Internship -- Critical Care

Hi guys!

I just came through spending a month in critical care medicine, and I think I've found my true love. At first, I was nervous in the CCU (Critical Care Unit). Everyone looked so fragile and on the edge of life (most of them just don't look like that, they are!). I was afraid to do anything -- a physical exam, ask questions or anything. By the end of the month though, I have lost that fear. I feel like I know a little more of what to do there. I got a chance to intubate a couple of people, participate in several code blues (cardiac and/or respiratory failure) and was part of several death-and-life dramas. There were many cool experiences.

And oh by the way, all you guys who gave me grief for spending so much time on the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation in biochemistry, just wait till you see how useful it is in critical care and how much you will use your knowledge of blood gases. More on that later...

Vijay