November marks the end of my internal medicine rotation and the start of surgery. Typically, any surgery rotation consists of about 4-6 weeks in general surgery, and 4-6 weeks rotating through sub specialties. My surgery rotation is beginning with the sub-specialties, specifically an anesthesia rotation this week, and so far I’m loving it. It’s kind […]
Buddhism in the OR
One of the basic, core ideas, of Buddhism is that the basic root of all suffering (Dukka, दुःख) is our desires and expectations. When dealing with something like a general surgery rotation, often when things are life and death for the patient, it might help to develop a sort of spiritual or philosophical framework for dealing […]
Smiling in the OR and Asian Emoticons
As a med student in the OR, often your role is to just sit/stand quietly and observe without contaminating yourself or the sterile field. However, it is often nice to be able to smile and communicate non-verbally with people like the circulating nurse and the scrub tech. However, your mouth is covered with a […]
