i managed to successfully intubate my first patient today! on my first try! :D

granted, my tutor was holding my hand with the laryngoscope. but still! yay! :D

although, being in the OR made me wish terribly that i was on the other side of the curtain observing the surgery instead. thankfully, my tutor was fairly understanding, and after yakking a fair bit about anaesthetic drugs, allowed me to scoot to the other side of the curtain to witness the surgery. pretty cool surgery too, a Le Fort I.

i actually couldn't see the cords when i first slid in the laryngoscope, but a little gentle traction does wonders - the posterior end was revealed immediately, and cricoid pressure allowed me to see the glottis. WAY COOL. so sliding in the tube was definitely easy.

i'm looking forward to doing more procedures, hopefully i'll get to do them in the ENT OR where there's higher turnovers compared to the spine ORs (one spine op can take 6 hours! even worse are the cardiothoracic ops) it's just too bad i'm not rostered to a GS or OB/GYN OR - life would be so much more interesting (surgery wise i mean).

my tutor seems like a pretty nice guy, he speaks with a Queen's English accent. very clipped and precise! and he reminds me terribly of my previous ortho tutor, i really have to keep reminding myself to call him by the right name!

all in all - a good day :D

hope you lot are gearing up happily for christmas! :D