Sunday, December 27, 2015

Block III First semester Wrap Up

The road thus far:

Pediatrics:

I LOVED pediatrics. I was actually surprised by how much I loved pediatrics. At least some of it was due to just general excitement about being in the hospital working with REAL patients, but even 4 months out, I still really enjoyed it - to the point where I am seriously considering pediatrics as a career choice. 

Favorite moments: They all revolve around really getting to help a patient. We had a suicidal teenager that I was just really able to connect to, who felt comfortable enough talking to me to reveal the reason she tried to commit suicide. There was another baby with a pretty serious and rare genetic condition whose mom I was able to give a pamphlet explaining the condition (she was VERY young, and no one had really explained the "future" of her child's condition). I was able to bond with a lot of different kids, which was pretty damn amazing, considering I have never really been "into" kids before. 

Things I loved: pediatric ER shifts (I got to do a lot of diagnosing, and got to suture and set broken bones), nursery (seriously, can I just snuggle babies all day???), working in the outpatient clinics, and working with teenagers. I really felt like I was part of a community, and there were some GREAT mentors. 

Things I didn't love:  ICU was kind of hard for me - I learned a lot, and had some great mentors, but I definitely had a personality clash with one of the visiting residents, and didn't feel like I had as much to do there as I did on other services. 


Surgery

Surgery was a bit of a roller coaster for me. While my time at one hospital was very tiring, I learned a lot, and had great relationships with the residents. At the other hospital, I did not have a great experience - mostly related to some serious personality conflicts, and generally just feeling like medical students were unwanted. I enjoyed a lot of the patient care and definitely enjoyed the trauma side of things, but overall, I don't think the surgeon lifestyle is for me. 

Things I liked: getting to suture a lot in the trauma bay (lots of motorcycle accidents = lots of superficial wounds that need stitches), vascular surgery (they let me amputate toes!!!), follow up patient care during my vascular week, and getting to help admit patients from the ED. 

Things I didn't like: having to stand in one place for several hours, and the stereotypical surgeon ego (and the resulting conflicts) - I felt like you were really at the whim of how the head surgeon felt that day. If he was friendly, it was a good day. If he didn't like you or was in a bad mood, NO ONE had a good day. I felt like there really wasn't as much as a team aspect as I would have liked. I also had a patient ask me to "please don't let them kill me" right before going into emergency surgery, which was very tough emotionally. 


Internal Medicine

Overall, this was a great experience. The residents and physicians were AMAZING - great teachers, good team players, and very eager to work with  medical students. I got to see a lot of patients, and I did very well grade-wise in this rotation. However, I enjoyed admitting patients from the ED or seeing them in clinic a lot more than I did rounding - I don't think 10 minutes a patient when you round with the team is enough for what I want to do, at least if I am doing long-term care. 

Things I liked; working in the free clinic, being able to explain a lot of complicated medical jargon in a way that patients understood, getting really good at coming up with plans for patients coming in with chest pain, working with a team. 

Things I didn't like: Rounding. I know, I know....it's good, its a good way to see all the patients and still teach, but I just found it.....too much, and not enough? I liked rounding during peds and surgery, but for some reason it just seemed to draaagggggg on during internal med, and I felt like we really didn't see much of the patients during this time. 


So, overall, my favorite moments have been in the ER or in the clinic, and usually with pediatric patients or with patients that I get to explain things to. 

Right now, I am mostly torn between pediatrics or emergency medicine. I've been utilizing my break time to research different residency programs and find out which I am eligible to apply for. I have to start making a decision in....8 short months (HOLY COW), so I figure that more information now is better. 

I have another full week of break, and then I start back up with Neurology, followed by Psych, Family Med, and OB/GYN. My schedule is *theoretically* a little less hectic, at least for the next 4 months, so I will hopefully have more time to document things as I go along. 

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