Week 4 - Jose

This week was a bit uneventful. My clinician was out of town so I did not go to his clinic or surgeries as I would usually do. Instead I spent most of my time in lab getting the experiments for my project ready. Also, I am training a high school student to continue the project for the summer until I am gone. I taught her how to work with cells, fabricate the silk films, use the fluorescence microscope among other things. It has been a good experience to teach all of this to someone that came in without knowing how to use a pipette. Lastly, I venture off from Ophthalmology and follow Brandon’s mentor, Dr. Hartl, in Neurosurgery. I was able to observe a few discectomies. This surgery involves the removal of herniated disc material which causes pain because it presses against the nerves. It was exciting to be able to see a different kind of surgery and a different style of medicine. I am looking forward to have more exciting weeks in the future.