Plastics

I am shadowing Dr. Jason Spector in the department of Plastic Surgery. So far I have been able to experience many different aspects of the medical work that goes on within this department. I began by going to office hours with Dr. Spector. This is where we see the patients who come in for initial consultations, and when they come in for post-operative check-ups. Within his work he sees a wide variety of injuries and diseases. The first day he saw a patient with liposarcoma, an achilles tendon transplant that need a skin graft to repair the wound, and facial reconstruction after a burn injury. I enjoy walking in on a case and not having any idea what part of the body we will be looking at. Once we completed office hours, we performed rounds to check on Dr. Spector's pateints throughout the hospital. Eventually, we made it to the OR where I was able to see the debridement procedure on the muscles in the posterior portion of the lower leg. The muscles were decaying due to complications of diabetes and the dead tissue was removed to allow for a more complete recovery. Once all of the dead tissue has been removed and a layer of healthy tissue forms, the patient will have a skin graft procedure to cover the wound. I have also seen a debridement procedure on the lower back and a skin removal and reconstruction on a patient after extreme weight loss. Additionally, I have attended the rounds that the interns/residents complete early in the morning in order to know the status of all patients when attendings ask for information on thier patients, and to change wound dressings. Thus far, it has been a very eye-opening expeirence.