Top 10: Things I hate about the ER

10.) There are no windows in the ED - I have no idea what the weather is, if the sun is up or down, if we are having a nuclear meltdown . . . nothing!

9.) Adults smell much worse than kids

8.) Shameless drug seeking - some of these people should be Academy nominated actors and others . . . well . . . bless their hearts

7.) These "hump" shifts: 9-7 is a terrible shift. You shouldn't really eat while you are in the ED and I am a full on member of the geriatric club and prefer to have dinner at 5:30 - not 8:30. Maybe even at 5 since I am skipping lunch.

6.) Parking at UK at 9am - if you live in Lexington you just groaned internally.

5.) I don't like having to tell people they have STD's or discuss their drug issues - this occurs, at worst, 4 times a month in Peds and I am usually not discussing meth or heroin. (A patient told me he started doing heroin before the age of 10! 10! I read "Are you there God, its me Margaret" when I was 10 and still didn't understand the whole process!

4.) I don't get to hang with my friends (at least not very many anyway) - only one peds resident does this rotation a month so I am alone :-(.

3.) I am reminded of how ridiculous people are and how much their ridiculousness is wasting my tax money on an hourly basis.

2.) The ER can be kind of a sad place sometimes . . . I attend deliveries and 9/10 times I see tears, they are tears of happiness.

1.) I have discussed anal warts more in one week than I have in my entire life. Vom-it

So seriously, aside from above, I actually kind of like the ER. Its a nice change of pace, I have met some fun residents (some from family, some from IM, some from ER), and I actually do like taking care of adults (its just been over a year since the last time I saw someone over the age of 25, so I've had to clear the cobwebs). My favorite part of taking care of adults are the "come to Jesus meetings" you can have with adults that you can't have with most kids or their families. You know the "your life can go two directions from this point depending on how much responsibility you take for your health" talks. That's really what I liked the most about adults anyway - you can empower people with knowledge and tools and give them the option. I should be a life coach, haha! I have 10 more shifts and next month I go to Peds HemeOnc (kiddos with cancer) so probably a tearful month. I wish I cold share some ER stories but honestly they are so specific I don't think I could leave out enough details to keep 100% private. Lo siento amigos.

Oh Happy Day

I have been MIA since March 1? Really? Well to recap the first half of this month I took boards on March 5th (Step III - so no more "steps" but I do have my pediatrics boards after I finish residency, which is in 27.2 months if you were curious ;-) and have been in the ER pretty much since then. In the ER the residents work shifts (most of mine are 10 hours) and they usually fall from 9a-7p so the bulk of the day is gone once I get out of there.

But TODAY was my first day off in awhile which was fantastic! However, no sleeping in at the Lowdenback house - the puppies had to be dropped off at 7:30am at the vet for their vaccines, exams, and dental cleanings (don't ask - dog insurance is crazy) and I had a light come on in my car so I had to drop it off and pick up a loaner by 9, a hair appt at 10, and an afternoon of class, meetings, and pick-ups. On the plus, my dogs are healthy and happy (and still mildly sedated); nothing is wrong with my SUV (and I got to drive a fun little hybrid loaner with a mouse instead of a stick shift - a Lexus GX if your shopping - def learning curve), and I like I look like myself again :-). I LOVE days off - even when they are more productive than I intend.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday!!!

Another month, another service

Thank you, thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, emails, and texts asking about my little patient! That future is still yet to be determined and you will not believe that I got ANOTHER HIE baby over the weekend . . . I'll keep you posted on how they are doing as I continue to check in on them! I asked my attending how many HIE patients they get a year (I cared for 3 this month) and she said usually just 6-9! Can you believe how unlucky a month February was this year?!

Today I started in the ER and I am completely counting down my shifts (18 more). ER and Heme/Onc (kids cancer) are the only two months I don't have to stay overnight on 30 hour shifts (which is awesome!) but because of that I spend more actual days in the hospital. So I work every weekend this month and half of the weekends next month (blah). I've been making my schedule out for next year and one of the upper levels was showing me tricks to get more vacation time :-). This picture is how I feel some days . . . I have 28 more months of residency . . . sheesh . . .