I've officially completed my first week of internal medicine! I can't give any details about any of the cases I've had, but I can tell you how the rotation is going :)
It has been pretty busy overall. I generally work a 12 hour day (7 or 8AM to 8PM), and there isn't much time to take breaks. We've actually gotten lucky on a few days and were able to use the afternoon to review cases and study, and then leave at 5. Our appointments are pretty packed in the morning, and depending on how soon we discharge patients, we may be working on the same case into the afternoon or we can tag along on a classmate's case. We get our cases assigned the day before they're scheduled, so if we know it's a patient with renal disease for example, we can go back and review our renal notes to refresh our memory and prepare for the next day. If our patients stay overnight in ICU, we are required to present the case in rounds the next morning. I did this for the first time yesterday! At first I was nervous, but then I reminded myself that we're still in school. We aren't expected to have ALL of the answers, but we are expected to at least have prepared for the questions that they may ask. It also really helps to review the disease process/diagnostics/treatment options in the evening, because that sort of solidifies it in your mind. I know I have a ton of learning to do still, but even just this week of hands-on experience and talking with clients has really boosted my confidence and I actually look forward to school/work every day, even though I'm not getting paid. That's how I know this is the right field for me :) I still want to go the zoo/aquarium route if possible, but I know I'd be happy being a small animal vet. I actually have my exotics rotation in 3 weeks - cannot wait!
On top of our 12 hour plus work days, we're assigned ICU/ER primary or backup shifts. These run from either 330 or 5pm until midnight. So far I've only been backup, but I got called in for my first emergency this week. I was so disoriented when my pager went off! I had only been sleeping for about 3 hours and by the time I got to school it was midnight. I stayed until about 1AM and got another 5 hours of sleep. A little whacky, but it wasn't too bad. I tend to get really nervous in the face of an emergency - literally my mouth went COMPLETELY DRY while I was driving to school, and I felt my heart pounding and racing hahah. Hopefully with time I'll become more confident in emergency situations.
I have this weekend off pretty much, I'm just on call for ICU tomorrow. It's really nice to be able to take care of things I need to do (laundry, errands, etc) and not feel like I have to study for 12 hours a day like I was doing most weekends for the past 3 years! It's a breath of fresh air. I'd rather go in and take care of patients ANY DAY than to study for exams! I do have to start reviewing anesthesia (because that rotation is apparently horrible) and start studying for the NAVLE. But it's not the same as studying for an upcoming exam. I've finally made to the good stuff!
Lastly, got my professional photos from white coat!
love my classmates :)
