321zzz

Greetings Dr. Rana, I am a fellow anesthesiologist. When the events of 9/11 occurred I was working in a hospital which employed a surgeon who, as a Sikh, wore his turban at all times, even in the OR. He was an outstanding surgeon and a better human being, yet after 9/11 there were those who made all manner of suspicious, pejorative and derogatory comments about him because, despite being a Sikh and not a Muslim, the turban made him an easy target. (Not to say that Muslims are deserving of those kind of comments, either!)

I am curious what your experience is like in the hospital. I would assume you are treated well by those who know you, but what have you run into as a Muslim physician, from both patients and staff?

I'm also an anesthesiologist. First, I agree with what Dr. Rana said, it's humbling to take another person's life into your hands. And my entire job is patient care, it's just that my patient is unconscious for much of the time ;).

It's true that there is very little in the way of continuity of care -- most patients I meet once and never again, but that's not a big deal for me. I enjoy meeting new people, learning their history and planning the best anesthetic possible for them given their unique medical issues. And I enjoy the hands-on nature of the job, lots of procedures, etc. Also, I like the instant gratification. I give a drug and something happens, not "here, take this pill and come back in a month and we'll see how you're doing."

Well said. Thanks for the response.

Hi, anesthesiologist here. I've been involved in dozens of these procedures (not at CHLA though), and I'm glad you're doing so well. I'm curious, if you were going to go in for another procedure, is there anything you'd want to tell your anesthesia provider, or questions you'd want answered?