How Doctors Learn From Patients

By Dena Rifkin, MD
I need to learn a new technique for inserting a large intravenous line. As a resident, I learned how to place these lines (used for medications and dialysis) in the groin or neck by locating the arterial pulse with my fingers, looking at the anatomical landmarks nearby, and then calculating in my mind where the vein ought to be. After a while I could reliably get a needle into the vein by ‘feel.’

Since then, a bedside ultrasound device has become part of the procedure, allowing you to actually ‘see’ the vein you are aiming for—a pretty amazing difference from the way I learned. I’m told it’s awkward the first few times you try it, since you have to juggle the ultrasound and the needle while keeping everything sterile. So, I asked my colleagues to teach me.
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