This post is about a doctor who is a big name in endoscopic surgery today. He had some time before doing a case in a nearby hospital a few days ago. So he came to meet me, being my old student.
"I knew you would be in the OT" he said. "I took a chance that you would be free."
"Good to see you" I said. "You look prosperous."
"I am doing reasonably OK" he said modestly. Then we talked of a few things here and there. Before I had to leave to go into OT for another case, he said,
"Sir, I always tell all my students about my first laparoscopy in my student days. Ask him" he said, pointing towards his student who had come with him. The student smiled and nodded. I must have looked confused, because he proceeded to tell me about that case.
"She was a patient weighing 100 kg. It would have been a difficult case for a beginner. The Assistant Professor asked you if he should do it instead of letting me do it, since I could fail to do it successfully. You said, 'No. If we do not let him do this one, he will remain afraid of operating on obese patients all his life. I will assist him myself.' You assisted me, and I could get the laparoscope into the peritoneal cavity in the first attempt. I always remember that. You taught us all the basics and we are grateful."
I did not remember that story, but I did remember that principle as one that I had followed.
"I am glad you remembered and think well of me because of that" I said. "Thanks for remembering and also for reminding me."
Another colleague of mine was sitting there listening to us. After this fellow rushed away to do his case in the nearby hospital, I remarked to this colleague, "I honestly don't remember doing this, but the principle underlying it is one that I believed in and followed."
"We have so many students that we sometimes forget what we do in their training. But some things touch the sensitive ones, and they remember those things forever" the colleague said.
It was good to know that there were some people who remembered me for caring for their training.
"I knew you would be in the OT" he said. "I took a chance that you would be free."
"Good to see you" I said. "You look prosperous."
"I am doing reasonably OK" he said modestly. Then we talked of a few things here and there. Before I had to leave to go into OT for another case, he said,
"Sir, I always tell all my students about my first laparoscopy in my student days. Ask him" he said, pointing towards his student who had come with him. The student smiled and nodded. I must have looked confused, because he proceeded to tell me about that case.
"She was a patient weighing 100 kg. It would have been a difficult case for a beginner. The Assistant Professor asked you if he should do it instead of letting me do it, since I could fail to do it successfully. You said, 'No. If we do not let him do this one, he will remain afraid of operating on obese patients all his life. I will assist him myself.' You assisted me, and I could get the laparoscope into the peritoneal cavity in the first attempt. I always remember that. You taught us all the basics and we are grateful."
I did not remember that story, but I did remember that principle as one that I had followed.
"I am glad you remembered and think well of me because of that" I said. "Thanks for remembering and also for reminding me."
Another colleague of mine was sitting there listening to us. After this fellow rushed away to do his case in the nearby hospital, I remarked to this colleague, "I honestly don't remember doing this, but the principle underlying it is one that I believed in and followed."
"We have so many students that we sometimes forget what we do in their training. But some things touch the sensitive ones, and they remember those things forever" the colleague said.
It was good to know that there were some people who remembered me for caring for their training.
