Personal Narrative-Anesthesia In High School

Flying into Toronto Pearson International Airport, I reflected on my extraordinary adventure overseas. I had been on a volunteer international medical mission across Vietnam, Nepal, and India over the last four months, immersed in the local culture while shadowing surgeons, anesthesiologists, emergency doctors, and pediatricians. Working closely with physicians, I took patient vitals and history, cleaned and bandaged wounds, observed surgeries, discussed anatomy and physiology, and recalled the hundreds of stories that patients have shared with me at the bedside--I relished every moment of it. My experiences taught me the immense level of responsibility, the importance of communication and collaboration, and even an appreciation for the limits of medicine. My time abroad helped reaffirm my desire to pursue medicine.

While I am not as experienced in the faculty of endurance as Shackleton was, my trials as a distance runner have bequeathed me with a concrete idea of what endurance is. My debilitating cramps, my slogs through mud pits that were formerly legitimate trails, and my stomach emptying wretches on the side of the sizzling track have enstilled in me the prerequisite for a belief that what I am doing really matters. When I fail to maintain a positive mental attitude, my exhausted legs slow in their powerful dance; they simply refuse to go any faster as the blanket of apathy envelopes me. Although my running horror story pales in comparison to Shackleton's epic of frostbite and starvation, the workout early on a rainy Saturday morning in November required that I suck it up and believe in what I was doing. I had already run three one mile repeats at a ridiculously fast rate of speed over the trail with the biggest hill in site. When Coach asked

Two hundred and ten pounds, was that all I could do after a whole summer of strength camp. I felt as though I was sinking in quicksand, all this effort yet only for a loss in my strength. I remembered then of all that I have done to get this far starting at one hundred and thirty-five pounds. After a whole two years, I trained not missing a workout nor a day of strength camp. To reach what I now believed to be my plateau,

Since the beginning of September I have been an Anesthesia Technologist in the OR at Stony Brook Medical Center. I am currently in my first rotation at the ambulatory surgical center, but I will soon return to the main OR for my spine, cardiac, ortho, Peds, ob/GYN rotations. My job as an intern is to assist the anesthesia team with setting up the anesthesia machines, checking and/or troubleshooting the machines prior to each case, setting up IVs, and helping with inbutation and extubation among other things. I am in the OR from around 6 AM until 2:30 PM. When I am not in the OR I work as a home health aide for my great grandmother. My goal is to help restore so motility in her hips since she is recovering from hip surgery after falling while

We hit the weights hard and heavy. Mr. Vietto complimented me for only being 157 pounds and having the ability to bench press 215 pounds. Mr. Vietto slowly became even more impressed with my work ethic. When I would struggle with a certain amount of weight he would give a look. A look that made me push even harder and extend to a new level of fitness. After our workout he wanted me to sign up for Detroit’s annual weightlifting competition. He even offered to be my trainer and my medical trainer. It was an offer I could not resist, so I took

I just went in for a cleaning, all I wanted was for my dentist to check for any cavities and tell me everything was in perfect condition. I don’t understand how I managed to wake up in the middle of a siege. The last thing I remember was Dr. Goldstein saying to me “Well Andre, it looks like you have a few cavities, I’m going to use some anaesthesia, just in case you don't respond to the pain medication again. Is that alright?” I did feel unsure about his decision, I couldn't understand why I would need anaesthesia during a cleaning, but I let him do his job. Dizziness soon followed, before I woke up in a gloomy room with the door barricaded. The only light in the room was coming from a TV showing the news. As I got off the dental chair, I asked Mr Goldstein “What happened here? Why is the door barricaded with furniture?”

I just went in for a cleaning, all I wanted was for my dentist to check for any cavities and tell me everything was in perfect condition. I don’t understand how I managed to wake up in the middle of a siege. The last thing I remember was Dr. Goldstein saying “Well Andre, it looks like you have a few cavities, I’m going to use some anaesthesia, just in case you don't respond to the pain medication again. Is that alright?” I did feel unsure about his decision, I couldn't understand why I would need anaesthesia during a cleaning, but I let him do his job. Dizziness soon followed, before I woke up in a gloomy room with the door barricaded. The only was light coming from a TV showing the news. As I got off the dental chair, I asked Mr Goldstein

Last summer was the first time I had undergone surg ery. I went to the dentist after a developed painful ache in the back of my mouth. An x-ray had revealed that one of my wisdom teeth was growing in sideways, causing it to compact into the tooth n ext to it. My dentist recommended that I get it removed as soon as possible. Two months later, I w as in an outpatient clinic about to undergo my surgery.

My wrists burned terribly and the stinging pain seemed to rivet through my entire body. I didn't mind it though,it gave me a sense of being alive, a sense of that somewhere in the midst of this all, I'm still human and even thought I feel dead, I know I'm not.

Henry Ford once said, “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success”. Throughout my pre-med journey, I have sought out opportunities that will continue to develop the skills I need to become the compassionate physician that I strive to be. I was immediately attracted to the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) and the opportunity to spend six weeks immersed in the medical community. I was given invaluable experiences in medicine from a perspective that I only could have dreamed of. My heart raced as I took my first eager steps into an operating room and watched fervently as the surgeon broke and re-aligned a young boy’s deviated septum. I was in awe of the precision and composure of the physician. I saw the

The auditorium buzzes with a nervous energy. Everyone holds their breath as the emcee announces the sweepstakes winners. “In second place,” this was our defining moment and we would win, “Northside Health Careers High School!” Just like that, our ten year winning streak in overall sweepstakes at the Texas State Junior Classical League convention was over. I felt that I hadn’t contributed enough to the club and that my passion for classics had diminished.

Through shadowing general dentists, I was exposed to how dental offices run their business behind the scene. I was able to learned how to sterilize a room after it was used, how to take x-rays, and how to assist the dentists in certain procedures. These experiences gave me basic understanding of how to properly settle up and handle dental tools, which I can incorporate into what I will learn in dental school. Shadowing dentists and volunteered at the hospital had also give me the chance to interacts with patients, which is another skill that I can apply to clinical works in dental

My unique aspect is my early exposure to medicine. During high school I found a great opportunity at Johns Hopkins Hospital. There I worked for three years as a bed maker, environmentalist, and an operating room associate. This position was small, but I learned that even the smallest position can make an impact in a patient’s life by providing a positive attitude and friendly smile. Most applicants do not seek out medical experiences until undergraduate.

My photo was taken in Hialeah’s Hospital on November 3rd, 2016 when I gave birth to my little daughter Carolina. In it appears my little sunshine, my husband and I. In the picture you can see me in the hospital bed yet. Also, you can notice in my messy hair and my look how exhausted I was once I finish my labor time. My mom was very dry and I still could feel the anesthesia effects in my body. I smelled really bad because of the many hours I was on bed doing all the preparations for the big moment. The nurses gave me sedatives all the time because the pain was irresistible, so that’s why I have that terrible face. When my mom took this photo, I think she did it because she realized how importance would be to save this moment for the rest of

My fear about dental school is that I will have a challenging time figuring out efficient time management for the rigorous curriculum. So far, this fear of not being able to keep up with the course load has been fueling my desire to work harder. This experience as a first-year dental student has been a culture shock, in terms of how much studying a day is the norm here. One month ago, I was a housewife taking care of my husband and three puppies, and now I am a busy full-time dental student. This sudden change has been pretty difficult, but I perceive the challenge as an opportunity to grow and believe in myself. Learning how to manage my time in dental school now, will help me manage my time efficiently as a dentist in a busy practice.