So one of my non-medical friends pointed out that all medicine is essentially internal medicine and wanted to know how Internal Medicine can be its own specialty. I know it is word parsing, but it is a good point. After four weeks of IM wards and a couple weeks of miscellaneous nonsense I have to wonder the same thing. Why do people choose Internal Medicine?
Perhaps for some it epitomizes the essence of doctoring. General care, chronic and scute illness. Perhaps for others it is the gateway to sub-specialization and more money. To me it is about disease focus instead of people focus. I don't get it.
For this reason, I am not loving that I have another eight weeks of it. I have only really disliked one rotation - and if I had to do that one for a living I would leave medicine. IM is coming close.
Maybe it's just senioritis.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Alive...
I am alive. I am busy! And I am not living at home. All of these combine to keep me from writing regularly. I have a lot to say. Hopefully, I will find some time this week to get in on paper (figuratively).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Death and Taxes
On Saturday, J's brother texted (?!?!) to let us know that one of their friends was dying. A shock to be sure. We knew that things were amiss so to speak, but this was stunning. So we waited for the news which came on Sunday morning. J heads home tonight with another friend for the funeral.
Men their age are simply not supposed to die, especially suddenly and unexpectedly. He leaves a wife and daughter. I am so sad for them and for his parents and brother. We know them all. Ick.
My plans for Saturday had included filing my taxes, which I went ahead and did. Albeit, I tried to file with my SSN typed incorrectly, so they were rejected. I felt like a moron.
They say the only things in life that are inevitable are death and taxes. They shouldn't come in the same day. Ever.
Men their age are simply not supposed to die, especially suddenly and unexpectedly. He leaves a wife and daughter. I am so sad for them and for his parents and brother. We know them all. Ick.
My plans for Saturday had included filing my taxes, which I went ahead and did. Albeit, I tried to file with my SSN typed incorrectly, so they were rejected. I felt like a moron.
They say the only things in life that are inevitable are death and taxes. They shouldn't come in the same day. Ever.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Kids DO Say the Darndest Things
I would rather poke red, hot needles in my eyes than pay attention to anything but the commercials during the Super Bowl. So here I am.
Tomorrow I start my family medicine month. Apparently, I volunteered to serve my month at a local practice, so I am going to be out on the other side of town. This means I will not be back at UK until April. Three months of being away from my school!! Yippee!
I learned a few things about myself during my peds months. First, kids rule. I haven't spent much time with small children since I ended my neighborhood babysitting monopoly in college. Kids are great! They are generally healthy, so it isn't super depressing (even on inpatient). But mostly they say hilarious stuff. For instance -
9 yo Pt: I heard that there are hospitals where, if you have a third ball, they can take it off.
Dr. Q: Do you mean testicle?
Pt: You know, balls, like down there.
Dr. Q: I have never seen a patient who has that.
Pt: My uncle does.
At this point, rather than bust a gut laughing I look at pt's mom who confesses that it is HER uncle who has the rather prolific reproductive anatomy. The doctor assured the pt that problems like that can be corrected. Then I left the room to laugh. I couldn't help it. The kid knew what he was doing. His mom didn't say anything about it. Hahahahahahahaha.
I have also learned that the biological clock is a real thing. Ugh. I know too many pregnant people and have seen far too many cute babies in the last two months. Save me.
Mostly, I have learned that I will not be practicing medicine that doesn't include children.
Tomorrow I start my family medicine month. Apparently, I volunteered to serve my month at a local practice, so I am going to be out on the other side of town. This means I will not be back at UK until April. Three months of being away from my school!! Yippee!
I learned a few things about myself during my peds months. First, kids rule. I haven't spent much time with small children since I ended my neighborhood babysitting monopoly in college. Kids are great! They are generally healthy, so it isn't super depressing (even on inpatient). But mostly they say hilarious stuff. For instance -
9 yo Pt: I heard that there are hospitals where, if you have a third ball, they can take it off.
Dr. Q: Do you mean testicle?
Pt: You know, balls, like down there.
Dr. Q: I have never seen a patient who has that.
Pt: My uncle does.
At this point, rather than bust a gut laughing I look at pt's mom who confesses that it is HER uncle who has the rather prolific reproductive anatomy. The doctor assured the pt that problems like that can be corrected. Then I left the room to laugh. I couldn't help it. The kid knew what he was doing. His mom didn't say anything about it. Hahahahahahahaha.
I have also learned that the biological clock is a real thing. Ugh. I know too many pregnant people and have seen far too many cute babies in the last two months. Save me.
Mostly, I have learned that I will not be practicing medicine that doesn't include children.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Couchbound
Calling in to work for me is like raising the white flag. Admitting defeat and the inability to simultaneously handle the eight million things I attempt to do (badly) on a daily basis. However, I realized I had become sicker than my patients and retreated. I found myself hoping that I had strep throat so that a quick, antibiotic solution could be found and I could be back to it ASAP.
No such luck. As I secretly suspected, I have a viral URI. The second one in three weeks. This is the only downside to working peds. Otherwise, I adore peds. In the end, I had to call in. I can't learn or treat patients when all I can physically do is cough.
This means that I had to slow way down. This drives me bananas. For all but five hours of the last two days, I have been in my house, alternately blowing my nose and coughing. Tonight, I am finally going more than 10 minutes between coughs. Quite the triumph. I am so ready to go back to work.
On the upside, my looking forward to work remids me that the time in coming to decide what I am going to do with my life. Ugh - another day.
No such luck. As I secretly suspected, I have a viral URI. The second one in three weeks. This is the only downside to working peds. Otherwise, I adore peds. In the end, I had to call in. I can't learn or treat patients when all I can physically do is cough.
This means that I had to slow way down. This drives me bananas. For all but five hours of the last two days, I have been in my house, alternately blowing my nose and coughing. Tonight, I am finally going more than 10 minutes between coughs. Quite the triumph. I am so ready to go back to work.
On the upside, my looking forward to work remids me that the time in coming to decide what I am going to do with my life. Ugh - another day.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Keeping reappearances
So I have not, historically, had great success with friends. I could not describe anyone I went to high school with as a friend at the time, though I had a few from church. College was less of a struggle, but I still didn't feel like I had the social grace of so many people I knew. Or perhaps I am more choosy in how I differentiate between friends and acquaintances.
I think social networking in some ways undermines the concept of a friend. Because everyone we choose to associate ourselves with is a "friend", the word is broadened considerably. I don't mind that my fb friends have access to the information I post. Otherwise, I wouldn't post it. But, I definitely don't share everything on my facebook wall.
I can use fb to keep up with friends who are across the country and across the street. See pics of their lives, their kids (not sure how I feel about the ultrasound pics though).
This all being said, my favorite part is finding people on facebook who I thought I might never see again. A year and a half ago, I found a friend whose absence had created a huge void in my life - a void that I was in the process of learning to accept and has instead been filled by his presence. Ours has been a long, wonderful rediscovery.
Yesterday, I lucked into a good guess and found a friend from my very small college major. Hadn't talked to him in a little over ten years. Chatted like it was ten years ago. The fact life recap and then on to shared interests.
Many things about the last year and a half, for me, have been supremely lousy. Different post, different day. But reacquainting with old friends is marvelous.
I think social networking in some ways undermines the concept of a friend. Because everyone we choose to associate ourselves with is a "friend", the word is broadened considerably. I don't mind that my fb friends have access to the information I post. Otherwise, I wouldn't post it. But, I definitely don't share everything on my facebook wall.
I can use fb to keep up with friends who are across the country and across the street. See pics of their lives, their kids (not sure how I feel about the ultrasound pics though).
This all being said, my favorite part is finding people on facebook who I thought I might never see again. A year and a half ago, I found a friend whose absence had created a huge void in my life - a void that I was in the process of learning to accept and has instead been filled by his presence. Ours has been a long, wonderful rediscovery.
Yesterday, I lucked into a good guess and found a friend from my very small college major. Hadn't talked to him in a little over ten years. Chatted like it was ten years ago. The fact life recap and then on to shared interests.
Many things about the last year and a half, for me, have been supremely lousy. Different post, different day. But reacquainting with old friends is marvelous.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Clean Slate
I am a certain percent there. We are all always a certain percent there - just depends on what you are looking at.
Today, I restart blogging with a clean slate. I am about 60% doctor, which was the original motivation for the title - to trace my progress in becoming a physician. This process is so all-encompassing that we seem to be required to become 110% physician at the expense of friends, family and previous lives.
I refuse.
Because I refuse to become a slave to my medical education and my desire to practice good medicine, I still have my friends from before medical school, I still have my marriage, I have found new friends. I am also not a straight A medical student, a gunner, a competitor.
The first time I tried to blog, I had nothing to say. Or I thought I had nothing to say. Now, I have a lot to say. Even if no one ever reads it. I hope someone does.
Today, I restart blogging with a clean slate. I am about 60% doctor, which was the original motivation for the title - to trace my progress in becoming a physician. This process is so all-encompassing that we seem to be required to become 110% physician at the expense of friends, family and previous lives.
I refuse.
Because I refuse to become a slave to my medical education and my desire to practice good medicine, I still have my friends from before medical school, I still have my marriage, I have found new friends. I am also not a straight A medical student, a gunner, a competitor.
The first time I tried to blog, I had nothing to say. Or I thought I had nothing to say. Now, I have a lot to say. Even if no one ever reads it. I hope someone does.
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