A First Look at the Heart of Critical Care

While rotating in the critical care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, I had the incredible opportunity to shadow the team at CVSICU. My first day was full of so many new experiences. I saw my first-ever ECMO cannulation. For those unfamiliar, ECMO is advanced life support where a machine temporarily takes over the function of your lungs or heart. I also saw patients on Impella, a device that helps the heart pump.

What struck me most was not fear or intimidation but pure excitement. Seeing all of this reminded me of how much there is to learn and how thrilling that journey can be. I started noting down everything I wanted to understand better: how ECMO works, its parts, its indications, and when it should not be used. Witnessing my first ECMO cannulation in the operating room and the teamwork involved left me in awe. The size of the cannulas and the idea of it actually entering the body were shocking.

I was also fascinated by the precision and organization in the ICU. The use of checklists and the read-backs by nurses impressed me deeply. I found myself thinking, I want to bring this approach back home and try it as a quality improvement project.

This experience reminded me of something I have always believed. Purpose and meaning come from the ability to create change, no matter how small. For a long time, whenever I participated in donation drives, whether giving clothes, food, or stationery, I used to think the contribution had to be big enough to matter. Perfection became a kind of resistance, stopping me from starting at all. I promised myself that from now on, anything small is okay. You just have to start.

The same is true in global health. Small actions can create ripples that eventually turn into waves of change. Witnessing innovation, teamwork, and precision in the ICU reinforced that idea. It made me more determined to learn, contribute, and make a difference; one small step at a time.