Well, apparently in our institution, they call type and crossmatch as a "clot" (Seriously, that's what you type on the computer). And of course I had no idea that was how it was.
As for the med student incident, I believe I was too shocked to react. Flabbergasted. My coat's pretty long so I don't think there's any doubt that I'm a resident.
The un-american thing I did was ask for a regular syringe for blood draws. I have no idea how to use that butterfly.
It's just hard to run around unfamiliar territory. I'm not really complaining because I knew it would be hard. I guess I just want to acknowledge that it is hard. Doowai--I know exactly what you're saying. I believe I asked the very same questions too! Hahaha! Even stuff like--where's the nearest restroom? how do i get out of this building? There are people who help though and I appreciate that very much.
So first month down...11 to go! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Um, pretty much everywhere I've been, we draw into a syringe, and then transfer into tubes, especially if we have just started a line, since you only stick the patient once, instead of twice. Although those were all in the NYC area, I believe that was still America.
My first month and a half of intership haven't actually been that bad. I ended up matching to a place that was known to be a "hard" internship, so I expected the worst. And it's even tougher this year, because the medicine months are understaffed. But I just finished a month of IM that was quoted to me by a PGY-2 as his hardest, and I got through just fine, but glad its over. Now I'm in the ICU, and while its stressful, and a 12 hour day can be over before you know it while you're thinking to yourself "I got nothing accomplished today" but it also has me considering critical care medicine (but, I think i'll just stay the the ER). And yes, I pretty much put in 80 hours a week, or close to it, but it doesn't seem like that long until I count them up (we log our hours). I put in 17 two days ago because two people coded like 5 minutes before sign out, and actually coded multiple times (yes, some do pull through a code) so I didn't leave until almost midnight. It's like patients know when we are trying to leave.
What I have realized though, is that I would never trade this for anything. As a student, I used to piss and moan about long hours, or having to write up H&Ps or progress notes, feeling as if I were being scutted out. Now I realize how much that stuff helps the interns and residents, while they are busy having every nurse, attending, and service in the hospital paging them, dumping BS admits from the ER on them, or asking them what is going on with their patient that you haven't seen and got a crappy signout on because of everything else that is going on. But, when you step back and tell yourself "the patient comes first, and everything else comes 2nd" its actually ok. You can't make everyone happy, and nurses will get irritated, attendings will yell, and the ER will send up unstable patients that crash on you within 30 seconds of the ER staff leaving the ICU. That's not going to change, and you have to find a way to cope with that, and I think that's the secret to surviving internship (Although, a cush prelim with food and 1000 stipend helps)
Now, Doowai, I am very sorry to hear that you resigned. I hope that you are able to go home and be with your family, and seeing your son graduate highschool will give you the satisfaction you need to be able to give residency another try. Maybe you can give it another try at the place you prematched that was close to home. Just remember, no program is what it sells itself to be, and every program has it's attendings that belittle everyone under them. But, I think that's any job. My girlfriend is a teacher, and she has to deal with Principals and APs that pull that crap too, so if you never experienced similar situations while you taught, I'm amazed. I too, had to ask where everything was, and how to do admits/discharges/orders. In NY, you have to stamp everthing, but not here. My first week, my students were showing me how to do everything. Had to swallow my pride on that one. I realized, there are minor differences from hospital to hospital, even within the same program. You just have to do your best to get acclimated. And yes, your best may not be acceptable to some people, but then again, nothing is to them.
And Buckley, if that were my med student, he would have been doing rectals on every admission the rest of the month.
Oh yeah, the white coat thing bothers me too. But then again, I only wear my coat because my scrubs only have 2 pockets. If our scrub machine gave out cargo scrubs, I would probably leave my coat at home.
