of my life practicing.

When we were in the parking lot, Dr. Hardcore said to me, "Go home, call your Mom and tell her you saved a life tonight." I don't think I saved a life and they really didn't need my help to save this woman's life, but I did help. It was a great feeling!