"Worst day ever"

That's how my preceptor described today. It was insane. I may not have described it in those exact words, but it is one of those days when you wonder, what have I gotten myself into with this medicine business? Yesterday was an interesting experience as well. What is going on? I felt a bit thrown into the wolves this week. It's not over yet.
We were supposed to start doing colonoscopies this morning at 730. However, an emergency C section came in so our procedures were bumped back. It was an inconvenience at first. The emergency turned into a problem severe enough that they called in my preceptor to assist with the operation because the mom was bleeding significantly. I threw on some scrubs and ran into the OR to stand awkwardly as close to the wall in order to stay out of the way, but still try to see and learn. Red liquid on the floor of an OR isn't generally a good sign. It seemed like there was enough blood and gore for a horror flick, but maybe that's just because it was my first time in on something like that. Once they seemed to have things under control, we left to get started on some of our patients who were patiently waiting their turn. After a colonoscopy, the Doc got called back in to the OR because the mom was pulseless despite blood units being dumped in her via IV. She was in trouble. Yet again they regained control of the situation and had to do a more extensive operation that initially planned, but it was nerve wrecking. It's terrible to be stuck unable to do anything useful when serious stuff is going down. By then we were incredibly far behind and had to work overtime to get everyone seen and taken care of as quickly as possible. No margin for rest or extensive teaching times. Another patient needed surgery which was scheduled for the next day. I was winging it - doing what I could on the fly in my limited experience and realm of knowledge.
Eventually we made our way to the office to finish up when we got a call about another surgical case. This was an elderly woman who had significant abdominal pain and related issues - a recipe for disaster. A decision had to be made about the value of an operation at her age with associated risks and quality of life concerns. In the end, it was determined by her family that it is preferable not to have her undergo the stress of the surgical procedure and try to make her as comfortable as possible in her final days. It was a whirlwind of a day. I was thoroughly frazzled by the end. It probably didn't help that I was running around on just my cereal and morning coffee. Never underestimate the value of breakfast!