First-Year Resident Is Doing What?!?
While Dr. George O’Malley came a long way from his initial point on the show, we cannot ignore that this hospital allowed something horrific. During one episode in the first season of the show, Dr. O’Malley was chosen to perform an appendectomy. Keep in mind, he was a first-year resident at the hospital. There are several seasoned surgeons who would be scared to death about performing this surgery. Appendectomies are usually emergency surgeries, due to a bout of appendicitis. The appendix is part of the gastrointestinal system, connected to the large intestine. It is responsible for providing good bacteria to the body.
When you get appendicitis, the organ becomes swollen, sore, and often diseased. By this point, it is usually filled with mucus, stool, and parasites. Removing this organ can be tricky due to where it’s located, and how careful you need to be. Only seasoned surgeons would ever be allowed to do this. While first-year residents are sometimes allowed to assist and observe this type of surgery, they do not perform it themselves. It is simply too risky for hospitals to allow this because things could easily go wrong with someone of this experience level. Again, this is classified as an emergency surgery, which most residents alone wouldn’t do. Much less a first-year resident. They’re usually observing and learning how to take care of patients at this stage.