Students Observe Surgical Procedures
Source/Author: Lisa Peck, Intro to Medical Sciences Teacher
October 20, 2016
Last Wednesday, Laura P., Kendall P. and Shahana B. shadowed Dr. Richard Fansler, a general and vascular surgeon at Largo Medical Center. Each week, Dr. Fansler graciously invites 3 Shorecrest Upper School students from the Intro to Medical Sciences class to shadow him in the OR and as he does his rounds. The students then discuss their experience with their classmates. The students, as well as their teacher, Lisa Peck, look forward to hearing about the different surgeries observed. What an amazing learning opportunity for Shorecrest students!
What the students observed this week:
"We saw a surgery where he took out cancer in the colon, a toe removal, a melanoma removal, lymph nodes removal, and a surgery where he fixed someone's dialysis. My shadowing experience was really amazing. The surgeries we saw were awesome. I was never interested in surgery as a career path, but Dr. Fansler inspired me!" - Shahana B
"We saw removal of colon cancer, a big toe amputation, the removal of melanoma from the back and armpits, and the insertion of a catheter/balloon pump in order to restore flow through the veins in a man's arm. I had an awesome time and really enjoyed seeing first-hand what these surgeons do. It was also interesting to hear the [academic] journey of some doctors and where they wanted to end up." - senior Laura P.
"The first surgery we observed was the removal of colon cancer. He removed a huge chunk of fat and blood vessels that included the cancer. After that, we did rounds with Dr. Fansler, his CRNA, a medical student shadowing him and his intern. After rounds we saw a toe amputation (super cool, but gross), then we saw the removal of melanoma from someone's back and both armpits. Seeing these surgeries made me realize how much I want to be a surgeon." - Kendall P.
"We saw removal of colon cancer, a big toe amputation, the removal of melanoma from the back and armpits, and the insertion of a catheter/balloon pump in order to restore flow through the veins in a man's arm. I had an awesome time and really enjoyed seeing first-hand what these surgeons do. It was also interesting to hear the [academic] journey of some doctors and where they wanted to end up." - senior Laura P.
"The first surgery we observed was the removal of colon cancer. He removed a huge chunk of fat and blood vessels that included the cancer. After that, we did rounds with Dr. Fansler, his CRNA, a medical student shadowing him and his intern. After rounds we saw a toe amputation (super cool, but gross), then we saw the removal of melanoma from someone's back and both armpits. Seeing these surgeries made me realize how much I want to be a surgeon." - Kendall P.
Students also shadowed Dr. Ann Licht, who is a hand surgeon at Lakeland Diagnostic & Surgical Center as well as a Shorecrest Parent.
"I was honored to sit in on a surgery with a woman as amazing as Dr. Licht and it was incredible how fast you could actually see the results. I am truly grateful for such a unique and insightful experience!" - Marley P
"The surgeries we saw with Dr. Licht were amazing and it was such a great experience to be in the operating room watching in person. We saw a skin graft to the thumb, a patient with trigger finger that was fixed, and removal of diseased collagen tissue." - Will L
Shorecrest students are fortunate to have surgeons making their ORs available to them. These field experiences are invaluable. If you are interested in presenting to a class or offering a tour or shadowing opportunity, please contact Lisa Peck at [email protected].
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