This week was my ‘Spring Break’, but I still got a chance to visit the office on Friday. Dr. Truong got me a set of surgical tools (needle driver, scissors, and a pick-up) to begin practicing suturing!!
From my observations so far, suturing seems to require a lot of fine motor skills. You need to hold and wield the needle driver with precision and ease—something that can only be gained through hours of practice and hands-on experience.
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| Surgical scissors (bottom), needle driver/holder (middle), pick ups (top). |
Today was my first day learning how to suture! I even brought a pig’s foot with me to practice on (sadly, we never got a chance to use it). So far, I’m pretty terrible. However, I did successfully learn how to tie an instrument’s tie! This tie is different from the knots I learned before in that it uses the needle driver as part of the process. It’s a lot easier than it looks and comes in handy in a procedure—in fact, most of the ties I have seen done in the OR are instrument ties.
Here’s a video that covers different types of suturing techniques, if you’re curious:
Anyways, despite my lack of a natural affinity for suturing, I’ve had an exciting day at Banner. Hopefully, with more practice throughout the next few weeks, I can learn the basics and be able to stitch up a cut, and even incorporate suturing into my project.
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| A day in spent in the office with my new suture kit :) |
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| Holding a needle driver!!! (note: probably incorrectly) |
Speaking with Dr. Truong and getting instructed on how to suture today really made me realize how amazing it is to be able to learn from a surgeon as a high school student with no medical training. I’m so grateful for the hands-on experience, and look forward to learning more in the remaining weeks.
Until next time,
Vanessa
Learning how to suture sounds very exciting! Congrats on the instrument tie success! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cool video too.
Good luck!
Thanks Mia!
DeleteLooks like an eventful Friday! Speaking of fine motor skills, good thing you've got such a magnificent wingspan! ;)
ReplyDeleteIn the medical profession, who typically handles suturing and how frequently does a physician tie sutures in a given day? Also, where did you manage to find a pig's foot?!
Vanessa it's so cool that you get to have this kind of hands on experience! Do you think you'll get to practice on the pig's foot anytime soon? Or do you think it'll take you a while to pick up the skills necessary?
ReplyDelete