Children of surgical team members at Rambam Health Care Campus were given a unique and exciting opportunity to experience their parents' complicated work days. They got to try out working with different medical devices, and even enjoyed a little “screen time.”
Thirty-five children whose parents work in Rambam’s Division of Surgery recently had the chance to play “intern” for a day. They were invited to visit Rambam's operating rooms and learn about their parents’ work, and enjoy a simulated experience for themselves.
The children were divided into two groups according to age. The older children (ages 10-16) received instruction in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from Dr. Henry Azzam, an anesthesiology resident. They also practiced heart massage and learned how to use manual ventilators.
The youngest “interns” were given an introduction to the operating room and got to use the anesthesiology monitors. They also received an explanation about the lungs, the anesthesiology equipment used, and learned about heart function through a demonstration of the ultrasound machine.
The idea was the initiative of Dr. Yonat Letzter, an anesthesiology resident, Pazit Gelber, a senior nurse in the Anesthesiology Department, and anesthesiology resident Dr. Anat Greental.