currently i've been rotating through surgery. i've completed the first month so far (orthopedics and urology) and will begin the second 4 weeks on general surgery this monday. i never had an opinion about surgery one way or another. i just always thought i wanted to do peds oncology, so i didn't really care that i ended up with surgery last on my schedule, or that i had to arrange my 4th year schedule before i even began the rotation.
well, surprise, surprise, i'm TOTALLY enjoying it. it's a lot of fun. i'm finding that i'm very much attracted to a procedure-based worklife. it's fun DOING SOMETHING, that something being anything besides writing in a chart for hours on end. granted, i've never ever wanted to be a general-anything, calculating fluid rates and dosages based on weight, etc. i always wanted to specialize. but the more i think about spending 6 years in the trenches to get there, the less appealing it sounds.
now, surgery is still a bit overwhelming for me. while the workday is very busy and exciting and interesting, and even waking up at the asscrack of dawn isn't the WORST, working 15 hour shifts is a bit too much for me. even the attendings work incredibly long days. i don't want to work from 6:30am-7pm for the next 30 or so years of my life. that shit is crazy.
the urology residents have really done wonders for my resolve. they're convinced that i'd be wasting my time in a clinical setting and, over the past 2 weeks, have somewhat made it their mission to get me to go into something surgical. (their depiction of internal medicine: "round for 4 hours, go to conference, round for 4 hours, go home.") while this is flattering and anxiety-inducing (i've already got my next year planned out, damnit), the fact remains that the hours are just too crazy.
but still. the dilemma is there. maybe i don't want to wear a tie and write in a chart all day long for the rest of my life. or do i? it sure is cool to wear blue pajamas and run around from OR to OR, getting blood on (sterile gloved) hands.
i've been poring over my schedule and second guessing sending out all of these applications for pediatric away rotations, and instead trying to add in some more variety into my schedule. i really haven't seen it all, not even close, and well shit, there's other stuff that i really enjoy, maybe even more so than pediatric oncology. which SUCKS as far as planning ahead goes.
just today i was accepted for an away rotation at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (NYC), doing a 3 week human-simulator course run by the anesthesia department. it sounded really interesting and i heard really good things about the course in various forums, so what the hell. i was actually a bit amazed that all it took was a phone call, and the program coordinator just put my name down and sent me a confirmation email within minutes. but that's forced me to move things around the schedule a bit now, and i've since dropped dermatology and transfusion medicine (oh well).
it's so damn stressful, trying to decide within a short amount of time, what i would like to do with the rest of my life based on minimally involved, short-term introductory experiences. kind of a shitty system when you think about it. so maybe tonight, to celebrate the weekend, i'll try not to.
this educational lesson brought to you by dr. j around 6:38 PM |
« back to the crib | blood time on my hands » //-->
dropped by 
dr. j on 23 May, 2005 06:01 [*]
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The primary definition of "doctor" given by the OED is one who educates. I hope you don't sell the nobility your profession too short there Liz. Except, of course, in the name of humor.
As far as educational value goes, M4 year is worth about 2 months of your time. It's real value derives from the time it gives one to dabble in multiple fields, decide on a career, apply for residency, & work on his rap career.
I know that it's stressful to be uncertain when many of your classmates seemed to emerge from the birth canal destined to be orthopods, or whatever, but your uncertainty is good IMO. For, it means that you are actually considering your options, and likely choose a path more likely to lead you to happieness.
HOWEVER, applications don't even get accepted until September 1st . While med students tend to view this 1st available day for submission as the deadline, it's NOT. You know how med students are - they're the world's greatest tweakers.
At the risk of sounding like anautoamorous broken record, if you like procedures, don't like rounding, like fun people (Urologists usually fit that bill - I guess it comes with being able to laugh at yourself/your job), and don't want to spend 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, maybe 7 in the hospital for the rest of your career I urge you to do an ER rotation. I'm pretty sure you'd love it. Also, there is something very ethically appealing (to me anyway) about treating every person who coomes to me for help, regardless of social standing or ability to pay. If ER's out of the question for now, then there's always light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a peds ER fellowship after doing a pediatric residency.
OK, here's the only part of this garrulous comment that matters: A very astute surgery resident once gave me advice when I was fretting about career choices. He said, "Are you a generally happy person?" "Yeah, I guess so." was my reply. "Then don't sweat it too much, if you're generally happy you'll be happy in whichever field you go into. If you're generally unhappy, then it doesn't matter what you go into either."
P.S.: I hope you can make it down for GLC/446.
dropped by The Metaphysician on 25 May, 2005 13:19 [*]
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1. liz, dan is right. he's a doctor after all.
2. thanks for the helpful words, dan. my schedule for 4 th year is pretty much already locked in, but i've heard from a handful of people that i should check out ER med, so i'll do what i can. as it is, my summer schedule is radiology (req), anesthesia (req), peds sub-i (non-droppable), the away rotation at mt sinai, and a pocket of time currently occupied by forensic path, but i'm going to try to fill that with an away rotation, possibly at MCW/Children's.
but, the more i think about it, the less i want to do straight hospital based peds, and the more i realize i'd prefer a more proactive specialty. who fucking knew.
dropped by dr. j on 25 May, 2005 14:14 [*]
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do what makes the most money because money doesn't grow on trees.
dropped by Mr Congeniality on 26 May, 2005 10:47 [*]
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or, if you went into gynecology, you could look at puhgynas all day long.
dropped by Tamar on 26 May, 2005 14:09 [*]
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drop some science: