Vital Times 2017 - 39

Residents and faculty from the Division of Surgical Services represent their departments at a uniform inspection

Naval Medical Center
San Diego
By Sara Gonzalez, MD
In 2017, the Naval Medical Center of San Diego
(NMCSD) marked its 100th year serving the military
in the city's beautiful Balboa Park. The Department
of Anesthesiology welcomed six CA-1 residents in
July, two of whom are fresh from operational tours.
Derek Sing, CA-1, was a flight medical officer in Diego
Garcia, and Ryan Ochs, CA-1, served as the battalion
medical officer for the United States Marine Corps' 7th
Engineer Support Battalion.
The Department simultaneously bid a fond farewell
to its outgoing residents. Ben Ruddick, MD, began
his work as department chair at the Naval Hospital in
Twenty-Nine Palms, CA. Brigid Maruszak, DO, and
Gabe Rodriguez, MD, were operationally assigned
to the Marine Corps' 1st Medical Battalion, at Camp
Pendleton, CA, and Bremen Shultz, DO, began serving
as staff at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. Dave
Johenk, DO, remains on staff at NMCSD.

The CA-2s and CA-3s continued to hone their skills and
enjoy collaboration with colleagues on rotations at the
University of California, San Diego and the University
of Southern California in LA County. While home
at NMCSD, the CA-3s have been further challenged
with a periodic role as the "Anesthesia Floorwalker", a
position of primary consultation and OR triage during
busy call shifts.
Aside from daily duties, our residents and faculty
actively pursued scholarly projects. For example,
the Tracheostomy Quality Improvement project
has aimed to standardize in-room tracheostomy and
laryngectomy signs, as well as establish and teach
emergency procedures for these airways. An ongoing
Post-Anesthesia Recovery Project has sought to
provide meaningful, data-driven feedback to individual
providers regarding postoperative pain and nausea,
as well as other complications. Additionally, the
department added to its growing collection of enhanced
recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways, by including a
novel one for solid tumors.
(continued)

Annual Publication 2017 | 39

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vital Times 2017