I've heard a few people mention that they think being a nurse anesthetist might be boring - just putting people to sleep all day.
From the sounds of it, it is anything but.
Tyrone did a crash c-section one day and he came home still going over the numbers..... woman arrives in OR at 8:38 without an IV, he gets an IV in, starts drugging her up and is sliding a breathing tube down her throat at 8:44 when the surgeon starts cutting, baby out at 8:45. That will take your breath away.
Some nights it is so quiet he sleeps all night and sometimes he works non-stop from arrival til departure.
Some days he is charge CRNA and then instead of putting people to sleep he is managing a huge staff of anesthetists and making sure every OR has coverage when and where they need it - Right now! He says the charge phone rings every couple of minutes with a need and there isn't even time to breathe between demands.
We all love hearing about his most interesting cases over supper..... even when it's gross! Heart surgery, craniotomies, amputations, organ procurement, gun shot wounds, motor vehicle trauma, prisoners who swallow paper clips and batteries (over and over and over again) and of course a few cases that only get talked about with adult company.
It's a fascinating job!
Full disclosure: Anesthetists can and do work alone in small hospitals and outpatient clinics. In our hospital system Tyrone works under an anesthesiologist. They are in and out during cases and if things get crazy they step right in and help.
From the sounds of it, it is anything but.
Tyrone did a crash c-section one day and he came home still going over the numbers..... woman arrives in OR at 8:38 without an IV, he gets an IV in, starts drugging her up and is sliding a breathing tube down her throat at 8:44 when the surgeon starts cutting, baby out at 8:45. That will take your breath away.
Some nights it is so quiet he sleeps all night and sometimes he works non-stop from arrival til departure.
Some days he is charge CRNA and then instead of putting people to sleep he is managing a huge staff of anesthetists and making sure every OR has coverage when and where they need it - Right now! He says the charge phone rings every couple of minutes with a need and there isn't even time to breathe between demands.
We all love hearing about his most interesting cases over supper..... even when it's gross! Heart surgery, craniotomies, amputations, organ procurement, gun shot wounds, motor vehicle trauma, prisoners who swallow paper clips and batteries (over and over and over again) and of course a few cases that only get talked about with adult company.
It's a fascinating job!
Full disclosure: Anesthetists can and do work alone in small hospitals and outpatient clinics. In our hospital system Tyrone works under an anesthesiologist. They are in and out during cases and if things get crazy they step right in and help.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone likes to do it! mom