That week flew by!

I worked for the last six days (had weekend call yesterday) but somehow it felt like the week flew by! I've also begun to have some new insights towards peds. I guess I didn't enjoy it as much in the first two weeks because I was starting a new rotation (and a new year), didn't really know what I was supposed to do on the floor, and felt like I had to be at the top of my game to impress my superiors (aka the people who are determining my grade). This past week was different though. I didn't mind waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work and also didn't mind staying late to see some extra cases. I now feel like I know what my responsibilities and tasks are and I think I'm doing them well. We had to get mid-rotation evaluations from the interns and residents, and, to my surprise, I guess I'm doing a great job (hopefully I don't sound cocky by saying this, just stating what happened lol). After hearing the feedback, I feel like I'm a lot more comfortable on the floor and around all the residents; I can crack jokes on them now, and vice versa. One of the senior residents also said that I was practically like an intern, which was sorta cool to hear.

With this new perspective, towards the end of the week, I started to really evaluate whether or not I am interested in peds (taking all of these feelings about the environment and my performance out of it). So far, there are 3 main reasons why I don't think I can go into peds:
1. I really don't like seeing kids sick. I mean I don't really like to see anyone being sick, but seeing a kid's (especially a baby's) small body, looking helpless on the bed, really struck a chord with me (in a bad way). There were two patients this week who had mental retardation and seizure disorders, and I just felt horrible standing there and seeing how their lives are pretty much determined for them.
2. Anything to do with needles and kids/babies. There was one baby who we had to try to place an IV in 5 different locations! It took three people (including myself), and an hour to finally place the IV. I'm just not sure I want to be spending that much time doing these kinds of tasks...and again watching the kids cry and bawl as we try to do so.
3. Being unable to talk to babies/kids directly and having to communicate through parents, especially RUDE parents. Enough said.

I still have 5 more weeks so I'm just gonna try to put everything in perspective.

Finally, I just have to make a comment on the recent events that occurred in Colorado. To say that this event is a tragedy is an understatement. I can't even begin to understand what went through that man's mind as he planned to shoot down tens of people at random, and end up killing 12 of them. I am curious to know what the investigators discover as they interrogate this man, and exactly what his motives were. I mean, he ended up killing a 6 year old child for goodness sake.
I was also displeased with some of the reactions people had after the event. I remember reading one article in the Huffington Post where one man believed that events like this highlight America's gradual shift against Christianity (basically stating if Christian values were being upheld, these events would not have happened). I just don't think this is an appropriate time or place to have those kinds of discussions. It also just reminds me of the hypocrisy that exists within the Christians community (and pretty much those of all other religions).

Alright time to hit the books. I've been having the hardest time going back into the routine of studying like I did for the boards, but considering that the peds shelf is supposedly the hardest, I should probably change this.

Match Day!

So today is Match Day! At noon, all the fourth years found out where they will be doing their residencies for the next couple of years. It's basically the one day that everyone in med school (including myself) looks forward to because it is the time when all the hard work during school pays off. Even though my own match day is still two years away (cannot wait!) it was still exciting to see the fourth years and their families celebrate. There were some amazing matches: plastics at ucsf, peds at children's hospital in penn, a lot of yale, etc. It also got me a littleee worried because looking at the list, I also saw that a lot of people ended up at stony brook or nearby hospitals. I mean I think it's fine if people wanted to end up here, but I know for a fact that I cannot stay at stony brook or near here for residency. I just need some city life. So I guess when the time comes, I know I won't apply or rank residencies at places I really don't want; I'd rather take a year off and increase my chances for the following year. I guess I should start working a lot harder to get where I want to be in the future.
Anyways, congrats to the class of 2012!!

Excited for next year!

Even though I still have 2 more months of second year left, and an 8 hour exam to take in June (ahh), I am definitely looking forward to next year (third year). We received our rotation schedules for next year and I got the exact order I wanted: pediatrics, internal medicine (with ambulatory), electives (hopefully anesthesiology and emergency medicine), surgery, psychiatry, neurology, and ob/gyn. I'll also be living at home (or close to home) which will be the first time since high school to do so. I was able to get most of my sites at hospitals near my house back home, and I figured it would be a nice way to save money (i can take out less loans now). I just hope I don't butt heads with my parents too much, but I figure I'll be in the hospital 10-12 hours everyday so I'll rarely see them anyways.

It does still scare me that I have no idea what specialty I want to go into, but I hear everyone figures it out in third year, and I guess I have a general sense of what interests me. I do know I will not be going into peds, ob/gyn (which is why i am starting and ending third year with them), and psych, but the other specialties still interest me.

I'm also hoping living at home, closer to the city, will be able to spark my dating life. It is seriously so difficult to meet anyone out here in LI, and even though I'll be busy with third year, it's nice to know that I'll be able to meet more guys in the city (well I'm hoping I'll be able to anyways).

But yea, I am getting ahead of myself, and I still have the boards exams to take (and hopefully rock, although the idea of failing scares me everyday).