Internship Description

I am considered a Surgical Sub-Specialty intern for Kaiser Permanente. As an intern my duties include getting supplies –like gloves and surgical masks– and making sure that they are always there. I also observe surgeries. The Sub-Specialty branch only observes a few cases. There are surgeons that move from one Kaiser to another on a daily basis. Take Dr. Spencer and Dr. Lin for an example. They are two surgeons I observed on Thursday. They are podiatrist, or doctors who specialize with feet, who move from one Kaiser to another. While observing them, I saw a bunion removal. It was a great experience. I saw the surgery from the first incision to the last stitch. In the operation room my duties was to watch the surgery and stay out of the way of the surgeons. During the time I am in the hospital I have to wear scrubs. When I am in the operating room I have to wear a surgical mask and a hairnet and shoe covers. The whole room is sterile so I cannot touch anything in the surgery area. Along with Dr. Spencer and Dr. Lin, there was an anesthesiologist, and two assistants. The assistants were nurse Michelle and nurse Jeanne. Before the surgery started, Dr. Spencer put on music from his computer. I have also spent time with Dr. O’Brian in GI. During my time with him I have seen him perform a colonoscopy and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy. A colonoscopy is when the doctor takes a endoscope and puts it the rectum and checks the colon for cancer of other harmful substances. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy is when the doctor takes an endoscope and puts it down the throat and checks the esophagus.

I also observed hernia operations while shadowing Dr. Nankovic. Those were one of the more interesting operations. I was amazed at how the hernia actually looked. Also the surgeon had to cut and remove the hernia using a cautery machine. The machine looks like a little flat-headed screwdriver with a yellow handle a blue wire connecting it to a machine. The tool then releases a strong electric current that cuts the hernia without releasing blood. The surgeon also uses a cautery machine to stop blood from gathering into the area where the surgeon is working. The surgeon then places a strong wire plastic like gauze in the area where the hernia protruded from so it does not form again. I saw three umbilical hernias and one inguinal hernia. In the umbilical hernia the incision was placed right above the belly button. In the inguinal hernia the incision was placed near the bottom right abdomen near the pelvis.

The next day I saw another colonoscopy. This colonoscopy was much different from the other. The patient was exposed to radiation a few years ago and was bleeding when he went to the bathroom. Dr. Shah, the doctor I was shadowing that day, had to use an endoscope and see what was happening. While exploring the patients intestine Dr. Shah realized that the radiation caused blood vessels to protrude in the intestine. This was causing the bleeding. So Dr. Shah used a cautery machine to seal the blood vessels and sent the patient on his way. While examining the colon, Dr. Shah showed me the small intestine.