My surgery rotation was a great learning experience as I was able to gain knowledge and skills that I will use once I begin practicing as a PA. Coming into this rotation, I was a little nervous because I knew it would be challenging in terms of time management. I found that for this rotation it was extremely important to prepare thoroughly before cases. Reading up on the patient’s chart was important such as what procedure they are having done and relevant past medical history. I also reviewed the anatomy by watching videos or utilizing an app called Touch Surgery. Lastly, I used a book called Surgical Recall to review before the surgery.

This rotation allowed me to strengthen my skills in placing and removing an NG tube, placement of Foleys, suturing, and many more. I learned different types of suturing skills such as deep dermal suturing, hand tying, and many others. I look forward to using these skills in the future and strengthening them even more.

I was able to scrub into many different surgeries during this rotation and help assist. I scrubbed into general, neuro, urology, plastics, ortho, and breast cases. I enjoyed all of these and learned about different ways that surgeons do the same type of surgery. My favorite was scrubbing into Neuro cases as the surgeons would teach and allow me to assist. I had an interest in Neurosurgery prior to this rotation and my experience with the Neuro team made me even more interested.

The most difficult part of this rotation was the laparoscopic anatomy especially when you haven’t seen it before. Diagrams and pictures help but the more you see the surgery is the best way to learn it more and get more comfortable with it. Overall, I look forward to using the skills I gained in the future and on my next rotation: Psych at QHC.