I looked down astonished at the beating heart before me. The surgeon attempted to clarify the procedure he was performing, but I was too busy trying to detect the clear string he was sewing in and out of the heart. I was in awe of his comfort with teaching an undergraduate student how to successfully execute a coronary artery bypass surgery, as if he knew I was interested in that specialty. He explained the condition of the patient and while I did not understand the terminology, I nodded with the satisfaction that one day I would. It was the first time I had observed an open heart surgery. The one-on-one lesson I received made me forget the original purpose of the observation, which was to shadow a perfusionist.
As a first generation college
As a first generation college