Archive for the Reflections Category

White Scrubs Only

Posted in Reflections, Surgery with tags , , , on July 5, 2010 by Øystein

"Green scrubs only". Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

A man was sitting on a bench outside the hospital, chatting with a friend in the warm summer sun. He was wearing green scrubs, green shoes, surgical cap and a mask around his neck.

Although it’s explicitly stated in the hospital’s infection prevention guidelines that it’s forbidden to wear green scrubs outside the operating ward, it’s a common sight in the cafeteria, outpatient clinics and hallways. Even outside in the sun. Why? Read more »

Run in the Hills

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , on June 16, 2010 by Øystein

Dirt roads in the Nordmarka forest outside Oslo. Photo by Olav Engen.

On Saturday I ran my first marathon. I’ve run a couple of half marathons before, but now was the time to go full length. Read more »

How to Say Goodbye

Posted in Reflections with tags , , on February 14, 2010 by Øystein

Photo by William M. Vander Weyde (American 1871–1929). Public Domain.

In my new job I have a lot more contact with patients than before. Patients not asleep, that is. Although this is an aspect of the job I really enjoy, it presents several new problems. How to say goodbye to a patient with a chronic disease, for example. Read more »

Be Quick or Be Dead

Posted in Reflections with tags , , on January 22, 2010 by Øystein

Photo by Øystein Horgmo, Creative Commons.

I’m used to being an annoyance. In my previous job I was working on a project where we should document all kinds of cancer treatment, from biopsies to surgery. We would decide that we needed to make a video of some operation, and then had to go find a surgeon who would agree to take me along. We always found one, but they didn’t always come easy. Read more »

The Patient and the Photographer

Posted in Photography, Reflections with tags , , , on October 6, 2009 by Øystein

henry-louis-gibson

Patients are people – people with problems. They are often in pain and usually apprehensive. To them, the medical photographer is someone who, once more, submits them to an institutional routine. He takes their pictures, with part or all of their clothing removed, to show what is usually an embarrassing condition or deformity. Again, indispensable as photography is in the teaching and advancing of medicine, it does not present to the patient the same direct benefit as a radiograph or a blood test.

H. Lou Gibson, Medical photography; clinical-ultraviolet-infrared (1973). (photo credit)

No Breath

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , on June 1, 2009 by Øystein

apneaFilming a radio frequency ablation (RFA) for liver cancer a couple of weeks got me thinking about the hierarchy that exists in the OR. Especially between the surgeon, or in this case radiologist, and the anesthesia personnell.

It’s probably an everyday situation in the OR, and not remarkable in any way, but I found it a bit strange. Just an observation.
Read more »

Breaking the Ice

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , on May 14, 2009 by Øystein

Icebreaker

I usually meet a patient for the first time when I show up to take some photos or shoot a video. The doctor or nurses treating the patient will have informed the patient and asked for his or her permission. But although they have agreed, most patients are a bit nervous of a camera (and yet another person in scrubs) entering into their hospital life. By the time I arrive, ice have formed. Read more »

Nauseated

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , , on May 11, 2009 by Øystein

nausea

I read this interesting article by an American surgeon on getting used to cutting people, and it got me thinking of one of the most common reactions I get from non-medical colleagues and friends when talking about or showing my work: Don’t you get nauseated?

My office is the office closest to a door used by all the smokers in my department. I usually work with my door open, so whenever I’m editing and someone’s on their way to a smoke, there’s a lot of OMGs and yucks to be heard. A few are intrigued and stops for a while, but most rush past, making sure not to watch the computer screens. They cannot understand how I can stand working with this stuff. Read more »

A sudden jolt of sadness

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , on November 8, 2008 by Øystein

blonde_hair_curls
I work at a cancer hospital, and I’ve lost family members to cancer. On a usual workday this is not something I think about a lot, except that it adds an extra dimension to the work I’m doing. But sometimes, little things and moments can suddenly make me sad. Read more »

The surgeon’s domain

Posted in Reflections with tags , , , on October 17, 2008 by Øystein

When you’re entering the OR, you’re entering a domain under the supreme reign of the surgeon. Not that you could ever fail to notice. Read more »