I've assumed that although John might have some skills in general practice (depending on his internship) his main skillset would be in trauma injuries. If he was in the field I guess that would mean basic triage and stabilising serious injuries until the patient can be sent to surgery. Assuming he actually worked, MASH-style, in front-line surgery, he'd have been there stitching up the poor bastards as well.
I don't really know how medics are deployed in the field though.
I sometimes wonder how well he does as a GP. I have a friend who is a GP, and he's pointed out before that in some ways it's a bit more challenging that being a specialist, because your knowledge has to be broad rather than deep. There's so much more to know about *everything*, from nutritional advice to identifying possible diseases from a wide range of often not-very-specific symptoms.
Anyway, I think your summary seems right. And although his hand tremor disappears while under stress, I imagine it's why he's no longer a surgeon. Convincing the medical board that your intermittent tremor is going to disappear while you stitch people up in an emergency ward is going to be very difficult if it shows up at other times when you're *not* under stress.
I think in a pinch, as long as he had supplies of some kind, he could perform emergency surgery. I think in the absence of that kind of situation, he's still an experienced and uber competent field surgeon, prepping folks and keeping them alive until they can be taken to a hospital for full and correct diagnosis and treatment.
This might actually involve some quite complex emergency treatment to keep people from bleeding out or just to keep them breathing until help arrives. Since he's not in a full war zone any more, maybe trying to triage a dozen or more patients, he could probably spend a lot longer trying to save someone who, in a battle situation, he might have to abandon in favour of someone with a better chance of survival.
Stitching up an uncomplicated wound would be part of that, as well as aftercare of the wound.
Have I been babbling? Possibly. If you have specific questions, I could ask my Dr friend when he returns from his holiday, if you like.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-06-19 05:09 am (UTC)I don't really know how medics are deployed in the field though.
I sometimes wonder how well he does as a GP. I have a friend who is a GP, and he's pointed out before that in some ways it's a bit more challenging that being a specialist, because your knowledge has to be broad rather than deep. There's so much more to know about *everything*, from nutritional advice to identifying possible diseases from a wide range of often not-very-specific symptoms.
Anyway, I think your summary seems right. And although his hand tremor disappears while under stress, I imagine it's why he's no longer a surgeon. Convincing the medical board that your intermittent tremor is going to disappear while you stitch people up in an emergency ward is going to be very difficult if it shows up at other times when you're *not* under stress.
I think in a pinch, as long as he had supplies of some kind, he could perform emergency surgery. I think in the absence of that kind of situation, he's still an experienced and uber competent field surgeon, prepping folks and keeping them alive until they can be taken to a hospital for full and correct diagnosis and treatment.
This might actually involve some quite complex emergency treatment to keep people from bleeding out or just to keep them breathing until help arrives. Since he's not in a full war zone any more, maybe trying to triage a dozen or more patients, he could probably spend a lot longer trying to save someone who, in a battle situation, he might have to abandon in favour of someone with a better chance of survival.
Stitching up an uncomplicated wound would be part of that, as well as aftercare of the wound.
Have I been babbling? Possibly. If you have specific questions, I could ask my Dr friend when he returns from his holiday, if you like.