What if you don't have a "real" reason for choosing your specialty?

[Anastomoses]

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post pics or you are lying and extremely unprofessional.

you call yourself microshaft and you want pics of others?

 

[touchpause13]

You are quickly becoming the most annoying poster on SDN. And that is saying something.

no wonder I like her so much.
Bffs plz?

As a lowly premed I realize I know nothing about this process but the advice she gave seems pretty straight forward.

You like it but cant express why you like it on paper right? Expand on the things you mentioned before and consult with others in that specialty, maybe check out that particular subforum or the sdn specialty chooser quiz.

 

[tco]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I was thinking about it today.

I had an interview in Colorado, and today I flew back home. We landed at the airport and were taxiing to the terminal when someone 10 rows up yells, "Can someone help?!?! Is there a doctor on board?!" I sat there, expecting that, out of 130 passengers, someone must be more qualified than me to jump up and evaluate whatever the heck was going on. Flight attendants were running around, semi panicked, clearing out the aisles an opening the rear door for an eventual boarding by EMS. After about 30 - 40 seconds of no one getting up, I asked the lady beside of me to excuse me to let me out. The flight attendant grabbed my shoulder and asked, "Are you a doctor?!?!" I said, "I'm a medical student. Do you want my help or not?" He let me go.

Ultimately, I had no trouble calmly evaluating the guy and quickly ruling out acute processes requiring immediate attention. It ended up being nothing, but I feel confident that I would have been able to respond to nearly anything that any other fully trained healthcare provider would be able to respond to in that particular situation with limited resources available. It's a different feeling when you think that you're "it," and there's literally no one else to fall back to.

I just wanted to post this because I kind of mocked Instate for suggesting that something like this might happen, but it kind of does prove my point that, even as a foolish, idiot fourth year medical student, we can be of assistance in an emergency. You don't have to do CCM to feel like a doctor.

Edit: Hmmm...I'm thinking I've posted this in the wrong thread. How many threads have we had that discuss emergency medicine on airplanes? Geeze.

 

[happygilmore]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I was thinking about it today.

I had an interview in Colorado, and today I flew back home. We landed at the airport and were taxiing to the terminal when someone 10 rows up yells, "Can someone help?!?! Is there a doctor on board?!" I sat there, expecting that, out of 130 passengers, someone must be more qualified than me to jump up and evaluate whatever the heck was going on. Flight attendants were running around, semi panicked, clearing out the aisles an opening the rear door for an eventual boarding by EMS. After about 30 - 40 seconds of no one getting up, I asked the lady beside of me to excuse me to let me out. The flight attendant grabbed my shoulder and asked, "Are you a doctor?!?!" I said, "I'm a medical student. Do you want my help or not?" He let me go.

Ultimately, I had no trouble calmly evaluating the guy and quickly ruling out acute processes requiring immediate attention. It ended up being nothing, but I feel confident that I would have been able to respond to nearly anything that any other fully trained healthcare provider would be able to respond to in that particular situation with limited resources available. It's a different feeling when you think that you're "it," and there's literally no one else to fall back to.

I just wanted to post this because I kind of mocked Instate for suggesting that something like this might happen, but it kind of does prove my point that, even as a foolish, idiot fourth year medical student, we can be of assistance in an emergency. You don't have to do CCM to feel like a doctor.

Edit: Hmmm...I'm thinking I've posted this in the wrong thread. How many threads have we had that discuss emergency medicine on airplanes? Geeze.

So basically you are able to calm people down because there was no medicine to perform?

I don't get how this has anything to do with Emergency Medicine. What if they guy had a tension pneumothorax? Would there be a difference b/t med student and attending?

 

[tco]

So basically you are able to calm people down because there was no medicine to perform?

I don't get how this has anything to do with Emergency Medicine. What if they guy had a tension pneumothorax? Would there be a difference b/t med student and attending?

Considering that I've done quite a few needle thoracostomies and chest tube placements, if we happened to be in a procedure room or if they had a chest tube kit nearby on the plane, I could have managed 😛 And no, I don't think an attending could put a needle into someone's chest for a pneumo any better than I can do it, because when I do it, it works. What more could you possibly want?!

Everyone's a critic!

I would have done my best to handle whatever the situation was. Looking back, yeah, it was nothing. How did I know that before I got to the guy? My point is that by fourth year, you've been involved with codes, done procedures, and been around truly sick people enough to be able to evaluate someone quickly and assess their needs in a situation like that. It's a BLS-type situation, not a procedure room, OR, or ICU situation.

Also, like I said in my edit...I posted this in the wrong thread :-\ The other one had a similar line of discussion, but talked more about what would happen if you were thrust into an emergent situation on a plane.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

And no, I don't think an attending could put a needle into someone's chest for a pneumo any better than I can do it, because when I do it, it works. What more could you possibly want?!
.

🙄

I can take a colon out. When I do it, it works.

Would you like me, or my attending, for your operation?

 

[tco]

🙄

I can take a colon out. When I do it, it works.

Would you like me, or my attending, for your operation?

Wow. Tongue in cheek is totally lost on some people.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Geekchick921]

Never any response from the OP, huh? That's disappointing. I'm still curious as to what specialty they chose.

Anyway, thanks for the excellent advice, Prometheus09. I am several months away from writing my PS but I'm going to hunt that post down again when the time comes.