3 March 2017

In two days, I will scrub up for the first time. In line with me at the sink will be medical interns, doctors, anesthesiologists, and other professionals. These medical professionals have an unthinkable amount of experience in their fields, more experience than a naive high-schooler like me can fathom. Once we step into the operating room (hence the O.R. mentioned in the title of this post), however, we are all equal in our pursuit to prolong the life of the body in front of us.

For my Senior Project, I will be shadowing a pediatric surgeon at the DuPont Children’s Hospital. She will be on call, which means any medical emergency (at any hour in the day or night) will be placed at her hands. Through this experience, I hope to learn more about what it takes to be a surgeon. While most of the knowledge I gain will be through the practical application of surgery, some of it will be more intimate. Since most surgeons develop a deep understanding of the relationship between life and death, I hope to reflect on how to deal with these final moments as well.

I’ll be starting this Monday, so if you’re not too queasy, feel free to check out my blog posts starting then!

-Lili Ladner, O.R. mini-intern