IXth Surgical Workshop 18/3/09

I’ve always wondered how it would feel like to cut people up (to cure them, mind you!) Imagine this: you can feel the palpitation of your heart, there’s a constant discharge of adrenaline in your body, you are holding a scalpel in your nervous and steady hand, there’s a live person lying in front of you, anaesthetized and paralyzed, and had entrusted his life to you. YOU are GOD!

Of course that’s a very crude way of putting things. There’s no way the real situation is half of what I’ve just described. I’ve probably just painted a snippet of next episode of Grey’s Anatomy!

What I’m trying to say is, I have great respect for the people who work day in and day out, with such burden resting on their shoulders. All the more, if they love what they do and teach their subordinate well!

I had a brief but nonetheless, pleasant experience in the recent week- my first ever surgical workshop organized by Melaka General Hospital, in collaboration with B. Braun Aesculap (leading company supplying sutures and other related materials to government hospital in M’sia and other parts of the world).

It was a 2 days event at the hospital auditorium, and had allocated only 5 seats for students. We attended only the first day because the second day was intended for PG doctors. We could have attended, but it wouldn't have been useful for us anytime soon. (To be completely honest, I was more than interested to attend the 2nd day as well, as it was related to the surgeries I saw during my electives in SGH. So I wouldn't be completely lost. Had it not been because of college politics, I would have attended myself!)

Activities included:

1. Proper technique of gowning and gloving to maintain utmost sterility.
2. Different types of knot tying and their importance and uses.
3. Types of suture and needle.
4. Surgical instruments
5. Last but not least, hands on skin suturing.

with Zaf

the “patient” board

My work of art!

Are you ready for ME to cut YOU up?