The Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA) program welcomed its second class with a White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, March 11. Around this time last year, Enkhjin Enkhsaikhan was preparing to enter NEOMED’s inaugural class of 12 CAA students. Enkhsaikhan looked back as part of that class, what she’s learned, and what advice she has to offer the 14 new students who have just begun the CAA program.
What was your biggest highlight of your first year in the CAA program?
It’s hard to pick only one highlight but if I had to then it’s getting to finally perform anesthesia on patients. The very thing that I spent so many hours studying and reading about, I finally got to accomplish in-person, and it was both nerve-wracking and fulfilling.
What was the biggest obstacle/challenge from your first year, and how did you address it?
Classes were hard, as expected. Being a graduate program, it took off running from the beginning, even if I was trying to learn to walk at some points. It truly helped that our professors were heavily involved in our success and were willing to accommodate us as best as they could. Some strategies I learned from undergrad had to be modified or scrapped so I could keep up with the curriculum.
What’s the best piece of advice you have for the new CAA students?
Shadowing is highly recommended, if not required when applying to many CAA programs. If you haven’t gotten it or can do more, I encourage you to get in the OR (either by shadowing an anesthesiologist/anesthetist or working as anesthesia tech) as much as possible. I believe that being familiar with how things flow in OR and around the anesthesia work area will make your life easier when you’re trying to remember detailed things when a patient is right in front of you.
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
I’m not only excited about the specialty rotations but also the different locations that I get to travel to. This will give me a chance to meet up with students from other schools as well as working CAAs who I’m sure have much wisdom to bestow upon me. We also have our annual professional conference, the 2023 American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA), coming up in April. It’ll be the first time Class of ‘24 and ‘25 will be under the same roof. NEOMED CAA program is going to take over AAAA 2023!
What are your immediate plans following graduation?
Graduation is already a big event to look forward to, but there are few things post-graduation that I hope to accomplish immediately. Depending on my employer, I would love to visit my birth country of Mongolia before I nosedive into my full-time work. I have not been back since 2015 and with the recent world events plus school, I had missed all opportunities to fly back. I’ll try to get time off after graduation to go back and visit my family and friends, especially my grandfather. In addition, my sister will be giving birth to my niece who I’m dying to see and spend some quality time with. Much to look forward to in 2024!