Just a few weeks ago, Noah Johnson was in a hospital in Huesca, Spain, watching a surgical procedure. In the background, soothing music played. Johnson kept a close eye on machines that tracked the patient?s vital signs.
?How?s the rhythm?? the anesthesiologist asked in English.
?The music?s fine,? Johnson answered.
?No, the one that matters. Close your eyes,? said the anesthesiologist.
Johnson closed his eyes and almost immediately the musical notes merged into a different type of beat. ?I hear it. The heartbeat.?
The anesthesiologist smiled.
That moment stuck with Johnson as he returned to the U.S. last Saturday after four weeks studying abroad with other students from the University of Kansas. All 10 of the students (Johnson, who had just finished his first year at KU, was the youngest) intend to pursue medical careers. Johnson was the only one interested in anesthesiology.
?I have a passion to do this, and I think the doctors wanted to test me and push me because it?s an intense job. For them to want to teach me, they had to know I was there for the long run,? he said.
JOHNSON?S passion for health care began as a student at Humboldt High School. He graduated in 2018 as a valedictorian with a dual degree from Allen Community College. The past four summers, he has volunteered at Allen County Regional Hospital; last year he volunteered at Overland Park Regional Medical Center?s post anesthesia care unit.
After his sophomore year of high school, he took part in a leadership program to study health care at the University of California-Berkeley. He attended an advanced version of the same program at John Hopkins after his junior year.
Those programs helped him narrow his career choices, from an early interest in surgery to medical research to nurse anesthetist.
He?s now at KU, majoring in biology with a minor in psychology.
His first year at KU helped solidify his interest in anesthesiology. An anesthesiologist works with patients before, during and after surgery, requiring a level of personal care Johnson believes best suits his personality.
IT?S ONLY natural that Johnson would spend this summer the way he has for the past few years, studying health care. He applied for a pre-med internship through the Atlantis program, which offers opportunities to study abroad at hospitals in Europe.
Johnson soon found himself in Spain, where he observed about 100 general surgeries and shadowed physicians in various departments over the course of four weeks. The hospital?s rules and regulations were ?a lot more flexible? than at hospitals in the U.S., giving Johnson opportunities for more hands-on learning than his previous programs.
He remembers one surgery in particular: a procedure for a woman with breast cancer. During the procedure, the surgeon realized he?d have to remove the entire breast. The 30-year-old woman woke up from surgery to learn the unexpected news of a mastectomy.
It was an emotional moment, one that helped Johnson understand the value of interpersonal communication between a patient and doctor.
Another surgery, when a patient?s blood pressure dropped dangerously low and the patient started to wake up during surgery, reminded him of the delicate balance required of anesthesia. A good anesthesiologist is vital, but successful health care takes an entire team of healthcare professionals working together.
