Well today I was tested on my ability to lead a team of 5 other people in a "megacode" in the SIM lab. I have to say that I was pretty nervous going into the testing portion. I'm not exactly sure why I was so nervous, because I knew I knew the algorithms for each of the different potential rhythms. I guess it puts a different spin on things when you are not practicing anymore and the instructors expect you to know what you are doing. Not only know what YOU are doing, but know what the other members of your team are doing and change things if need be.
It wasn't too bad though. Like I said, I knew what I had to do. I guess I was just psyching myself out right before. The rest of my team did really well too. -- For a second I thought we were going to have to push the mannequin off the table and put a couple of our team members on the monitor because they were so nervous. -- It really isn't too bad. Apparently it used to be WAY worse than it is now. Before, you didn't leave ACLS without pretty much breaking down and crying, unless you really knew your stuff! From what we were told by our profs is that it was the worst part of PA school! (That's CRAZY!) Now it is a lot more laid back and ... dare I say fun? Well lets put it this way: after 10 months of sitting on your butt talking about doing medicine it is really nice to actually be able to DO medicine.
So anyways, we still have the written exam portion to take this coming Monday. Hopefully I pass that and I will officially be an ACLS certified provider-student.
On another related note, my girlfriend bought some CPR masks with one-way valves on them for the two of us to keep in our cars. I gotta say I was a little nervous taking it. I don't know why, but I guess I have this feeling that now that I have the mask either I am going to feel obligated to help out at say an accident, or that a situation will actually present itself for me to use the mask. Like I said in an earlier post, I really hope I never have to before CPR on someone, ESPECIALLY someone out and about. Its one thing to start on someone in a hospital where there is plenty of help from people who REALLY REALLY know what they are doing. But when you are out in the middle of a parking lot things are a bit different.
Alright, enough on here, I gotta get back to studying surgery. We have our suture lab coming up Thurs. Let's see how good I am with my hands!
See ya 'til then,
M-R
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