Many people have been asking if I still use my blog...and yes, I do. I admit that I have completely neglected it, but cut me some slack, my life is chaos. So just a quick update.
I finished up my two months in Austin, then packed up my life in Shera and headed over to Houston, where I have been for the last four weeks. I'm working at St. Joseph's Hospital, which isn't that busy; plus, we have 13 residents here, so there hasn't been much to do. Actually, I drain a lot of pus. And the other day I amputated someone's leg.
In any case, St. Joe's is a rotation that we had even before the storm, so they have four 1-bedroom apartments that they put us up in. Unfortunately, since there are so many of us up here, we are doubled up, meaning that I am sleeping on an air mattress. Don't worry, it's a really comfortable air mattress, so I don't mind. I am living with one of the third year residents, which has been fun (shout out to Spogmai and Aaron!).
Let's see...oh yes, I am officially homeless now. Since my apartment has been condemned, I had to move all my stuff out of it. I guess I could have kept it there for a while, but I was starting to get worried about it getting moldy (it was), stolen (it wasn't), or torn down (not yet). I was planning on getting my friends to help me move, but then I remembered how much everyone hates moving people, and I decided to just fork out the cash and pay some moving men to do it. And it was totally worth it. I sat on the floor and munched on crackers whilst they did all the work. So now everything I own is either in the apartment in Houston that I'm in, or in storage in Texas City. My wonderful supportive friends have pointed out, "see, Casey, you can either have a car or a home, not both." Awesome.
My schedule has been a little hectic, as I have only had three days off the entire month. I was on call Christmas Eve, and at 2 AM on Christmas Day I was doing CPR on a patient who ended up dying. Fortunately, I was able to do a little something fun on Christmas, and my roommate and I went and hung out with her boyfriend and his mom in Galveston. Then last night we went to a restaraunt in Houston that is inside an aquarium, which was cool. I am on call again today though, ick.
I have been a little concerned about myself lately though. I think I am just so emotionally drained and need a break. Not that work is that difficult, and I know I haven't had the typical intern year, but it has been very stressful moving every month around the state of Texas, getting used to a different hospital every month, and not knowing if I'll have a job in the next few months (more on that below). I have also been homesick the last week, which has been hard. The good news is that I am coming home on New Year's Eve, and I can't wait!!! I'm going to frolic in the snow, eat Graeter's ice cream, and sleep a lot. Oh yeah, and study for the ABSITE exam.
As for work, the hospital in Galveston is supposed to open January 5. Supposedly the cultures have been negative for mold in the operating rooms the last couple weeks, but I have still heard some recommendations not to drink the water. So most of us are going back to UTMB for the month of January. I'm going to be staying with a friend for a while until I'm sure the hospital is going to stay open, because I don't want to get stuck in a lease and have the hospital close again. There is also some concern that the Residency Review Committee is going to come visit us. If they come and see that we are not getting our case numbers (some of the upper levels are not), that we're being moved around the state (we are), that the faculty are leaving and getting fired (they are), and that the program isn't providing us with an education (it's not), then they have the right to suspend the residency (which is what happened to Tulane). That means that we'll all become what's called "orphan residents" and have to find other programs. Apparently UTMB is still interviewing for surgery interns for next year, so I think the RRC is going to have to make a decision before Match Day. We'll see.
Everything in my life is up in the air right now. But I have come to accept that uncertainty is the way it's going to be for a while.
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5 comments:
Casey, could not agree with you more. Being a subspeciality fellow in UTMB, believe me I am facing a far worse situation than you have described. Atleast it is comforting to know that you have company in misfortune
Some programs have already closed or downsized. The residents in these programs will be fired at the end of the academic year without UTMB releasing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid funding that other residents receive. For residents in competitive specialties - this means the end of their training. For others it means separation from their families. UTMB can move anywhere it wants to, but they should honor the match agreements made with residents by decreasing their residency cap, which would release the funding to other UT institutions.
Uncertainty sucks but eventually it will work out. I promise. I can't identify with all of it but I have spent a significant amount of time sleeping on an air mattress. The good news is that when you do make it to a regular bed, it will be heaven.
Wow, I can't believe people are still commenting on my blog! How did you find out this information about programs closing or downsizing?
My program is one of the programs downsizing. Eighteen residents are competing for 9 spots across the country.
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