Med Student’s First Time Suturing

[DGlaucomflecken]

Why yes that is a nutcracker and a bike pump I’m using as surgical instruments

[grantprice]

“Close it before it heals!” Was the best I heard on PA rotations.

[bilbobaggins]

First time I sutured a patient, the anaesthetist pops his head over and says "better hurry up he's waking up" and I proceed to sweat myself to dehydration

[franzbigT]

Anesthesia wants to know if he has enough time to start a new Sudoku, of course.

[LuLeBe]

I remember this hand surgeon who met me in the Emergency department, never seen him before so I said hello and he asked me if I wanted to stitch together a torn tendon. I was happy to do so he quickly explained the procedure to me, we walked into the patient's room, they had a chat while I prepared the equipment, I sat down to start, patient was very chill and told me he's a chef and had an accident in the kitchen. I'm hearing a "I'll be back" and the surgeon is gone. I finish up and then have to close the incision, now realizing that I should maybe go look for him and ask if I did it correctly before closing it off. I find him, he's like "oh you're still wearing the sterile gloves, is anything wrong?" He did check it, I closed it up and everything was fine. But the trust he had in me, a 3rd year student who's never met him before, was unreal.

[nnh]

Dear med students: everyone has to learn somehow, and we’d all be dead if not for you. Thank you for your work. ❤️

[leiaclark]

When I was in the navy, I cut my finger down to the bone with a food chopping machine. So an hour later, the Doctor is ready to stitch me up. (I skipped a bunch of story.) She has all the Corpmen (enlisted medics) gather around to watch. I was getting 7 stitches. She does the first one, says “did everyone see that?” They nodded. She does the second stitch, then hands the needle and tongs to one of the Corpmen and says “now do it just like I did.” Then she points to 3 other Corpmen and says “you, you, and you are also going to do a stitch, then I’ll do the last one.” Just as the guy with the tongs and needle is going to start she looks at me and says “oh you don’t mind, do you?”

They did a good job. My finger actually healed better than she said it would.

[davidmiedema]

Yes, the attending said, "that is a very nice suture, but the rest of the incision will have healed by secondary intent by the time you're done"

[bernadmanny]

Absolutely no sympathy from the battleaxe of a surgical nurse, love it.

[MnInci]

I met a nurse who is a middle-aged lady in the surgery room. And she helped me a lot about the first suturing. After every suture, I asked her "is it okay" and she assisted, and encouraged me about it. Because of her, that day was my happiest day lately 🥰

[quetzalcoatlus]

My first time was even more nerve wrecking, because I had yet to have my first theoretical suture class, so when the surgeon asked me "do you know how to suture?" I promptly asked "no... That's next week's class". He just retorted with "great! You get to start early, then!" And left me and the surgery resident in the room with a tetanus patient who had just undergone laparotomy. Good times.

[riff]

The anesthesiologist's facial expression every time I get asked to do a procedure in the OR, is the reason why my life isn't happier.

[ArchGBUStanton]

The steady, constant beeping from the monitors really adds a since of pressure and urgency to the video. Awesome.

[Senjamin]

had a student close me up once. took awhile, but cleanest stitches ive ever had and barely scarred, he was so nervous the poor dear

[jayy-b.vanvanite]

My sutures from my gallstone extraction were done by a student, and when I woke up, they complained about how bad it was supposedly done and I just told the dude that it's okay and we all gotta learn someway or another and as long as nothing gets infected, it doesn't matter how it looks. I ended completely fine

[prateekkarn]

I love how the patient under anesthesia still manages to look at his watch...

[pooryorick]

The 5th year resident helped me my first time, and he would tap my wrist briskly with his forceps every time I held my forceps overhand. He was very patient and helpful!

[wryandwatchful]

If you only knew how spot on that nurse stare is!!

[mitchellenthenya]

The looks from the scrub nurse! ACCURATE!!! 🤣

[maybeme]

And then the resident comes back and has to take all of the student's sutures out and redo it.