Resident Testimonial
A Day in the Life of a Resident
As a CA-1 at Tulane University, your day typically involved working at either our downtown campus (Tulane Medical Center) or in nearby Metairie at Tulane Lakeside Hospital. Each location has its unique experiences based on type of procedures performed, workflow, and volume of cases. Most days, I am in the OR room by at least 6 AM to ensure I have enough time to perform a proper setup for my case. If I know I have a challenging case scheduled for that day that requires more to setup, I may need to arrive before 6 AM. Once my room is set up, I then go interview the patient to confirm what pre-operative information I already have and to see if there is any new information we may have not gathered from charting. Following my patient interview, I usually touch base with my attending for that day to notify if there is anything pertinent to discuss regarding the interview. If the patient needs IV access, then I will attempt to establish that as well. Following that, there is usually enough time to grab a quick bite to eat or a cup of coffee before we roll back to the OR. By 7:15-7:20, I roll the patient from the pre-op area to the OR and begin our first case. Depending on the length of the cases and how late you are scheduled to stay, a resident can typically expect to have 2-4 cases per day. At Tulane, we have a great working relationship with our CRNA colleagues and are usually relieved for a 10-15 minute break in the morning and a 30-45 minute lunch break. Most days around 3 PM, we are relieved from the OR by either a CRNA or another resident who is staying later that day. On Wednesday afternoons, we are relieved by 3 PM for simulation center which is a valuable tool to help us develop critical thinking and skills for scenarios we may possibly encounter in the OR. On Thursday afternoons, we are relieved for didactics around 1 PM.
Part of what makes the Tulane experience so unique is how protected the residents are in the department. While we have many valuable and talented CRNAs who we work alongside, our department allows us the opportunity to participate in some of the most challenging cases available each day. Residents perform all the neuraxial and regional anesthesia, central lines, and cardiac and liver transplant cases at Tulane. This experience helps us grow in our training and shows the staff’s trust and confidence in us to handle difficult and challenging cases. Another valuable part is the protected time we are offered to study and prepare for boards. Most days we are out of the OR around 3 PM to have time to study and pre-op our patients for the following days cases.
My favorite part of my CA-1 experience to this point is the family environment we have at Tulane. From my co-residents to my faculty, I always find myself laughing or enjoying my time with whoever I am with. Our faculty members are truly invested in not only our education, but in us as people and take the time to get to know you. The residents of our program are really close, and you really get to know your colleagues. Overall, I have really enjoyed my experience at Tulane and wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Jeffrey Mimbs, MD
CA-3 Resident
