Several days ago, I was in the operating room. I was allowed to stitch two small incisions. I had been practicing my knot tying techniques and was thrilled to get some practice. Focusing diligently on my clumsy fingers as I tried to remember the sequence of knot tying, I poked my finger.
I felt the sting of the needle as it entered my finger. I proceeded to tie.
Somewhere within the "loop", "flip", "karate chop" instructions that were flowing through my head, it dawned on me that I had indeed been poked. I then started realizing that the needle had been in someone else. I looked down at my finger and noticed a small pool of blood forming under my gloves.
But I wasn't worried until the OR nurse rushed me over to the scrub sink and started pouring iodine over my finger and telling me about the testing that the patient would need to undergo. Testing for HIV, Hepatitis and syphilis....
Long story short, because I am a student, the patient is not being tested. But, I will be tested for the next year to make sure that I didn't contract any of these diseases.
I'm reminiscing about the days I wanted to be an architect...
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