First, Dr. Heffernan performed the lymph node dissection using the superior IC green dye (I did a research assessment on this topic earlier this year) and the Firefly infrared light on the da Vinci robot. Typically, he does this section (a relatively complicated procedure) and then proceeds with the hysterectomy, which his fellow usually performs. After turning the surgery over to his fellow, Dr. Heffernan begin quizzing me on the essential steps of a hysterectomy. He knew I had memorized the steps as part of my Final Product last year, and I loved answering his questions as they applied to the particular patient and her anatomy. Given that these are questions not expected from medical students until their residency, I was impressed with myself for knowing the answers! He also gave me advice for my upcoming robotic surgery presentation at the SIM conference -- more to come on that later.
