OK...time for an update.
Finished Psychiatry about a month ago. Rotation itself was good and interesting. The doctor I was rotating with, despite giving me high marks in individual aspects of the rotation, only gave me a regular pass grade, and she had no bad critiques to back her grade. The messed up part about that was I couldn't even argue because her resident and another student were there as she discussed my grade with me.
Suck.
Next was geriatrics. Lots of old people. Lots of pathology, and kinda sad...lots of talk about dying, hospice, cancer...but lots of good too. I talked to a bunch of senior citizens at the long term care facility I was assigned to and they had wonderful stories to tell, the lot of them that could still talk and tell their stories. Lives long ago filled with stories of love and war, of family and loss, of friendships and everything else in between. And when I was at the hospital, I also learned a lot. And got pimped a lot. I hate getting pimped.
Which leads me to my latest rotation, Internal Medicine. Week one is finished. Quite busy, quite tiring, but good. The only annoying part about this rotation is getting up @ 5:30am to be at the hospital by 7am. Am not a morning person at all. Hopefully I get used to it by the time I do surgery. So far, not as much pimping as possible, but there's lots to learn and re-learn all the time, and it just feels like there's no break. 18 months from now, I graduate and start working as a doctor...scary.
For now, I'm just content sitting here in my room, blogging, watching the history channel, and enjoying the very snowy view outside.
Song of the day: "Wintersong" by Sarah McLachlan
6 comments:
Gerontology is wonderful - but it does have its moments. Enjoy the issues of poly-pharmacy and QOL, I found that when you look it from that perspective the rest - the Dementia/Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's and end of life concerns become clearer in that you somehow see the balance and complexity and yet the simplicity of things… like how touch can calm, how we ignore the sanctity of life even when it doesn’t look like ours or their choices are different… I could go on and on, sorry it’s what happens when you choose to study the facets of the field and not just the medical perspective.
Pretty insightful, S&P. Thank you for that. I take it you have first-hand experience with this subject. An expert in the field, perhaps? As For me, Geriatrics continues on in the form of Internal Medicine. Learning waits for no student, I suppose.
I have a minor in the field - had intended to go to medical school to pursue it specifically and realized that in the process the parts of gerontology that I love I would loose access too - like built environment issues and the real day to day interpersonal issues, like how spouses are dealing with Alzheimer's, especially as it seems to be becoming more prevelant younger and younger.
I would say if you want really any insight - go the root of understanding what you can about death and dying - sounds morbid but I found that working backwards on that subject made me think how if I was for example 80, how would I like to go...
We actually addressed those questions in our Death and Dying class for Geriatrics! Personally, I'd prefer if I just get a massive PE and die instantly (not as dramatic as getting hit head-on by a bus, but just as quick). You're right, this has become quite morbid. I hope I'm not depressing you. For what it's worth, I think you would've made a great doctor.
No worries about depressing me - I loved that course and Geronotology in general. I've learned that some of the greatest doctors are the ones that either tried long and hard to get in or just never quite made it and thus just get to annoy their own family physician to no end. It seems to just be the way the system is up here - in the end I know there is a life path for me - just some more wandering in the wilds for the meantime learning to be me - whatever that is.
Very deep. Whatever your path may be, I hope you have fun walking through it =)
Post a Comment