Week Fourteen
I wish I could share a bunch of excitement and thrilling events, but suffice it to say that the fact I am not too busy on trauma surgery means there aren't as many people getting seriously injured (or for those glass half empty sorts--getting too injured to need to come to the hopsital). I prefer the former. This is not to say I did not have any enjoyable or educational periods. I had the fortune *insert copious sarcasm* to experience not only surgical residency heirarchy, but also military style heirarchy. I'm just not cut of that cloth. Fortunately, I am able to do enough Yes sir-ing and such that I did well. This week, I still did not see any actual surgery...there were none scheduled, and no traumas needed surgery of the general sort. Orthopedics was very busy, though. I was able to see some rather impressive fractures, and it seems motorcycle riders prefer to injure the left side of their body over the right. Any of you out there have any thoughts as to why this would be?
One thing I found interesting is that when a trauma patient is admitted, even if they did not need any of the general surgeon's skills, and undergo orthopedic surgery, they remain the primary doctors for the patient, at least at this facility. So there are multiple surgeons managing a patient, and none of them think like a primary care doctor. They are not as concerned about such mundane things as constipation and nausea if they did not operate on the person's belly. They detest anyone saying anything that could be construed in even the most remote way related to their surgery. Every symptom we are taught in medical school that could be an emergent or worrisome sign, is normal to a surgeon unless the patient needs cut open. I cannot take off the family med hat, no matter how much they want me to. I am concerned about more than an incision and the I/O (intake and output) that my patient had.
This week, thanks to an astute medical student I helped to diagnose a significant heart problem in a patient that came in with another traumatic injury. We also diagnosed wound infections and Asperger's (the patient and family already knew it--but it was a quick pick up after a short interaction with one patient). Anyway...this has been a refreshing reminder that I am cut out to be a family doctor...not a surgeon. I was encouraged at one time to think about it, because one of the surgeons I trained with told me I "had good hands". It was an ego booster, but I have so much more to do than spend several more years in residency.
This leads me to another thing that often becomes an interesting topic of conversation. Can you be a good mother/wife/daughter and still be a good doctor? I think so. Many pessimists tell me that to be great at one, the other suffers. That may be, but does it mean you have to be a failure at the other? Not in my mind. I think striving to be excellent can be part of being a good parent, and fostering strong family ties is part of being an effective and excellent physician. What do you think?
YOU ARE READING
Confessions of an Intern
Non-FictionThese are musings of mine, told as I grow through residency. I hope to share a little insight into the making of a doctor, one who still cannot believe she's been blessed with this responsibility.
