A Quick Update....

So, I'm really tired (I know, it's a Friday night, I'm off tomorrow, and I'm already ready for bed at 9:30, pathetic), so I'll just give a quick rundown of what I've done since my last post:

--ran a red light, got T-boned, and totalled my car, Fiona (see above)
--met some nice people at church
--made chocolate chip banana bread, and took my aggression out on the bananas
--finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for the second time)
--took out someone's appendix
--got compliments from several patients, including two who thought I had been a doctor for years!
--got an anonymous compliment from one of the attending surgeons
--got yelled at by one of the attending surgeons (a different one I think)
--got my foot run over by a patient's bed as I pushed her to the ER

That's all I can think of for right now. When you put it all together it sounds like I lead an exciting life, but I'm pretty sure it's boring. My sister is coming to visit in 2 weeks and I'm P-U-M-P-E-D! Yes, I just spelled out pumped. So there.

My First Real Day as a Doctor

So today was my first real day of work....and I just realized this might be a very short post since I'm tired in general, and I'm tired of looking at a computer!

I got to work at 3:45 this morning. I went around and visited all my patients, checked all their vitals, and wrote most of the notes before 6am rounds. That was stressful! Luckily I had already looked up most of the info about the patients. Then we rounded briefly, then the upper level residents and students went to the OR and I was left to hang out on the floor, pack wounds, check drain output, put in orders, and finish up the notes.

I was actually able to eat lunch in the cafeteria, which I was excited about, but it kept getting delayed as I ran into different nurses and residents who wanted things from me. But I enjoyed a delicious chicken caeser salad with only 1 page interrupting.

After lunch I checked up on more labs, called all over the hospital trying to get my patients to their procedures as early as possible, then kept popping down to the OR to update the residents and attendings.

More rounding, an admission, some more small procedures, and more orders rounded out my afternoon and evening.

All in all, I felt pretty good about my performance on my first day. I had one small error in one of my notes, but I was able to order everything and call everyone that I was asked to. The two attendings that I met today and my junior resident told me I did a great job on my first day--they said that there is one intern this year who didn't know how to put in orders!

It was a long day, but I actually really enjoyed it, and it went fast. I left at 6:15pm, making for a 14.5 hour day. It was sooo nice to actually have "power." And I don't mean that in a horrible, arrogant way, but just that now when a nurse tells me a lab result or has a question about a med, I can actually DO something about it, instead of say "uhh...I'll have to ask my resident." We also got a bunch of students on our service, which is really fun. They are finding their way around, so it's fun to show them the ropes!

Ok, I'm pooped. Time for bed. Pathetic. :(

Settling in....

Just a few pics of my new home (that's my guest room--my room's not in a condition where it can be viewed by outsiders).

Basically I have been getting oriented for the last 1.5 weeks. My first real day is Tuesday, with my first night of call being Wednesday. I'm mostly just nervous about the computer system, especially since the attendings on my first month of service like to have the notes done and in the computer before 6am rounds!

But I have been making friends, slowly. Some of us went to the beach last week (I know, rough life), and had a dinner party after that. And then we're heading to Casey's Seafood Cafe tonight, so that should be fun.

Movin' on Down

So a couple weeks ago my dad and I made the trek from Ohio to Texas. It was about 1250 miles and 20 hours. The credit card company even called me on the way because it looked like I had suspicious activity on my card. But I assured them, no, I was just charging hundreds of dollars worth of gas in 5 different states. :)

Graduation time....finally!

Ok, so I have finally gotten around to posting some graduation pictures. The first couple are from before my hooding, with the last two being after (notice I'm actually wearing my hood in the latter).

I don't really have anything else to say about graduation. It was a really fun day! It was so nice to have my family and friends there supporting me. :)

Let the doctoring begin.....

Ok, so I'm waiting on some graduation pictures before I continue to update, just in an effort to keep everything chronological.

So, just a debriefing: I graduated, I made the long drive to Texas, I've been going through orientation for way too long, my first real day is Tuesday, and I already miss Ohio. :(

T minus 20 hours

Holy moley! I will be a doctor at this time tomorrow. Weird.

Today I was thinking about how skewed my perspective has become since becomming a medical student. I mean, I'm around medical students all the time, and all (or most) of us are going to be doctors soon (as in, tomorrow, or in the next 3 years). This seems to me to be the norm.

But then I talk to my family and friends who aren't in medicine, and it seems that they are more excited about my being a doctor than I am! I think they realize how rare it is, while I have just become accustomed to the idea over the last four years.

I think we often need a reality check to realize just how awesome it is that we can be doctors. That not everyone can do it, nor does everyone want to do it.

I think we often forget how amazing it is and how lucky and blessed we are to be able to do something so fantastic, and something that we love so much, for a living.

Woo hoo!!!! Let the fiesta-ing begin! :)

Almost there!

So, I just realized that the next time I post something I'll be a doctor. Freaky. But, for now, for 55.5 more hours, I'm still a student. Hopefully I'll always be a "student of life," but atleast I'll get paid for it.

This past weekend I headed to Chicago for a roomie reunion with Amanda and Kimberly. 'Twas super fun to see them both! The weekend seemed to go by really slowly, which was a good thing. We ate a lot of delicious food, saw the Sex and the City movie, went to a rock and roll dueling piano bar (Howl at the Moon), and the Cubs game.

Then I came back late Sunday night, and re-entered reality, which is graduating, throwing a graduation party, and moving 1200 miles....and trying to afford it all, which is the most overwhelming of all to me.

So, I get hooded on Thursday night, followed by my graduation party on Friday. I have a couple family members coming, which should be fun. I have even made an itinerary and to-do list for everyone involved, so hopefully it will run smoothly. Maybe it's a control issue? Who knows.

An Exciting Weekend

Hello there! So I just got off pretty much the best weekend ever! A brief summary:

On Friday I went shopping all morning with my friend Katy in an attempt to find a dress for Saturday's wedding. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one that I liked and could afford. However, I did find some jeans at Gap that I thoroughly enjoyed, and, as an added bonus, were 2 sizes smaller than my previous pair! It was nice to see some concrete evidence of the success of my New Year's Resolutions. :) After the shopping I went and picked up my sister and we made the 440 mile trek to St. Peters, Missouri for the wedding.

Saturday morning I got up and got uber sweaty working out in the hotel "exercise room" (aka: overheated room with an old man and three pieces of equipment). Had a delicious and free "hot breakfast" at the hotel (where Bunny and I stayed with three former swimmers, which was super fun), then headed to the wedding. Of course, my friend Michelle, looked gorgeous, and the wedding was simple yet elegant. Then Bunny and I headed back after the reception (and stopped at the Brazil Grill, see me and the humongous pork tenderloin, above) and arrived in Columbus at 1am.

Because I'm crazy, and despite the fact that I didn't go to bed until 3am that morning, I got up at 7am, worked out, and then made the 200 mile drive up to Detroit. Some may say it's a little nuts to drive 3 hours each way to see your favorite team play baseball, but I disagree. I just like being outside and watching live sporting events. Plus, I enjoy doing these things by myself--sometimes I find myself a little tired of being around people and always being "on" and trying to "entertain" them. So it's nice to just do something by myself and for myself. I got to Comerica Park in time to see the Twins' batting practice. I also made friends with the Tigers fans around me and saw the Twins win! Awesome.

I headed back after the game and headed over to my friend Courtney's apartment, where we ate "healthy" Papa Murphy's pizza and low-fat Edy's Mint Karaoke Cookie ice cream. It was so diculous, it was ridiculous. We also watched lots of SATC and Meet the Deedles. Quality.

Slept in Monday morning (I think this was justified after my crazy amount of driving and lack of sleep). Then came home, worked out, and headed over to my second family's house, where I made a diarama (sp?), which including making a 3 inch tall police officer and naked boy out of clay (is it summer yet? I'm getting really tired of school projects). Then we ate a delicious dinner and saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (my review: good...solid acting and chase scenes, but a little strange with the alien invasion at the end).

To round out the evening, I then went to my dad's place, where I watched the Bachelorette with Bunny and my dad. Bah--she should have given Ryan and Chris another chance, and should stop giving roses to Twilly and the speedo guy! But atleast Richard, Jason, and Jeremy are still in the running. All is well.

Sorry, that was a pretty boring and useless post, but I figured I would type something, and now I'll add a few pics. :) Later!

Not much here

Hello! Not too much new here, just thought I would update.

Let's see...last weekend my friend from college, Jodi, came over to visit. It was awesome! We had a heck of a time at the Race for the Cure, and also went and saw the Columbus Clippers get their butts kicked by those pesky Toledo Mudhens. But, all in all, it was fun to see her.

I've also been continuing the packing. Still lying awake at night, freaking about finances and the move, but atleast this week I got my refund from the Ohio Public Employees Retirement Fund, which means that I atleast have enough money for my June rent, which means I can breath (a little) easier.

This coming weekend I'm (briefly) heading over to St. Louis for my friend Michelle's wedding. I can't believe she's getting married! I'm bringing my sister as my date, and I think the wedding will be a mini-Illinois swimmer reunion, which will be fun. I'll try to take some pictures.

That's about it. Graduation in 14 days, moving in 21, starting residency in 27. Not that I'm counting.

Pics:
Jamie, me, and Jodi at the Race for the Cure
University of Texas-Medical Branch, main hospital
Shriner's Burns Hospital