Advice for SRNA clinicals
I’ve now finished 2 clinical rotations.
4 months ago, I had never intubated anyone before.
Now I have provided anesthesia for almost 140 cases, ranging from moderate sedation, to spinals, to general anesthesia.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Always be prepared and arrive early, but not too early. You will be penalized by looking idle in preOp.
If you can afford it, get a Tesla (serious). There are 100 good reasons to get a Tesla, and there are 100 more if you’re an SRNA who will be driving near and far between many clinical sites. Just to name a few reasons: Clinicals are tiring; a Tesla adds comfort and luxury to the many, early, and late hours that you will be driving -- especially with autopilot. You don’t have to worry about getting gas, because you just plug in and charge your car every night the same way you charge your phone.
If you’re not confident about a procedure you have to perform (e.g. your 2nd spinal ever), remember: Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Better to be systematic and intentional, and borderline slow, than fast but ultimately miss.
Most likely, you will have made a “care plan” for your cases. At the end of the day, review what you planned vs. what happened, and what you would do next time for a similar case. Doing this isn’t always possible considering time / energy constraints, but I really try to do this for at least half of my cases. It helps ingrain the lessons I learned that day.
It’s fine. What’s fine? Everything. The fact that you made a mistake. The fact that you were right, but were unfairly yelled at. The fact that it was busy and you didn’t get to eat, pee, drink water or sit down for 7 hrs straight. The fact that you feel like you suck. The fact that it’s hard. The fact that you did good today. It’s all fine. In general, things turn out okay. Don’t let yourself feel too sad/discouraged by mistakes or criticism. You just learn from it, improve your process, and you’ll probably forget about it in a few days. On the other hand, don’t let your successes make you feel too confident or comfortable. Again, overall, things are neither great nor awful -- they’re fine.
Whenever I’m feeling discouraged, and hate myself, and just want to find a dark room where I can lay in the fetal position and eat an almond butter jelly sandwich with my eyes closed… I try to reach out to others. I’ll text a friend and ask how their clinical day went, or just say hi or whatever. I promise you, this always leads to (1) commiseration, which makes you feel less alone and less stupid, and (2) camaraderie which is the manna / salve that all SRNAs seek
Alright that’s all I’ve got for you. Good luck and godspeed