Back in a Suit

So, after my weeks and weeks of khakis and sweaters in New Hampshire (yay, family practice in real life), I am back in The Clinic and therefore back in The Business Suit.

This, despite the fact that I am spending the week on a radiology rotation and therefore am not seeing actual patients. Just sitting in the dark looking at computer screens (very little actual film is used anymore), trying not to fall asleep. However, we did have a couple of very good teaching sessions today. My goal is to learn enough about reading chest x-rays and head CTs to be able to spot impending disasters in emergency patients.

Next week I am doing an internship boot camp, which works on the skills that we will need to survive our first year of residency. The actual scenarios are a secret, but I think it will be things like answering pages in the middle of the night, dealing with upset/difficult patients, running codes (when a patient's heart stops), assessing patients who are suddenly not looking very good, communicating with other care team members, and so on.

The following week is "Social Medicine," a whirlwind tour through hospice, social work, local underserved care clinics, and chaplaincy.

Then four weeks of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which is an obstetrical subspecialty dealing with high-risk pregnancies. My main goal with that rotation is to learn a lot more about OB ultrasounds. It also counts as my 4th year surgery rotation, because OB is a surgical specialty and I may occasionally scrub in on a c-section.

Then...less than seven weeks from now...is graduation!

I will probably make it until then. I will be much helped in this endeavor if Brynna would start sleeping again. Last night she woke up every two hours—yes, EVERY TWO HOURS ALL NIGHT LONG—to eat. She is hungry. Like a one-week-old. Because she won't eat very much solid food. Arrgh. Today we stuffed her with fruit puree and Cheerios and even some oatmeal at every possible opportunity (she nursed too, don't worry), so we are hoping for a slightly quieter night. But she is so cheerful and giggly that it is impossible to stay frustrated at her anyway.