.gif)
Rolling stone forever…!! Keep Abreast
“Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing!” - Warren Buffet
With the exam pressures that we went through during our school days, we all might have dreamt of that one day we can finally start working and never have to read books again. Well, most of us were wrong. That was just the beginning of a never-ending process of learning.
The field of Perfusion is constantly evolving; the medical technology and research is growing at such a rapid pace, that we get lost often amidst our personal and professional lives. Continued medical education is however, the only solution to deliver the high quality health care to our patients and therefore it is imperative for each Perfusionist to evolve as well.
What, when and how much should we learn then?
Although a mastery of the existing, knowledge is important, identifying how to reference material or where to find the answers to clinical questions may be an equally important goal. As the trainee transitions to faculty practice, developing proper reading habits becomes as critical an attribute as the clinical and technical skills required by this profession.Some of the challenges posed to rookie (and experienced!!) perfusionists include-
1.Technical Knowledge of our perfusion devices
2.Remembering all the information that has been learned so far
3.Finding answers to the questions from day to day to clinical practice
4.Keeping up with the continued research
5.Internet resources
1. Technical Knowledge of our Perfusion Devices: The strange thing about our profession is that, we must have a healthy admixture of medical and technical knowledge to deliver the best patient care. Although we do not prescribe medicine or perform an incision, it is crucial to understand patient’s pathology, treatment and its prognosis. Varieties of new devices keep coming to the market. When I get a call from an ICU in the middle of the night that a particular device is not working, I should be able to solve the problem in the blink of an eye. Suggestion: Carry a pocket notes always until you are well versed with it, it helps you to remember about the settings, alarms and dangers.
2. Remembering all the learned information so far: We survive the daily work somehow but remembering the information that we use rarely is quite challenging. CPB during pregnancy, normal values of some particular chemical, HIT patients, pharmacology etc etc., When I think that I remember everything finally, a new contradictory research comes out which confuses me even more.
Suggestion: go through your pocket notes in your free time and update it as need be. Give a quick library visit and brush up your knowledge, which comes in hand during crucial situations.
1. Finding answers to the questions from day to day to clinical practice: Note it down and do not leave it until it’s solved. I personally prefer to sit next another Perfusionist in my free time and watch how I can do things better. Discussing, brainstorming and teaching all helps in keeping oneself updated. Seniors, juniors, students, consultants or professors – one can learn from everyone. Modern online platforms help in connecting worldwide, where the problems are perceived from different angles and questions are answered rapidly.
2. Keeping up with the continued research: Case reports, large data base reviews, prospective studies from any peer reviewed journal is of a great help when it comes to the advancement in profession. The information in journals can be overwhelming. Select the articles that are easy to read to begin with. Attending conferences can be of a great help in learning the recent advances.
3. Internet Resources. Internet resources can be exhaustive and distractive for the information that is available in the modern era. However, one can find weekly quizzes, case presentations and videos that highlight the important technical aspects of any discipline. Linkedin, whatsapp, facebook (professional groups) and YouTube are the great resources to learn if you know what you want. There are interesting apps available for both androids & iOS
Our specialty of practice will continue to advance and evolve as long as medical and surgical interventions do so. Keeping the principles of medical ethics, professionalism and patient care in mind, it is crucial to keep our competency at its best all times during our career. Finding the time and energy to commit to reading and developing a system that includes comprehensive and integrated resources including textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and online resources are fundamental to both obtaining and maintaining a fund of knowledge in perfusion.
Although we lack recognition most of the times, the future is promising, evolving and interesting; we just have to keep up with it.
Mr. Naveen G Nagaraj