I started my intern year on June 26. That first week was just an orientation week, but we got paid for it (I got my first paycheck on Monday) so it counts.
My first rotation is a didactic called med/psych. Originally I was supposed to be in the MICU, but the schedules got changed around last minute. I am mostly disappointed at having to do med/psych first, because it's such an easy month and I figure I'll need that month later on. Also, I was ready and rested, and right now I feel like I'm doing more resting. It's hard to summarize the stuff we're learning, but overall I feel like I'm reflecting on my experiences all day. I don't find that stuff very fun. There are three good things though. First, I have two half-day clinics per week, and it is an amazing feeling being the primary care doctor for these people. Second, I'm getting introduced to everything more slowly, so I feel like I'm learning how to do things right the first time. Finally, this weekend I was the admitting intern on nightfloat and got my first taste of the wards.
I could talk a lot about the patients and the medicine, but really the first thing that stands out to me is that I am surrounded by really great people. Going through medical school, I always accepted that during residency, people will be mean, that they will yell at you and it doesn't mean they hate you (most of the time), it just means they are stressed. However, apparently I landed in a program where the people are nice no matter what. During night float, the admitting resident who last week ago was just an intern, had to handle 26 admissions in 10 hours. I was able to take only 4 of those admissions, because interns have a cap. The other intern, who was only supposed to cross-cover, took another 2 patients. Anyway, there was a point in the night when I was still one away from capping, and the resident was questioning whether she should give me another because she didn't want to overload me! Then, the following morning after all the madness settled down and we were getting ready to go home, she apologizes to me, "I told myself that I would never throw work at my interns. And now the very first chance I get, I did nothing but throw work at you." And I told her good grief, because she worked harder than anyone, and we were all working hard.
The other day, we were having a teaching session with the 3rd year GI fellow, and Lola (an intern) says to me, "Doesn't he look like Superman?" Well he doesn't look at all like Christopher Reeves, so I assume she means the new Superman, which I haven't had a good look at yet. So I say I don't know. Well, Lola then turns to Schonze (another intern) and asks the same question, and she must have agreed, because they are still talking about it when the fellow walks through the door. They also must have looked very guilty, because the fellow looks at them and say, "What?" I'm thinking, "Ok everybody play it off!" But Schonze continues to look guilty, and to my amazement says, "Well...there has been some talk...(deep breath)...that you look like Superman." And in my mind I'm thinking "Man! Have you never had to play anything off before!" And the rest of the teaching session we're embarrassed, and I'm thinking I didn't even think he looked like Superman in the first place. But it was funny, and the fellow was a sport.
Also at two in the morning while I was night float, I got hungry and I ask Crystal where I can get snacks. I hear a nurse laughing and walking away. Crystal says the cafeteria is open, but I don't have time to leave the floor. Five minutes later, Crystal and I both get pages: Cookies and ice cream are available at the break room. It's from the laughing nurse.
Another amazing thing: out of 18 medicine interns, 10 are female, and of those ten, three of us have two and a half year olds.
