no sex in the on call room

I dont have internet at my apartment anymore so I am sitting by the pool write outside my building using the wireless from the complex. Im sitting here eating a bowl of ice cream watching people work out in the gym right next to me. hehehe oops.

thought i would just start with that. ok. so today...

5am- im up

5:45- pick up nicole

6:30- get to hospital

7am- orientation

7:08- ohhhhhh man, what have i gotten myself into

In a room full of 3rd and 4th year medical students, an administratior from the Graduate Medical Education Office has a few do’s and don’ts for us. Among the highlights, “no sex in the on call room, don’t pee in the trashcan, do not bring your pets to the hospital, do not bring your kids to the hospital, don’t put wet towels on the mattresses.”

Right,got it. so we learn the lay of the land, get our ID badges, and are given our schedules. Each one of us has different assignments for each day and the only constant is an 8am-9am lecture/seminar given by different residents or attendings each day. We are expected to be there for them every weekday. My schedule for the next 2 weeks is:

Tues- Labor and Delivery 12 hour call at AM. This means I will be at the hospital tomorrow from 5am to 5pm in the L&D ward with one other student.

Wed- Gyn notes/ Clinic. This means I will be at the hospital at 5am to see gynecology patients and write up history and physicals on them and then at 6:30am we will round on all the patients and I will present mine. Then from 8 to 9 I will attend the lecture and from 9am until around 6pm I will work in the women's health clinic on the first floor of the hospital.

Thurs and Friday- I will be in the clinic all day after 8am seminar

Monday-Labor and Delivery 12 hour call at AM

Tues- Clinic all day

Wed- Labor and Delivery 12 hour PM call but it is actually 16 hours at the hospital. THIS SHIFT SUCKS! I need to be at the hospital at 5pm on Wednesday, I stay there until rounds the next day at 6:30am and then have to stay for the lecture/seminar from 8-9am. At 9 I get to go home and then have the day to sleep and then

Fri- I have clinic

Sounds pretty fun, eh?

OK, back to our schedule today

8-9:45 we have more orientation, get our ID badges, and get a tour of the hospital.

10am- we get dropped off at the clinic and go to work... There are 9 of us total, all 3rd year students from Western. We are shown around a lil bit and then the next thing i know, I am in a clinic room. I saw 4 patients today, 2 of which spoke english. The other 2 did not...at all... God i wish i still remembered my spanish from high school. For those of us who cant communicate, there is a translator service.
There are 4 wireless phones and we use one to call up the serive using a code and then after a few rings we push what language we want and a translator will come on the line. We give them our name and the patients name and then you put the phone on speakerphone. From then on, you ask the translator to ask the patient a question and when they respond, the translator tells ya what they said. It is great! Very impersonal though, i really wish i didnt have to use it. The patients dont even look at you when they are talking, they talk to the phone. its kinda akward but very very useful. There are lots of nurses around that speak spanish but we are told not to ask them because they have enough work to do as it is.

12:10- you have 30 minutes to go to the cafeteria and get food. readyyyyy, go! [i have never eaten a chicken burger so fast]

the rest of the afternoon: patients patients patients. On the board that has all the staff names and doctors written on it that are working that day, it says how many patients are scheduled for the day. Today it said 66/46. That means 66 patients for the morning and 46 patients for the afternoon! This is going to be a loooooong month!

We got done around 6 and I got home around 7. I am tired, my feet hurt [note to self, why the hell did i wear new shoes???] and i have to be in bed pretty much right now in order to get a good nights sleep.

It was scary, intimidating, and thrilling. At some points I was so confused and felt very stupid and at others I felt great. I know I have the skills, now I just need to learn all the knowledge. I should already be reading some OB/ GYN books in preperation for the next couple weeks and to make myself sound smarter to the attending physicans but right now all i can think about is getting in bed and watching an episode of ER before I fall asleep.

1 day down, lots more to go :)

Oh and lastly, things i learned today:
1- nurses are a medical students saving grace. i love them. they are great.
2- an endometrial biopsy looks like the most painful thing a women has to go through and i refuse to ever have one done on me
3- i need to learn spanish
4- i need more nice dress clothes

thats all for now... im gonna get in bed soon and then wake up in the AM, put on my scrubs, and head to labor and delivery. eeeeee so freaking excited! :)