Studying Since Step 1
June 19, 2008
Since the second years are all in the throes of taking that infamous exam and I’m supposed to be studying for my pediatrics shelf exam, I thought I’d take a second to reflect on the studying (or lack thereof) I’ve done since June 17, 2007.
Quite honestly, I think I may have blown some kind of a study fuse while studying for the boards. Since that day last year, I think I’ve put in about 4 or 5 honest days of studying. I’m simply incapable of it any more. I find it tiring, boring, and simply useless. This has been proven by my scores on the various exams. Some I studied MUCH more for than others, yet my grades on most of them have been within 3 points of all the others.
So, here I sit, a book in front of me, doing anything but reading it. This is the last exam of third year, and I’m honestly a little bit terrified that I’m going to fail it. And yet, I’m not scared enough to really buckle down and study for it. Because I don’t give a flying crap about developmental milestones. I just don’t care enough to learn things in which I’m not interested anymore.
Pediatrics
June 13, 2008
As this is my second month of pediatrics, and its almost over, I’ll run down the highlights (for my own memory) of the first 7 weeks:
Dr. Cochran (If you haven’t worked with him, you don’t get it, and never will. If you have, smile quietly to yourself and remember your favorite times with him…)
Leaving the ER 4 times over the course of a 12 hour shift to get random things for Dr. Viets
“Acute Gastroenteritis” HA! 9.5/12 sucker.
Height: 5′10″ Weight: 275 Age: 9 freaking years old
Performing a Lumbar Puncture on a 8 moth old kid in status epilepticus.
The first time I was attracted to an attending.
H&P times a million
Being able to confidently tell people what I’m going into…without regrets.
Boredom on the Wardom
Harriet Lane
Having nothing to say to a crying mother watching her child die. Feeling bad about getting annoyed at how much time we spent in the patient’s room.
Feeling, for the first time this year, like one of my residents doesn’t like me.
Musical attendings.
Team Badass/Bad patients. Team Disaster.
Kairi
Landon
Anna Belle
I haven’t written anything here in a while. In fact, that last post was saved as a draft after I forgot to put it on here for almost a month. I’m gonna get back to this.
Decision
June 13, 2008
So, my mind is finally made up, I’m going into surgery. Am I going to stay there? Who knows. Going through a surgical internship, even if I decide its not for me, will provide a lot of options of other things I can do with my life.
If I was a betting man, however, my bet is that I’ll stick it out. I like the OR too much to do anything else with my life, I think. I like the whole philosophy of surgery, a get in-get it done-get out way of thinking that suits my ADD just fine.
