My Work as a Practitioner
My Day to Day in the Office
A Peek into My Time at the Office...
A Day in the Office
A typical day at the office of Dr. Jose A. Cancio, a trauma orthopaedic surgeon, mainly consists of viewing patients and moving from room to room. Many patients, from old to young, visit the office throughout the week, each with a unique case or in need of help. The Mayaguez office is opened from Monday to Friday; however, Dr. Cancio only sees patients during Tuesday and Fridays, which are the days I go to the office. I arrive around 1:00pm, and as soon as I arrive, the office is always filled with patients and energy. My first task is to meet with the head secretary in order to review the patients that are going to be attended that specific day, and then, I meet with Dr. Cancio, whom I follow room to room in order to diagnose a patient, set an operation date or perform pre-operation treatments. The most common treatment performed at the office are the cortisone injections, which allow patients to relief some of their pain from the affected areas in their body. Patients that typically receive these injections come in for shoulder, knee, wrist or hip pain. Moreover, another common procedure performed at the office are casts installations and casts removals. When patients bring an MRI which shows the presence of a fractured bone that does not need to be operated, the patient receives a cask for around 6 weeks. The most fun part of casks installations is seeing patients surprised that they can choose a personalized cast color! Lastly, another common procedure performed at the office is consultations and post-surgery checkups. Dr. Cancio is very thorough during these appointments to ensure that the patients are receiving the best care possible. During these consultations, he allows me, the practitioner, to engage in conservation with the patient and even teaches me how to spot fractures in X-rays. After the patient leaves, Dr. Cancio also teaches me of the different surgeries or treatments each fracture can be handled with, while simultaneously informing me of non-operative treatments some conditions may have. Throughout my time at the office, I have seen Dr. Cancio’s dedication to his craft and his patients, and his drive to help the needs of his patients at all costs. The determination I have seen from Dr. Cancio not only inspires me but has taught me the qualities that a stellar and exemplar doctor should possess.
My Day to Day in the Hospital
La Concepción
A Peek into My Time at the Hospital...
A Day in the Operation Room
A typical day at the Hospital La Concepción with Dr. Jose A. Cancio begins in front of the hospital at 7:00am. From there, we head to a workstation where Dr. Cancio and I review all the operations he has for the day, and the level of difficultness each surgery will be. Then, we head towards the patients Dr. Cancio operated on the previous day, in order to check out how they are doing and ask some post-operation questions. During this time, Dr. Cancio makes sure to ask how to patient is doing and how they are managing their pain, and then Dr. Cancio tells the patients about their surgery and how it went. After performing these rounds, Dr. Cancio and I finally head to the operating wing. Before and after every surgery, Dr. Cancio must fill out papers and record patient information. Furthermore, the hospital days were divided between two options: Complicated orthopaedic surgeries that required longer operations hours, thus fewer operations, or simpler orthopaedic surgeries that lasted less time, thus more operations could be completed. My first time at the Hospital La Concepción, Dr. Cancio had more complicated surgeries such as: a Hip Replacement, a Reverse Shoulder Replacement, two Ankle Fractures Repairs which he inserted plates into, three arthroscopies, and the drainage of a wound which Dr. Cancio discovered was caused by an infection that had infected the bone, thus he had to take a portion of the bone out. This was my first time in an Orthopaedic Operation Room, and I was so amazed by what I experienced that day. Throughout the 9 ½ hours of Dr. Cancio’ shift, I learned innumerable concepts and had real-life, behind-the-scenes experiences where I learned more regarding a medical topic and profession I am interested in.
Photo Credit: Verónica Bado
Most Memorable Cases
01
Fracture of the Calcaneus
A fracture of the calcaneus, also known as the heel bone, is a rare type of fracture that is painful and ca be a disabling injury. Typically, this type of fracture occurs from very high places like a fall from a ladder, or during disastrous car crashes. This fracture occurs because the heel is crushed under the weight of the body. This is one of the most memorable fracture I saw at the office because the patient, a 40YR Male, fractured his heel bone with a simple fall down three stairs, which is incredibly rare and typically not enough force to break such a hardened bone.
02
Reverse Shoulder Replacement Surgery
A Reverse Shoulder Replacement is considered a special type of shoulder surgery. Usually, this is an elective-type surgery, meaning the patient is the one that decides to have this surgery. The patient in this case, a 50 YR Male, who underwent this surgery with Dr. Cancio, had severe arthritis and was losing the continuous movement in his right shoulder. This surgery was very memorable for me because I saw the intense of a surgical mallet and the removal of the shoulder head. Even though the surgery involved a lot of blood, I could still appreciate the cuts and placement of the replacement which can last up to 10 years or more.
03
Hip Replacement Surgery
A Hip Replacement. Also known as an Artificial Hip, was the first orthopaedic surgery I had the opportunity to shadow. During this procedure, I saw as the hip joint was completely removed due to extensive damage because of arthritis, and I even had the chance to hold the head of the femur in my hand. After removing all the required bone and cartilage, a prosthesis made of metal and ceramic was inserted in place of the femur’s head. The patient for this procedure, a 62 YR Female, was experiencing excruciating pain that impeded her from preforming her daily activities, and as a result of non-surgical treatments being no longer effective, she needed to have a hip replacement.
