A Day in the Life of a Duke Anesthesiology Resident

Anjolie Laubach, MD, CA-3 Resident

Pediatric Rotation

Anjolie Laubach, MD

A typical day on the pediatric anesethesiology rotation begins at 6 am. Strap on your roller-skates as you prepare your room for the day’s cases. At 6:45 or so, you meet your patient and her family in the pre-op holding area. The child chooses her favorite “flavor” of anesthetic - bubblegum, strawberry, vanilla, or whatever lip-smackers chapstick happens to be available that day. Then, off to the OR, where your patient while drifting off to sleep can view her favorite Disney cartoon on one of five plasma screen TVs in our newly renovated OR space. We are fortunate at Duke to participate in a wide variety of pediatric surgeries, ranging from neonatal emergencies such as congenital diaphragmatic hernias and omphalocele, to pyloric stenosis in a one month old, to complex orthopedic spine reconstruction in a teen.

Some operations, such as central line placement or inguinal hernia repair, may appear straightforward at first glance. However, this seldom turns out to be the case in a population of patients who may present with congenital diseases, a difficult airway, or other physiologic challenges. While providing care in these operations, you will perform various procedures, including arterial lines, central lines, and regional anesthesia. As the rotation progresses, your knowledge and skill with such procedures will quickly advance. An experienced and knowledgeable group of faculty plays an instrumental role in guiding your learning and supervising each case.

Daytime cases typically end around 5 pm. At that point, you will prepare for the following day by seeing inpatients scheduled for surgery and discussing them with your attending physician. As you leave the hospital in the evening, remove those roller-skates and settle down to a normal pace once again. Undoubtedly you will feel a sense of gratitude for what you have learned that day and for the opportunity to work with the children under your care.