Today was the first day I got to see a patient for the second time, this one was getting a delayed reconstruction done. I was so used to just seeing a new face through every door every day, but seeing this patient again really reinforced for me just how much a personal and real connection means to these patients. They don’t want a doctor who just works in silence, never saying a word, they want a doctor who gets to know them and is enjoying what they do.
I got one of the nurses to give me a suture kit to practice with at home last night and it was much more difficult than the doctors make it look!! I had to get my mom to teach me proper technique, and I was able to get a few solid surgeons knots in. I started practicing with a 6-0 prolene which in layman’s terms is a really thin thread that I would not recommend first learning suturing with. I then switched to a 4-0 vicryl which had a thicker longer needle and a thicker string making it much easier to work with. All in all, this whole experience at the Cary Skin Center has only reinforced my wanting to be a doctor and I can’t wait to take the next step towards achieving that goal!!