The Virtual Operating Theater

The Virtual Operating Theater The Virtual Operating Theater The Virtual Operating TheaterCool heads prevail in the operating room, and the coolest heads rest on the shoulders of experienced surgeons. Its the been there, done that attitude that comes from being exposed to many life-and-death situations, as they often are in operating and emergency rooms.So even though medical students need to experience these situations, no one is going to let them learn from their mistakes. Thats why the medical profession is turning to engineers to develop tools that give doctors crash courses in facing these life-and-death decisions as part of an operating team.Theres a coordinated sequence of events that has to take place in an operating room, says Leonard Weireter, Jr., a surgeon at Eastern Virginia Medical School who also heads Sentara Norfolk General Hospitals Shock Trauma Center. If the anesthesiologist, surgeon, and circulating nurse know how to communicate with one another, a lot can get don e. Otherwise things can get quickly out of control in an emergency room, such as with cardiac arrest or an allergic reaction. It may also occur if a member of the operating team misreads an instrument or misunderstands a command.Today, medical students and residents learn to cope with life-threatening emergencies by living through them. They stand beside skilled practitioners, the same way apprentices learned from their masters for hundreds of years. They watch, assist, and ultimately take the scalpel into their own hands under the watchful eye of an experienced surgeon.Yet even the busiest hospital presents only a limited range of experiences for any given type of operation. While human beings vary widely, fruchtwein operations follow a routine set of procedures. Doctors may go through years of medical school and residency, and never encounter more than a handful of true emergencies. They may never confront a life-and-death decision until they are out on their own.The virtual opera ting room allows real surgical students to interact with virtual instruments, and work with virtual surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists.Advanced SimulationsTaking lessons from other professionals who must sometimes face critical decisions such as pilots, chemical and nuclear power plant operators, or military officers, the medical profession has begun to use advanced simulations and mechanical feedback to train doctors. The work is still in its very early stages. Yet the new technologies promise interactions that will blur the distinctions between reality and models in virtual space. Doctors, nurses, and paramedics learn and practice procedures on simulators until they become proficient.The simulators then vary symptoms to depict medical emergencies that most medical personnel rarely encounter. Future doctors, for example, can rehearse emergency procedures the same way pilots use simulators to learn how to pull out of a spin or fly with a damaged engine. Over the past decade, se veral companies have introduced simulators. Most consist of a plastic and rubber mannequin, a haptic feedback system that simulates the resistance of medical instruments moving through the body, and imaging systems that show the locations of the instruments.Todays medical simulators have limitations, but they are moving rapidly into the medical mainstream. Two years ago, for example, the Food and Drug Administration approved a carotid stent, developed by Guidant Corp., Indianapolis, IN, that expands blocked arteries in the neck. Before doctors could perform the risky procedure implant, the FDA required doctors to undergo four hours of simulator training.A debridement center uses haptic feedback to provide medics with a realistic experience as they remove debris and cleanse a virtual wound.This is the first time that FDA required simulator training, says Mark Scerbo, a professor of psychology at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, and co-director of the National Center for Collabor ation in Medical Modeling and Simulation. This may be the start of a new model for training doctors. Simulations can also let us test new devices and procedures without putting patients at risk. For example, its debridement system, which simulates the removal of a patients damaged or infected tissue to improve the healing process, uses virtual reality to walk students through cleansing large surface wounds.Inside that virtual environment, medical students can interact with simulated doctors and nurses while they operate on a mannequin. For example, one of the most serious issues in the field is intubation, the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the windpipe to maintain an open airway. Students can practice this procedure numerous times on mannequins without choking the patient, Scerbo says.Virtual OperationsThe use of mannequin simulators also coincided with the advent of minimally invasive, or laparoscopic, surgery. Instead of slicing open a body, surgeons insert cameras and surgical instruments attached to long rods through small incisions. Surgical simulations are typically robotic arms that work in reverse Instead of applying force to an object, they provide force feedback to the operator. So when a student moves a clamp at the end of a robotic arm, the haptic system calculates the amount of force to apply against that motion by gauging how the scalpel interacts with a computer-generated model of tissue in which it moves.For years, we thought medical simulator haptics had to be incredibly precise, Weireter said. Medics, paramedics, and nurses must learn to clean the wound and remove dead tissue, glass, and other foreign objects to prevent gangrene and infection. The virtual operating room creates even more complex interactions between real and virtual space than the debridement system. If you look at advances in safety made in other high-risk domainsaviation, nuclear power, military operationsthey were achieved by people who understood the entire en vironment in which they perform.As the virtual operating room evolves, it is expected to drill students in critical thinking and communications skills. They will see more and more varied emergencies than the cases that come through the hospital doors on their shift. Equally important, the virtual operating room gives researchers a tool to study and understand how and why surgeons make mistakes. We can look at the sources of errors that creep into procedures and design countermeasures, Scerbo says. We can build better systems that match the capabilities of human users without overloading or underloading them.Adapted from Virtual OR, by Alan S. Brown, Associate Editor, Mechanical Engineering, November 2006.Todays medical simulators have limitations, but they are moving rapidly into the medical mainstream.

Sample Resume for Agile Business Analyst Job Position

Sample Resume for Agile Business Analyst Job PositionSample Resume for Agile Business Analyst Job PositionThis position typically requires heavy experience in IT or a related field, and advanced positions sometimes require a masters degree or MBA. A functional resume, rather than a chronological one, works best to highlight skills youve used across a variety of companies and industries.Include any project management certifications, awards, and commendations you have received for prior projects to highlight unique expertise. wertzuwachs milestones are very important in this competitive field. Quantify achievements like business process improvement, cost savings, and productivity.Check out this agile business analyst resume template to help you create your own winning resume and land a job in this sought-after field. Create this Resume Andre Benevides1240 Wines LaneHouston, TX 77014(555)-755-6641a.benevidestmail.comObjectiveSeeking a challenging position as Agile Business Analyst in a reputable company to enhance my skills and for career development.Summary of QualificationsExcellent communication and interpersonal skillsExcellent organization skillsExpertise in various computer application and operating systems related to workExperience in a true Agile/ Scrum / XP environmentExperience using Agile Automation Test FrameworksProfessional ExperienceAgile Business Analyst, January 2007 PresentGear Stream Inc., New York, NY ResponsibilitiesDevised and prepared concise and effective User Stories.Determined precise and accurate User Story acceptance criteria used by developers.Determined criteria used by automation test frameworks.Measured information from various sources.Facilitated distinguish anwender requests from user needs.Agile Business Analyst-Associate, May 2004- December 2006Coinstar, Oakbrook Terrace, IL ResponsibilitiesStudied current business and software development processes.Interfaced with all levels of internal clients.Translated customer business ne eds.Commuted business needs into application and operational requirements.Ensured client satisfaction by arranging client reviews of software under development.EducationMasters Degree in Business Management, 2004New York UniversityBachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Business Management, 2002New York UniversityCustomize ResumeMore Sample ResumesAdvertising Executive ResumeAgile Business Analyst Resume Air Traffic Controller Resume Airline Pilot Resume

Types of Jobs That Never Last ( How to Make It Work Until You Get a Better One)

Types of Jobs That Never Last ( How to Make It Work Until You Get a Better One)Types of Jobs That Never Last ( How to Make It Work Until You Get a Better One) Nothing lasts forever. This is especially true when it comes to jobs that are a poor fit . Once you realize youre not in the right job, its time to be proactive and departure looking for ways to improve your situation. Here are five types of jobs that never last and how to make them work until you get a better one.Weve all been desperate enough at one point in our career that we just took a job to pay the bills. When your back is against the wall and your mortgage or rent payment is due, you really dont have much choice. Any job would look good at this point. Career experts sometimes refer to this as a survival job . These jobs are typically low-paying and usually below your skill level. Tzu siche usually comes a point where you realize youre not where you need to be, and its time to make a career move.Use thi s time to figure out what type of job youre really looking for. What are your passions ? What really makes you excited to get up and go to work each morning? Once youve identified what it is youd like to be doing, take steps toward making your dream job a reality. If your job offers special training or tuition reimbursement, take advantage. Make an effort to learn something new.Also, use this time as an opportunity to save money. Every bit counts. Even if you cant sock away the recommended 10% to 15% of your paycheck, save something for a rainy day while you prepare to move on to a new job.These are the types of jobs you get after being hired for a position where your skills are below the level of the job you applied for. You see an advertisement for a job that makes your heart skip a beat. However, as you continue to read the description, you see you dont have all the required skills .But you want the job so badly that you jazzmusik up your resume and work hard to give a k iller interview . Much to your surprise, you get the job. The only problem is youre in way over your head. If you dont learn your job quickly, youll be out the door in no time.If you keep faking it, you wont have a job for much longer. Dont continue winging it and feeling your way through the job. Eventually, youll end up making a critical mistake that could have been avoided if you just learned your job. You can make this situation work by acquiring the skills necessary to do your job. Youll not only get better at your current job but also learn enough to get another job with a higher salary.When most people think about dead-end jobs, they have visions of a fast-food worker. However, not all dead-end jobs are of this sort. A job is considered a dead end if theres no room for advancement . No matter how good you are at your job, the only hope you have of moving forward in your career is if you quit and find other employment. When youre working in a dead-end job, youre going nowhe re fast.The only way to make your dead-end job work is to continue with your job search and leave as soon as youre able to find a better job. Keep sending out resumes and going on job interviews. Also, stay in contact with your network to let people know you are still looking for a job.Persistence is key when youre in a situation like this. Too many job seekers get comfortable or discouraged and stop looking for something better. Keep discouragement at westindischer lorbeer by continuing to reach out to others and stay connected.When you first started, things were good. However, after a few months or weeks, you begin to realize this isnt what you signed up for. The job description changed drastically from what was described during the interview, and you have no idea what happened.Making matters worse, there are other little annoyances you were willing to ignore in the beginning that are now grating on your nerves. Everything about this job is starting to get to you. The commu te is long, your co-workers are horrible, and the salary just isnt cutting it anymore. You cant take it anymore. Your stress levels are at an all-time high, and youre starting to burn out .Do what you can to make your time there pleasant until you can leave. Focus on self-care as much as possible. And that means not working through lunch or eating at your desk while you work. Its important for you to take your breaks. You can use your lunch time to take a yoga class, read a good book, or meditate . Protect your physical and mental health until you find the job thats right for you.You dont like your boss, and your boss doesnt like you either. Every day is a battle, and you cant wait for the day to end, so you can go home and recover. No matter how much effort you put into your work, its never good enough. Despite your best efforts, you feel like youre sinking in quicksand. Youve been so distressed that youre getting sick, and the weekends cant come fast enough.Talk to your bos s. Set up a meeting where you go over his or her expectations. Ask whether theres anything you can do to improve. If your manager isnt helpful or doesnt seem interested in making things work, its time to look for alternatives. Your options are to move to another department or leave the company. Youll want to speed up the timeline for your exit if youre getting sick . No job is worth sacrificing your health.