The Masked Medical Student
by Sara Weiner
Some medical students weasel their way into a surgery the very first second they can. They stand outside the OR, peering through the window like a wistful puppy dog, waiting for a sympathetic surgeon to finally wave them in so they can gaze reverently at a two inch long appendectomy incision. Those are the future surgeons.
I was the opposite. I dreaded seeing my first surgery. I had already come close to passing out during a renal biopsy during my medicine rotation and that didn't even involve blood. In the months leading up to my surgery clerkship, I had horrible visions of my unconscious body sprawled across the sterile field. My goal for my surgery rotation wasn't to impress the attendings or get a good grade. My goal was to not faint.
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