Mentor of the Week: Shadow Senior Doctor Dana Pittlova in the Emergency Department for Adults
Written by Czech Hospital Placements Program on Monday, April 3, 2017
Emergency, ER, Mentors, University Hospital in Motol, Shadowing, Paramedicine, #Whocanbeyourmentor
In the Mentor of the Week series we introduce one professional, who act as the #CHPProgram mentor, representing his or her specialty department. This week we have chosen senior doctor Dana Pittlova, who spent three-year internship in Africa, where she gained experience in pediatrics and tropical medicine, and came in contact with very sick patients and the most urgent cases. Regarding all her experiences, she says: "At this point in my life, I have a sense of humility because I know that we as doctors do not have sole control over human lives." What does she mostly love about her specialty? How does her daily routine look like? And when did she realize Urgent Medicine is going to be her future profession?
Why did I become a healthcare professional?
I always knew who I wanted to be, and I did everything to make it a reality. Being a doctor always seemed like an interesting and even mysterious profession to me. During my studies at grammar school, I was convinced that it would be me who would discover a cure for cancer. I was fascinated by the perfect functionality of the human body and its many secrets. As a doctor today,
I consider emergency medicine universal; experiences from this field can be used everywhere, and the demand for emergency doctors is very high. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn that when I was working in England and Northern Ireland.
Don’t be afraid to take this opportunity for a placement in emergency medicine.There is always positivity in our workplace, and when the tough moments come, they never last too long.
What do I love the most about my specialty?
The work is exciting and unpredictable because I meet many different patients every day. Sometimes the cases are simple and the diagnosis is obvious, but sometimes diagnosing a patient can take a very long time. I learn something new every day, even after years in this profession.
It is a wonderful feeling when you can save someone’s life; nevertheless, we have to accept the fact that not everyone can be saved. I also love the utter unpredictability of my work – in the morning, I never know what the day will bring, and during my shift, I don’t know what will happen in the following minutes or hours.
What can you see by shadowing our team?
You will be able to see a variety of things. First and foremost, you will have the opportunity to see the entire department and the personnel that work within it. Second, you will observe the complete process of treatment from beginning to end.
This can include delivery of the patient via ambulance, the patient’s first examination, determination of a diagnosis, laboratory examinations, imaging methods, urgent operations, documentation of the patient’s history, insertion of an intravenous cannula or I-J catheterization, drawing blood, x-ray and CT scans, non-invasive or artificial ventilation, administering medication, infusions, analgosedation, and much more.
Treatment for every patient is completely unique and individual because everyone comes in with a different problem.
Apart from being a healthcare professional…
My main hobbies are sleeping, traveling around the world and in the Czech Republic, cross-country running, and biking. I enjoy reading books, specifically sci-fi, and listening to classical music. I also enjoy chatting with friends to relax a bit.
My motto…
If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.
See the BIO of doctor Dana Pittlova' s colleagues and all about ER for Adults hospital work placement. Become an equal member of the paramedic team as a mentee.
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