Destination Medicine

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Why yes, I should be studying. . .

I have a micro test tomorrow. I really don't want to study. So, I am taking the time to do everything else that I can think to do other than study. Hence, I blog. I have made a fairly important decision that will impact my entire future. I want to go into Emergency Medicine. I have been shadowing as much as I can with the full time schedule at school and family. I have only shadowed ER, but it is so great. It really matches my profile. . .It is fast paced, you never know what is going to come into the door, you can really impact people's lives for the better and you get to see all sorts of stuff. I had come to the realization in my teaching career that I was great at getting a project going, starting quick, writing curriculum, managing the initiation of new projects, organizing people and events. My downfall was always the continuation of the project. I guess that I get bored with the nitty-gritty detail work that continues forever. So I have come to realize that I don't want to do the same thing day after day (ie specialize) nor do I want to treat patients year after year for problems that they aren't doing anything about. Well how about that cough, didn't we talk about you not smoking on the last 20 visits? Or, how about you put down that bag of Cheetos long enough for me to look at your non-healing wound on your arm. And how long have you not followed the diet and exercise plan? And is it really more important to have all the movie channels to watch instead of paying for your medicine? And do you here the sarcasm that will get me run out of any family practice?

But I know there will be crappy stuff about ER, but it will be a different, rotating crap. I can be bitter about different things, not the same thing. I say hopefully. That is if I pass neuroscience. I hate neuroscience. It is interesting, but just TOO MUCH. It needs some retooling. Some of the class is fantastic. There is a neurologist who presents clinical correlates that are great and tempt me to become a neurologist. But not for long. Today's test for example was an exercise in failure for me. I am not looking forward to grading those scantrons. Hopefully they will put the scantron copies in our boxes tonight so I can grade it tomorrow in private, so no one hears all the x-ing I have to do and then the subsequent cursing.

But again, I still love it. There is this inner happiness that I feel that I am in medical school, almost one year in and ready to tackle the next. I am so looking forward to the clinical years. I realize that there is SO much I have to go back and review, but there is a lot that has stuck. And that is exciting.

I have also gotten two preceptorships lined up for this summer. I will spend 2 weeks with a family doctor in a nearby town and then 3 weeks with my kids' pediatrician. She is really a neat person and I am looking forward to that experience.

I am not looking forward to getting up at 3 am in the morning to start my day, but is the last day of tests for this block, so there is some relief that we just have one more block and then finals. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. . .