Okay, I will admit it has been a long time since I updated my monthly Blog. It really has been on the to do list, but clearly I am un-inspired when my reading gets done instead of the blog entry. What can I say? Things have been a blur of cold weather and work, and then more work...which is really the way it is supposed to be for a first-year resident. So let me do a quick update on life in Buckeye Country:
First, through some miracle of Mother Nature, the week we were in California was the coldest week of the winter. It was routinely in the single digits or negative single digits! Meanwhile, I was basking in one of the warmest California weeks ever. I can never remember going in to the City (SF) and sitting outside in the sun in a T-shirt in January. No one at work was surprised when I said it was 70s and sunny while I was in Cali, of course I had to remember that their idea of California weather is based on LA and TV shows which are all filmed in the spring/summer. Of course, they then laughed when I told them that cold there is 40s.
As winter rolled on, I learned a few more things: first, scarves are not only fashion accessories but are actually necessary tools to get from the car to the hospital. Second, Ohio Gray is quite gray and depressing, if you get a chance to be outside while it is light (by light I mean filtered light through the haze of gray clouds). Like a true Californian, I donned my sunglasses when it was bright outside, even if it was 12 degrees and the brightness is reflection from the snow. BUT, truly I know I am adapting to the weather when I walk to my car enjoying the more pleasant weather and then read by car thermometer: 48 degrees. Really? 48 is pleasant now???
And so the residency rolls on in a blur of reading, journal clubs, late nights, ER shifts, etc. I am happy to report that I am learning more and increasing my skills, but the more I do the more I realize I have to learn before taking the boards in a few short years (ahh!)
The pets have also settled in and some sort of truce has been reached between the dog and cats. They will now co-exist in the same room together, but still no playing or direct interaction--unless Cowboy sniffing their butts counts. A few weeks ago, the cats were sitting on the ottoman and Cowboy actually brought a toy over, chewed it and then tossed it on to the ottoman. The cats glared disgustedly at him, he repeated this maneuver a few times and then the cats stalked off. It really is too bad that they won't play with each other, it would be great for everyone to be tired out without us being pestered for attention at all times.
The cats have also developed a funny new habit: they play in the shower. Not while it is on of course, but every night as I wash my face and get ready for bed, one of them hops in the dry shower and rolls around. The other cat, sits up on the ledge of the bathtub and then starts swatting at the first cat. Eventually, they wrestle in the shower and chase each other in the tub, up around the shower curtain and back down into the tub. This happens nightly, without fail. If I could get a video posted I would because it is quite hilarious to see them rolling around like the tub is made of catnip.
But, I digress about my pets... Next weekend, is my first weekend of being the primary resident oncall as the other residents will all be out of town for a wedding. I have a surgeon backup, and I am sure we will all spend a lot of time together, but it is still werid to think of being the primary on every surgery case in the building. Especially since I was oncall with a resident last weekend and we got slammed! 14 cases in one weekend is too many! We were at work for about 20 hours on Sunday and I really hate starting off the week with 3 hours of sleep! I am just hoping it isn't like that next weekend. Maybe I should just keep my fingers crossed until then! Maybe my toes too, how about my eyes? really any good luck will help!
And yes, it is starting to be spring here, the daffodils are out. Although I have been told that we are due for a big snow storm any time now. I guess I won't put my long black coat away!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
California To Do List
What I need to do while in California this week:
1. Visit with family and friends
Okay, well, 1 have dinner and lunch plans, trying to cram in seeing everyone as much as possible.
2. Enjoy the sunshine
60-70 degrees and sunny--need I say more??
3. Workout
Hey, its 65 degrees outside---easy to go take a walk...big change from the 25 degrees in Ohio.
4. See some mountains...really, more than the rolling hills of Ohio.
Wide Open Spaces is nice--the Dixie Chicks were right!
5. See the ocean
Definitely can't be crossed off in Ohio, although there are some large lakes nearby.
6. Eat GOOD Mexican food
No, Chipotle, doesn't count as good Mexican food.
7. Eat at Jamba Juice
There are no Jamba Juices in Ohio, and when I described what a healthy smoothie is, they described Coldstone ice cream smoothies...seriously. I was then offered a milkshake at the fast food chain Steak n Shake.
8. Try some more international delights that aren't available in Ohio
I had some great Indian food..maybe some Thai food tomorrow...yes, I am very food motivated-there is a reason why me and my Labrador get along.
9. Get some studying done
With Justin and everyone else working, I have some time to catch up on reading, and yes, I am too much of a dork to not study this week.
10. Enjoy the sunshine
yes, it is worth writing twice.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The Joys of Winter
Happy Holidays everyone! I have survived my holiday ER shifts and am now half done with my ER duty! It will be a thrill this summer when I truly will be only doing surgery all the time. All in all, the holiday wasn't too bad, I saw a record number of ER cases on Christmas Eve day, and Christmas day was a bit more manageable. The amazing thing to me was the amount of euthanasias we did on Christmas Eve day, most occurred in the morning. Did they come in because they finally decided that the pet couldn't make it through one more holiday? or the kids came home from college to say goodbye to fluffy? or the in-laws refused to be in the house with the stinky old dog? Maybe multiple reasons. But we sure did a lot of them that day.
And while I complain about the weather, so does everyone else so I sort of blend in. It seems to be that weather small talk reaches new heights here. Maybe there just isn't as much to discuss with California weather as here. I mean, people will seriously discuss the weather, yesterday's, tomorrows, the weather at their sisters in Cleavland, the road, the conditions, the traffic, the accidents, their backyard, their street and the timeliness of the snow plows...the list is endless. It is pretty much agreed upon that there are a lot of bad drivers when it snows, since it is an infrequent occurrence here, so again, I can blend right in.
We had a big snow storm a few weeks back, by big I think we got 1-2" of snow. But it was cold enough to last for a few days. Everyone says it is fun at first, but then gets really frustrating. So far, the snow hasn't been around long enough for it to matter. The rain comes and washes it away. And we had no snow for Christmas, which everyone was hoping for. Instead it was 65 yesterday. I loved it. Last weekend, it was 3 degrees when I left work at midnight. After spending 15 minutes scrapping my car, I could finally safely drive home. And thanks to my new iPhone, the weather channel app told me that with the bitter cold wind, it really feels like -17!! I never thought I would live in a place in which 30 degrees starts to feel warm! Or at least pleasant. I must be acclimating to Ohio as this whole blog is about the weather! Seriously, I could keep going...
I think my friend Sarah (who moved to Michigan for her residency) said it best when she said she is "experimenting with layered clothing--right now I am on about 4 layers typically". That is it exactly. Going out to check the mail or take out the garbage becomes a much larger project as you put on sweatshirt or vest, scarf, hat, jacket, and of course gloves! Once I am all bundled up, the only thing that can get cold is my legs under my jeans. Long underwear would work for an extended period outside, but really for me it is the walk from the car to the hospital and then hospital to car that I need the warmth. Maybe I can track down some great 80s leg-warmers and just pop those on when I go outside and then pull them off at home...something to consider.
In about November, I realized that my "winter coat" would not be sufficient. That warm black jacket just wasn't cutting it in teens temperatures. After much discussion on the values of Northface vs REI and down vs synthetic, I ended up with a black poly-synthetic (but supposedly as warm as down without the puff) jacket from REI. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Its a long jacket that stops at mid calf. This jacket is like walking around in a warm sleeping bag. I mean, I have a lot of jackets for a Californian: red peacoat, faux sheepskin, raincoat, zip-up sweatshirts, etc. But this jacket may be the best. It is not the most stylish but the warmth is heavenly as I walk out of the hospital and nearly collapse as I take a breath of COLD air that seems to snap all my alveoli shut and kill all of my nasal mucosa. At least the rest of me is warm...except the calves-where are those leg warmers?
WISHING EVERYONE A JOYFUL NEW YEAR!!
And while I complain about the weather, so does everyone else so I sort of blend in. It seems to be that weather small talk reaches new heights here. Maybe there just isn't as much to discuss with California weather as here. I mean, people will seriously discuss the weather, yesterday's, tomorrows, the weather at their sisters in Cleavland, the road, the conditions, the traffic, the accidents, their backyard, their street and the timeliness of the snow plows...the list is endless. It is pretty much agreed upon that there are a lot of bad drivers when it snows, since it is an infrequent occurrence here, so again, I can blend right in.
We had a big snow storm a few weeks back, by big I think we got 1-2" of snow. But it was cold enough to last for a few days. Everyone says it is fun at first, but then gets really frustrating. So far, the snow hasn't been around long enough for it to matter. The rain comes and washes it away. And we had no snow for Christmas, which everyone was hoping for. Instead it was 65 yesterday. I loved it. Last weekend, it was 3 degrees when I left work at midnight. After spending 15 minutes scrapping my car, I could finally safely drive home. And thanks to my new iPhone, the weather channel app told me that with the bitter cold wind, it really feels like -17!! I never thought I would live in a place in which 30 degrees starts to feel warm! Or at least pleasant. I must be acclimating to Ohio as this whole blog is about the weather! Seriously, I could keep going...
I think my friend Sarah (who moved to Michigan for her residency) said it best when she said she is "experimenting with layered clothing--right now I am on about 4 layers typically". That is it exactly. Going out to check the mail or take out the garbage becomes a much larger project as you put on sweatshirt or vest, scarf, hat, jacket, and of course gloves! Once I am all bundled up, the only thing that can get cold is my legs under my jeans. Long underwear would work for an extended period outside, but really for me it is the walk from the car to the hospital and then hospital to car that I need the warmth. Maybe I can track down some great 80s leg-warmers and just pop those on when I go outside and then pull them off at home...something to consider.
In about November, I realized that my "winter coat" would not be sufficient. That warm black jacket just wasn't cutting it in teens temperatures. After much discussion on the values of Northface vs REI and down vs synthetic, I ended up with a black poly-synthetic (but supposedly as warm as down without the puff) jacket from REI. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Its a long jacket that stops at mid calf. This jacket is like walking around in a warm sleeping bag. I mean, I have a lot of jackets for a Californian: red peacoat, faux sheepskin, raincoat, zip-up sweatshirts, etc. But this jacket may be the best. It is not the most stylish but the warmth is heavenly as I walk out of the hospital and nearly collapse as I take a breath of COLD air that seems to snap all my alveoli shut and kill all of my nasal mucosa. At least the rest of me is warm...except the calves-where are those leg warmers?
WISHING EVERYONE A JOYFUL NEW YEAR!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Benefits of Global Warming...are over
So I know that it takes me a long time to get posts out, hey, I am a busy girl ya know. But I do think about what I am going to write before it is actually in the computer. This week, I have been on my reading/research week so definitely low stress and I am home most of the day studying, and walking the dog. At the beginning of the week, I was going to do a bit on the Fall colors and watching the seasons change, something I am frankly, not accustomed to in California. By this time of year, the hills are golden brown and the trees are green. In Ohio, the grass is still amazingly green and the trees are green, yellow, red, gold, brown and then bare twigs. It is fun to hear all the leaves crunch underfoot as Cowboy and I walk around the park. Cowboy has even taken to running and jumping through the piles of the leaves that people have carefully raked to the edge of the street.I even took the camera on a walk to take some great Fall Foliage pictures (see to the left). It was made doubly nice by 
the 75 degree weather. Yes, that is right, 75 degrees this week. I was wearing a t-shirt in November in Ohio, it was like living in Ventura again. My kind of Fall weather. So then I thought I could discuss the benefits of global warming and its effect on my nice warm November.
the 75 degree weather. Yes, that is right, 75 degrees this week. I was wearing a t-shirt in November in Ohio, it was like living in Ventura again. My kind of Fall weather. So then I thought I could discuss the benefits of global warming and its effect on my nice warm November. 
Okay, first, how do the colors work? What actually makes it change? Is the color order the same? Like all trees go green to yellow to brown? What about the red. And then, look at the picture to the left, why is one tree almost all red and the one next to is is still mostly green? I hereby confess my ignorance of plants. Perhaps one of my plant friends (ie Rochelle) can tell me how it works.
However, today, that all changed. The weather is now more classic fall, as in rain. Today, I wore jackets, glove and hat to walk Cowboy to the park in the rain. He didn't care it was raining and enjoyed the freedom of having the park to ourselves. Apparently the California girl is the only crazy one walking her dog in the rain. So out goes all my global warming jokes and bragging about the "cold Ohio" weather...it is back to business as usual.
This also brings up an interesting point: naming rain. I mean, we can describe it as a sprinkle, drizzle, rain or down pour, but when it comes to verbage it is all just " raining" outside. Ya know? No one says wow it is really pouring down out there or look at the drizzle. It is always just wow, it is really raining outside. That is another thing, do we really need to add the OUTSIDE part of the sentence? Isn't it obvious that it is raining outside? Does it ever really rain inside so that we need to specify the rain's location?
One more thing, Obama took Ohio! I would like to think that two extra Californians voting here helped! Yeah! Check out my cool lawn sign picture as well. According to the local paper, Republicans actually called the city office complaining that the city was sponsoring Obama. Then there was a whole rash of people that got their signs stolen from the front yards. Being in a swing state for an election sure was fun! Except for all the political ads on TV, lucky with DVR, I can fast forward through all the crap.Enjoy the Fall while it lasts! Soon will come my snow reports!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Our Cowboy
As many of you probably know by now, Justin and I adopted a puppy. He was patient at my new vet clinic as a puppy that was being raised to be a Canine Companion for disabled folks. Unfortunately, his medical problems flunked him out of the program.
For my vet friends, he had an ectopic ureter into his prostate which caused hydronephrosis and required a nephrectomy. He also had a retained testicle. For my unvet friends, he had a kidney removed.
He is now 5 months and fabulous. He is probably one of the best mannered puppies I have ever worked with. It probably helps that Justin is home all day to work on training him and taking him on 2-3 walks/runs daily. His name was Autry, but it was just too difficult to say and wasn't very manly. Since Gene Autry is a cowboy, the name just transitioned. And it fits him perfectly as he moses around the house. He is a very easy going lab, he'll bounce around and do crazy puppy run and then lay down and chew on his rope toy for a few hours, then a nap, a walk and repeat. He chewed on my socks on time when the pile of laundry dropped next to him but otherwise has not eaten any shoes, clothing to anything. And although he loves sticks, he doesn't seem to be much of an obsessive ball dog, but that may change as he gets a bit older.
The two cats aren't too thrilled with this new addition to the family. At first, they boycotted the room he was in and ran past or up the stairs, but they seem to have settled into an uncomfortable truce for the time being. They aren't playing, but they are tolerating eachother. Cowboy is also very good with them and stands patiently wagging his tail, hoping that this time they will sniff noses with him and play, instead of glaring and trotting by. So far, no luck on that score.
Another surgery resident also recently adopted a pit bull puppy so it is great because he has a friend to romp around with an play. I can only watch them play for so long before the fear of dog bites, lacerations, missing chunks of ear or corneal scratches gets to me and they must be separated!
He has developed one werid habit...you see, it is hot here atleast this time of year. And Cowboy is definetely a cold floor seeking dog. In our master bathroom, we have a standing shower. It had become his favorite place to lay down! If we can't find him, the first place to look is the shower to see if he is off taking a nap! The other day, Justin had turned on the shower to let it warm up, being the goofy lab, he walked right into the shower and got all wet!!!
All in all, he is a great dog, we couldn't have asked for a better puppy. And seriously, if anyone out there is considering starting a residency or bog job that will keep you away from your significant other, getting a puppy definitely keeps them happy and busy!!
Hopefully, these pictures will work....
You are in Buckeye Country Now
When I named this blog Becky's Buckeye Blog, it had a nice alliteration to it. Everyone had already given me their two cents on Ohio and then the big thing everyone mentioned was OSU and football. I have never gone to a "football oriented" school. My undergrad sucked a football and in vet school, maybe it was a bit more noticed and discussed, but in vet school you are in your own little world and regular campus events are not worth the time.
So here in Columbus, it is my first time being around a serious football community. And let me tell you, this place is a good one! First, there is a business with Buckeye in the title for almost every business possible. I regularly see Buckeye plumbing, Buckeye tree removal service and Buckeye auto detailing trunks around town. And this is above and beyond the usual smattering of business that around campus, this is everywhere in the greater Columbus area. I am 20 minutes from downtown and campus and still the Buckeye is everywhere. At first, it was a fun game of spot the Buckeye while driving around town. Justin and I have now lost track of points as it is too much! And did I mention work? I routinely have at least one patient named Buckeye each week! (commonly yellow labs but this week it is a little doxie). There are too many Buckeye's in the computer to count. I am sure that I haven't seen any name as frequently in CA. I mean, you don't meet a lot of Friscos, or Giants or anything like that.
And now, the kids have gone back to school and the college football season is upon us. First, at work I listen to everyone analyzing the players, the new freshman, the old favorites, who is hurt, who is starting this game etc. Than the same discussion is performed for the opposing team. OHh, I also feel that this is a good point to mention that people at work wear OSU scrubs. Not just black or red scrubs with OSU logo on the breast pocket (although those are seen too). The scrubs which I refer to are actually made of a print fabric that is OSU logos covering it. It makes you a bit dizzy to look at too long.
The weekend of the first game of the season (against a nothing school apparently) , the ER service was demonstratively slower than it was the rest of the day. As soon as 4pm rolled around, all the sudden there was 6 people waiting when earlier, during the game, I saw 1 case in 3 hours! The second game of the season, Justin and I went to Costco. This is Costco on a Saturday afternoon, a time to eat, browse and buy large quantities of food that you will hopefully enjoy and consume before getting sick of it. The store was pratically empty! We actually didn't have to elbow anyone to get to the cheesecake samples, there should have been a crowd 3-people deep for those things! Employees are actually allowed to wear their OSU, Buckeye gear on game days, also readily noted on most of the customers as well. Then they all walk around saying "Go Bucks!" to each other. It is like some secret fraternity or something. Again, when 330pm came around, the store got busier, we stood in line (there had been no line when we arrived), paid and left.
This past weekend though was THE BIG GAME. Unbeknownst to me when I moved to Buckeye territory, OSU is a huge rival of USC (my Dad's alumni). And this weekend was the big game. Everyone at work discussed not only the above points, but the crucial decisions of where to watch the game since it was in LA, where to pre-game drink and then where to party afterwards. I am not even sure if un-sports bars are open on these game nights. Various bars, theaters and houses were discussed. One of the other surgery residents finally volunteered his place as the site of the beerdrinking and gamewatching. Being that my Dad was cheering for USC, he couldn't resist sending me a USC t-shirt. I wore the t-shirt to work on Friday. I honestly have never been booed, glared at, flipped off or otherwise harassed as much as in the 5 hours that I was at the hospital with my USC pride displayed. People were down-right angry at my shirt and team choice. (Apparently USC stands for U suck Cock). I went to pick up lunch and zipped up my sweatshirt so that they wouldn't spit in my food (I was warned it was possible) . And it wasn't just people at work, the general public was wearing hats, jerseys and other gear on Friday. It still boggles my mind.
I have yet to even mention the stuff. If you email me and ask for anything with OSU on it, I am pretty sure I can find it, although I have yet to see papertowels or TP, almost everything else is fair game. And it isn't as if I am in the campus book store, this is in the local grocery stores, Target, Costco, wherever. Krogers (the grocery store) practically has a whole aisle to OSU tailgating supplies and such. This would include red OSU plastic cups, plastic cutlery, tablecloths, Buckeye Bites, aka tortilla chips, BBQ tools, matching OSU BBQ cover and the flags. Not just regular size flags but GARAGE DOOR sized OSU flags to hang on game weekends. Also random stuff like pet food mats, salt and pepper shakers and fly swatters. Seriously, I am pretty sure I could find anything.
With all the build up, I was a bit excited to watch the football team in action. However, if anyone out there follows college football, you will know that USC kicked ass this weekend (35 to 3). The announcer said that it was like watching JV play varsity. After getting trounced the first half, many of the true fans gave up and went home or continued to drink their sorrows away. A surgeon at work actually saw a neighbor burning a jersey in his front yard. Yes it is true they aren't as good this season, and maybe the Buckeyes won't make it to Nationals this year, but I ask you, do true fans stop watching at halftime? One of the most vocal OSU fans explained to me that it was just too painful to watch them get beat so badly, everyone is so emotionally invested in the team. But everyone will probably continue to support the team this year, even if they are a bit over-rated, after all, they already have the Buckeye salt and pepper shakers!!
So here in Columbus, it is my first time being around a serious football community. And let me tell you, this place is a good one! First, there is a business with Buckeye in the title for almost every business possible. I regularly see Buckeye plumbing, Buckeye tree removal service and Buckeye auto detailing trunks around town. And this is above and beyond the usual smattering of business that around campus, this is everywhere in the greater Columbus area. I am 20 minutes from downtown and campus and still the Buckeye is everywhere. At first, it was a fun game of spot the Buckeye while driving around town. Justin and I have now lost track of points as it is too much! And did I mention work? I routinely have at least one patient named Buckeye each week! (commonly yellow labs but this week it is a little doxie). There are too many Buckeye's in the computer to count. I am sure that I haven't seen any name as frequently in CA. I mean, you don't meet a lot of Friscos, or Giants or anything like that.
And now, the kids have gone back to school and the college football season is upon us. First, at work I listen to everyone analyzing the players, the new freshman, the old favorites, who is hurt, who is starting this game etc. Than the same discussion is performed for the opposing team. OHh, I also feel that this is a good point to mention that people at work wear OSU scrubs. Not just black or red scrubs with OSU logo on the breast pocket (although those are seen too). The scrubs which I refer to are actually made of a print fabric that is OSU logos covering it. It makes you a bit dizzy to look at too long.
The weekend of the first game of the season (against a nothing school apparently) , the ER service was demonstratively slower than it was the rest of the day. As soon as 4pm rolled around, all the sudden there was 6 people waiting when earlier, during the game, I saw 1 case in 3 hours! The second game of the season, Justin and I went to Costco. This is Costco on a Saturday afternoon, a time to eat, browse and buy large quantities of food that you will hopefully enjoy and consume before getting sick of it. The store was pratically empty! We actually didn't have to elbow anyone to get to the cheesecake samples, there should have been a crowd 3-people deep for those things! Employees are actually allowed to wear their OSU, Buckeye gear on game days, also readily noted on most of the customers as well. Then they all walk around saying "Go Bucks!" to each other. It is like some secret fraternity or something. Again, when 330pm came around, the store got busier, we stood in line (there had been no line when we arrived), paid and left.
This past weekend though was THE BIG GAME. Unbeknownst to me when I moved to Buckeye territory, OSU is a huge rival of USC (my Dad's alumni). And this weekend was the big game. Everyone at work discussed not only the above points, but the crucial decisions of where to watch the game since it was in LA, where to pre-game drink and then where to party afterwards. I am not even sure if un-sports bars are open on these game nights. Various bars, theaters and houses were discussed. One of the other surgery residents finally volunteered his place as the site of the beerdrinking and gamewatching. Being that my Dad was cheering for USC, he couldn't resist sending me a USC t-shirt. I wore the t-shirt to work on Friday. I honestly have never been booed, glared at, flipped off or otherwise harassed as much as in the 5 hours that I was at the hospital with my USC pride displayed. People were down-right angry at my shirt and team choice. (Apparently USC stands for U suck Cock). I went to pick up lunch and zipped up my sweatshirt so that they wouldn't spit in my food (I was warned it was possible) . And it wasn't just people at work, the general public was wearing hats, jerseys and other gear on Friday. It still boggles my mind.
I have yet to even mention the stuff. If you email me and ask for anything with OSU on it, I am pretty sure I can find it, although I have yet to see papertowels or TP, almost everything else is fair game. And it isn't as if I am in the campus book store, this is in the local grocery stores, Target, Costco, wherever. Krogers (the grocery store) practically has a whole aisle to OSU tailgating supplies and such. This would include red OSU plastic cups, plastic cutlery, tablecloths, Buckeye Bites, aka tortilla chips, BBQ tools, matching OSU BBQ cover and the flags. Not just regular size flags but GARAGE DOOR sized OSU flags to hang on game weekends. Also random stuff like pet food mats, salt and pepper shakers and fly swatters. Seriously, I am pretty sure I could find anything.
With all the build up, I was a bit excited to watch the football team in action. However, if anyone out there follows college football, you will know that USC kicked ass this weekend (35 to 3). The announcer said that it was like watching JV play varsity. After getting trounced the first half, many of the true fans gave up and went home or continued to drink their sorrows away. A surgeon at work actually saw a neighbor burning a jersey in his front yard. Yes it is true they aren't as good this season, and maybe the Buckeyes won't make it to Nationals this year, but I ask you, do true fans stop watching at halftime? One of the most vocal OSU fans explained to me that it was just too painful to watch them get beat so badly, everyone is so emotionally invested in the team. But everyone will probably continue to support the team this year, even if they are a bit over-rated, after all, they already have the Buckeye salt and pepper shakers!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Am I a magnet?
For those of you that are not in the medical world, there are two basic kinds of ER doctors, magnets and repellents. Magnets are doctors working an emergency shift that seems consistently busier than any one else working that shift. With a real magnet, cases seem to start walking in the door as soon as they clock in. And I don't mean on 4th of July or Halloween or Friday night, those shifts are always busy and sucky. These are the doctors that techs/nurses groan to see that they are working because the staff know it will be busy. Repellents, or "coolers" in some circles, are doctors that always end of having a slow shift. Techs spend time cleaning and restocking. Everyone complains about how boring it is. That is another thing about the medical (and veterinary medical) world--if it is busy everyone complains, and if it is slow, everyone complains...there is never the perfect balance of cases.
In my general internship in So Cal, I was not a magnet, but more of a partial repellent. I usually had steady cases at night or during the day, but usually not crazy. Some of my other friends got stuck with a crazy amount of cases and ended up running around all day or night or both to get everything done. Then I would come on and everything would slow down. Frankly, since I am not big on ER, I was okay with this.
Perhaps it is possible to change teams when you cross state lines?? Here I am working in Ohio and my shifts have been crazy. I work a 6pm-midnight shift and the first 2 weeks I didn't leave until 2am, only to have to be back at the hospital at 7am to examine patients (yes I mean dogs and cats) before rounds. This is a very busy emergency service. They routinely have 3-4 doctors seeing cases around the clock and there are times when another doctor would be great.
This week though, in my third week, I reached a new level of sleeplessness and ER work. First, On Tuesday, it is a surgery day (as opposed to seeing clients we do surgery all day). Well, we were also on call for emergency surgeries that night and we didn't even leave the hospital before we had 3 surgeries that need to go. For my vet friends, it was a splenectomy and 2 foreign bodies. Anyways, I was at the hospital until 2am, came home and slept for 3 hours and then woke up to go back to the hospital. That night was my ER shift and instead of leaving at midnight, or even 2am, I left at 330am!! It was very busy and we had 3 CPRs to perform (for my un-vet friends, unlike TV, most CPRs fail, ie the patient dies, it sucks) and then all my other patients too. Even though I am getting faster with the computerized records, it is still a bit crazy. SO that night/morning I came home slept for 1.5 hours before heading back to work a full day. I was good as long as I was up and moving around, but then I had to sit in a meeting, with powerpoint and the lights turned way down. I seriously almost fell asleep in my chair, next to my boss!! I couldn't help it.
So I ask you, have I some how upset the cosmic balance? Did I not pray to the Gods of the ER enough? I hope that it will get better as I become more familiar with the system and staff. Because I really don't want them groaning when they see my name!!
PS--I am planning a blog about our new dog Cowboy, but that truly requires pictures and my camera is not working at the moment, stay tuned!
In my general internship in So Cal, I was not a magnet, but more of a partial repellent. I usually had steady cases at night or during the day, but usually not crazy. Some of my other friends got stuck with a crazy amount of cases and ended up running around all day or night or both to get everything done. Then I would come on and everything would slow down. Frankly, since I am not big on ER, I was okay with this.
Perhaps it is possible to change teams when you cross state lines?? Here I am working in Ohio and my shifts have been crazy. I work a 6pm-midnight shift and the first 2 weeks I didn't leave until 2am, only to have to be back at the hospital at 7am to examine patients (yes I mean dogs and cats) before rounds. This is a very busy emergency service. They routinely have 3-4 doctors seeing cases around the clock and there are times when another doctor would be great.
This week though, in my third week, I reached a new level of sleeplessness and ER work. First, On Tuesday, it is a surgery day (as opposed to seeing clients we do surgery all day). Well, we were also on call for emergency surgeries that night and we didn't even leave the hospital before we had 3 surgeries that need to go. For my vet friends, it was a splenectomy and 2 foreign bodies. Anyways, I was at the hospital until 2am, came home and slept for 3 hours and then woke up to go back to the hospital. That night was my ER shift and instead of leaving at midnight, or even 2am, I left at 330am!! It was very busy and we had 3 CPRs to perform (for my un-vet friends, unlike TV, most CPRs fail, ie the patient dies, it sucks) and then all my other patients too. Even though I am getting faster with the computerized records, it is still a bit crazy. SO that night/morning I came home slept for 1.5 hours before heading back to work a full day. I was good as long as I was up and moving around, but then I had to sit in a meeting, with powerpoint and the lights turned way down. I seriously almost fell asleep in my chair, next to my boss!! I couldn't help it.
So I ask you, have I some how upset the cosmic balance? Did I not pray to the Gods of the ER enough? I hope that it will get better as I become more familiar with the system and staff. Because I really don't want them groaning when they see my name!!
PS--I am planning a blog about our new dog Cowboy, but that truly requires pictures and my camera is not working at the moment, stay tuned!
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