A Day in the Life of a Vascular Surgeon

1. INTRODUCTION For my practicum project, I was very fortunate to shadow Dr. Silverio Cabellon Jr., a vascular surgeon at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. The field of vascular surgery has always interested me, ever since I attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine before my junior year in high school. While attending the NYLF at the Georgetown University, for the first time I was able to interact with surgeons and observe surgery through an observation room – the result making me want to be a vascular surgeon, something that I still would like to do to this day. Being granted the opportunity to shadow Dr. Cabellon gave me a chance to see exactly what happens behind the scenes in a hospital environment first hand. Additionally, I hoped to get a perspective from a surgeon not only in the operating room, but daily activities including work in the clinic and patient-physician interactions. ACTIVITIES During my experience shadowing Dr. Cabellon, the majority of my time was spent standing in the operating room observing various procedures, including: Most of the time, a patient undergoing an arteriogram would also have subsequent angioplasty performed if need be. While not in the operating room, I was in the vascular clinic or patient wings observing pre-op and post-op meetings with Dr. Cabellon and his patients. It was in this environment that I was able to interact with patients on a one-to-one basis. Patients were always open to my presence and often carried on conversation with me over their conditions and subsequent operations. Most patients and other physicians often mistook me for Dr. Cabellon’s son, and perhaps this is why they were that open with me. Regardless, the relationship between a patient and their doctor is a special one, one that I can only explain as a truly loving, friendly relationship. The respect that is given to the physician is always returned through friendship and a caring demeanor that always makes a patient smile. Dr. Cabellon’s days usually began around 7:30am, whether it be an operation or pre-op conference with residents detailing what operations were to be conducted during the week. After the conclusion of a procedure or conference Dr. Cabellon and I often went to breakfast before the next procedure of the day. It was during breakfast that Dr. Cabellon and I were able to talk about his life as a physician, and the amount of dedication to patients that this job requires, and sometimes the emotional tolls that ensue. Little did I know the extent of that emotional toll I would experience first hand… REFLECTIONS Before shadowing Dr. Cabellon, I still somewhat had the impression of hospitals that is commonly given off by the media, whether it be a TV show such as E.R. or Grey’s Anatomy. I can easily say without a doubt in my mind I was in for a very rude awakening when I first started shadowing; the image given by these shows is very misleading. I was amazed to see the way that an operation is conducted between physicians, nurses, and medical assistants acting as a well-coordinated team, it was truly impressive. Without the OR nurses an operation would be a much more hectic environment. Additionally, the operating room is now dominated by computerized systems that allow procedures that once took several hours to be reduced tremendously. Most operations require constant computer-imaging of arteries via x-ray radiation, requiring one to wear a lead-suit to protect from the radiation during the entire operation. My talks with Dr. Cabellon shedding light on the life a surgeon truly impacted me in a way that I wasn’t expecting at all. The impression that TV shows give of the death of a patient in the OR may be dramatic, but it wasn’t until I experienced a human dying right in front of me that I really took to heart what Dr. Cabellon told me about the emotional tolls that this job entails. It was really a lot to take in at first, having seen this patient in surgery previously as well as interacting with him first-hand in clinic. I honestly do not know a surgeon can handle losing someone that they know on the personal level that they have with their patients. The moment that Dr. Cabellon said, “I’m calling it.” is truly something that will forever be instilled into my memory. Overall, my experience shadowing Dr. Cabellon is something that will always affect me. Observing the way that a doctor can have such an impact on a person and the way a patient reacts with such gratitude is such an emotionally filling feeling that I don’t think can be matched by anything else. It is this interaction between doctor and patient that really makes me want to continue to pursue a career as a vascular surgeon and also continuing shadowing Dr. Cabellon until the end of this semester. A Day in the Life of a Vascular Surgeon • Arteriograms • Amputations • Aneurysm Repair • Bypass Surgery • Angioplasty Timothy Bunales College Park Scholars – Earth, Life, and Time University of Maryland Chemistry Major tbunales@umd.edu May 2nd 2008 Dr. Cabellon and I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people for all of their assistance with my practicum: SERVICE SITE Project site was the Washington Hospital Center; specifically areas of the Vascular Care Center and Clinic, and various operating rooms and patient units. Contact Info Address: 110 Irving St NW Washington, D.C. 20010 General Info: (202) 877-7000 Email: http://www.whcenter.org/body.cfm?id=160 • Dr. Cabellon, my site supervisor, for graciously taking me under his wing for the entirety of this project • The resident physicians and medical students that were always there to answer my questions while in the operating room • Dr. Holtz and Dr. Merck for their constant dedication to Earth, Life, and Time and the College Park Scholars program ensuring that students have the ability to undertake a practicum project that was as rewarding as this. The Washington Hospital Center