Tomorrow I am in hell!

For the rest of this post please substitute the word trauma for hell.

So, tomorrow starts hell where I am either in the hospital attempting to pretend I am a surgeon, or I am at home sleeping, trying desperately to re-charge my brain for another day of hell. Of course, hell can be fun....lots of fire....broken bones....automobile accidents....gunshots....stabbings. But hell also has a mean, sadistic side. One in which the members of this elite group called the hell team have no lives outside of hell. I did not sign up for hell full time, but because my regularly scheduled job in the land of fun requires that we deal with some hell on a regular basis, I am forced to spend a month in hell. I just hope the next 28 days of hell go smoothly.

My last few days of the adult ED went well, except for my last night of course. I got stuck with a drunk with a whopping head laceration that took me nearly 2 hours to close. Sucked. Because of it I got behind on my other patients and spent the rest of the night trying desperately to play catch up. I did finally catch up.....30 minutes after my shift ended. Those are the nights you wish you had a "do over" button.

Overall, the entire first month went really well. Saw some great cases. Learned alot. Of course, I also quickly realized how far I have to go in terms of experiencing and learning. I still love my job though, so that has to count!!!

Of course, hell starts tomorrow....I may have to amend my last statement ;) Have a good night!

2 weeks completed....

Tonight marks the end of my first two weeks of residency (actually the end is Sunday, but I have this weekend off). I decided to wait until the 2 week mark to add to this blog and update you on my progress in the emergency department mostly because my first night was crazy and I was hoping that it would get better. Of course, it did!!

So tonight I give you my 2 week progress report:

- I quickly realized (the first night) that my 4th year of medical school was a huge waste of time. I know that I had a better understanding of medicine after 3rd year, especially since I was studying for Step II. I now feel like I am constantly second guessing my knowledge. I strain to find the answers in my brain, answers that used to come so quickly. Every night as I leave the department and walk to my car, I mentally shuffle through everything I should read up on and after 14 days, the list is incredibly long.....already. All I can say is I hope I can learn fast!

- Learning new computer systems really slows me down! My first night was tough....lots of missed and incorrect orders. I have noticed that each day I get better with the computer, I find the medications or tests I need quicker, and my speed has increased with each shift. I still keep forgetting to "update" my patient's status which means that my patient doesn't go to CT scan in a timely manner or my Attending has no idea where I am in dispositiong the patient. Hopefully by the end of the month I get it!

- My enthusiasm for my work is beyond description!!! I love picking up patients....seeing patients....talking to patients. I have the mentality that I need to see and do as much as I can in each shift because I don't have too many of them. I have worked with a few of the second year residents and I can see they have already lost their excitement....I can only hope that my enthusiasm continues throughout my 3 years here.

- So far (I haven't worked with all of them), my attendings are awesome!! They don't hold my hand but are there to challenge my thinking and guide me. Exactly what I was looking for in a program.

Over the past 2 weeks I have seen some interesting cases and I am sure I will see a hell of a lot more. My future posts will highlight the most interesting of my patients. Of course, I will also update you on my life outside of medicine.

Speaking of which....my beer is getting warm ;) Everyone have a great night!!

Day #1

Today, August 1st is the beginning of my first shift as an Emergency Resident. Over the past month of my orientation, sprinkled here or there into lectures, I have had a couple of shadow shifts which allowed me the opportunity to see the ED, play with the computer, and carry a few patients. But today, I am the Doctor. I will be carrying 2-3 patients/hour (maybe more), coming up with my plan for each patient, placing orders, and seeing each plan to its final stage: discharge, admit, or body bag. I am hoping that none of my patients today end of in the latter.

To say that I am excited is an understatement. But in addition to feeling like a 5 year old being tucked into bed on Christmas Eve (Santa always came to our house on Xmas day), I have so many other emotions (too numerous to mention) also running wild. I feel like a comet of emotions streaking in the sky, on a collision course for RWJ University Hospital. Expected collision time: 1pm August 1st.

Today is my Rapture Day!!!! I just hope all those that come to the hospital on this particular day are ready for me.