June 29, 2010

• The New Year Begins

  Intern year has come to a close. But is the completion of the first year the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end?

  Before, when I had a question or a concern about my plan of treatment, or a finding, or anything at all, I could always ask my senior if I couldnt find the answer on my own. There was no concern about stupid questions, because as an intern, I was not expected to know much about the finer points of medicine, only the basics. Now, I am the senior, and the onus of knowledge is on me. While I can still review my plans with an Attending, the expectation is now that I have already exhausted any resources before bringing up a question.

  No longer do I have a team to rely on, a fellow co-intern to suffer with on tough rotations. Second year is mainly spent rotating through subspecialty services, where it is just myself, a fellow and an attending. I will see my fellow cointerns nee coresidents in the cafeteria and at clinic, but now if we dont make the effort to see each other and socialize, opportunities are no longer quite as available. It will be interesting to see how friendships developed over the first year play out over the second.

  When I am on an r-service, it will be my responsibility to help teach the interns, to catch their mistakes and help them when things fall through the cracks. To arrive earlier, and stay later because I AM the safety net I used to have. What kind of resident will I be? Will interns want to work with me, or will the hospital rumor mill make a rotation with me something to suffer through?

  This is also the year I start applying for a fellowship, a medical subspecialty. Setting off once again through the carnival of research, recommendations and rigamarole that applying for anything carries with it. I have to finish up the paperwork to obtain my medical license so that I can start writing prescriptions for my increased panel of patients.

  Its a lot more responsibility, a lot more risk, and hopefully a lot more reward. A lot has changed in just one night, even if I dont particularly feel like I have.

  Here’s to hoping i’m up to it.

  -Dr J

  • 11:12 pm
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