Island Med Student

I just got home from a long day of peds ER. Luckily, our attending let us go a bit early, so I actually have about 8 ounces worth of energy to post a blog entry.

Still loving the kiddies and emergency medicine. Saw about 100,000,000 viral URIs (maybe I exaggerate a little bit) and AGEs. Still getting used to restraining kiddies. It’s strange because as a psych tech, I restrained about a million adults, but for some reason, it seems more tragic and difficult doing it to a child. Holding them down to draw blood or put in an IV line can be challenging! Kids are WAY more strong than I gave them credit for before doing a pediatrics rotation. I’ve also learned the ins and outs of putting on urine bags, which is a new skill for me.

I’ve learned that handling the parents and their concerns is a very important skills in peds. I’ve also gotten a lot better at performing exams on unwilling kiddies. Always auscultate BEFORE you perform an otoscopic or abdominal exam! That way you can listen before they start screaming and crying. I’ve also learned that it’s sometimes easier to examine a baby while you’re holding them (and bouncing up and down) so that they aren’t crying and wiggling away.

The most important that I’ve learned is that the director of the program really hit the nail on the head when she said, “children are not just small adults.” There really is an art to understanding the intricacies of pediatrics. Kids are not just small adults, for sure!

Note: Photos all taken during my walk home from the hospital today. I love my little Bushwick bodegas!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

Tired. LONG week. Nursery/NICU was awesome. Next is two weeks of pediatrics ER. More to come!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

I feel like lately I have a million ideas/things to write about during the day. But by the time I get home, I have lost the energy to write about them. Please do forgive me. But I am loving working in the nursery/NICU, and I’m learning many things every day.

I was following one newborn in particular, whose story turned quite interesting. I can’t share the details, for privacy sake, but I can say that it involved a psychiatric consult for the mother. Out of all the newborns in the nursery, I happened to have one whose stay involved a psych consult! It was sad for the patient, but incredibly interesting for me. I was able to use my psych knowledge and background to assist in the hospital care. I really was thrilled that I had insight into the case, and it served to further clench my decision to pursue psychiatry. I can say right now that I definitely made the right specialty choice. Psychiatry truly is a perfect fit for me!

My apologies for being too tired to share any more wonderful insights. Please enjoy my photos for now!

1) A tea party gone wrong?
2) People selling drugs on my block?
3) My shopping cart addiction
4) Barbie homicide crime scene
5) Bumper cars

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

I’m really pooped right now, but otherwise I would share more. Today was my first day of hospital nursery. I finally feel comfortable examining a neonate. This makes me happy! Also, I gave a presentation today on pediatric brain tumors.

Yesterday, my partner Micah and I went to Times Square to shoot some video for his thesis art project. Since I spend most of my time in Brooklyn, sometimes I forget how cool it is that I’m a 20 minute subway ride into Times Square (even if it is a tourist trap). I really do heart NYC.

I just picked up my car from the shop (they fixed it sooner than expected). I now have a car with a driver side window, and most of the broken glass on the seats has been vacuumed up. I also figured out a very ghetto way to rig my car stereo so that it would work (involving duct tape and cardboard).

Life is good. But I’m tired and have to work on a presentation on breastfeeding, which is due by Wednesday. So I’ll share more soon! Oh, and happy birthday to my doggy Molly! She turns 3-years old today!

Photos: 1) Live chickens (taken a few blocks from my apartment. 2) Times Square 3) Inside the car window repair shop

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

“The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best – and therefore never scrutinize or question.”
- Stephen Jay Gould

Today was a wonderful day of pediatrics clinic. I saw, I learned, I made way too many kids cry with my prodding and poking. During some downtime today started talking with another med student about taking patient histories. He commented how that was his least favorite part of being a doctor. I realized that it was my most favorite part of being a doctor. For me, there is nothing as fascinating as getting to know a person, and hearing their story.

I guess it’s no surprise that I ended up in psychiatry. Psych is all about getting to know the stories that made and make a person an individual. To me, taking a history or listening to someone share their life’s details with me is like opening a gift box. I enjoy peeling back the layers to reveal the gift inside.

Please enjoy the trashy photos along with today’s post. I took them all on my walks to and from the hospital today. It occurred to me as I was snapping the shot of the discarded hotdog that one of the reasons I enjoy (and am possibly obsessed with) taking photos of trash is because I’m interested in the stories they tell. How did that pile of smashed up computer parts end up so non-randomly assembled on the sidewalk? Why did someone discard that hotdog after only one small bite?

Perhaps just as fun as knowing the stories behind the trash, is making up my own stories for them.

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

Ever since I wrote about matching to a residency position, it seems as though everyone was very curious as to where and in which specialty I matched. I’m happy to announce that I’ll be starting my residency in psychiatry on July 1st at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York. There, I spilled the beans!

When ERAS opened, I originally applied to three specialties: psychiatry, family medicine and emergency medicine. My “problem” was that I felt truly passionate about all three specialties. I ended up getting interviews in all three. It was a very difficult decision for me to make, because I really could see myself in any one of those fields. I ended up choosing psychiatry, because I ultimately saw it as the best match for me. I really liked all of the programs that I interviewed at, but the SUNY Downstate program really seemed like a good fit for me. I liked the fact that they have a lot of research that I’m interested in, and everything about their program seemed like a good fit. In addition, the location is perfect. I really did want to stay in Brooklyn. The diverse patient population was also an important factor. So, when I went in for the interview, I was already very excited. The interview day was amazing. I loved all the faculty, residents, and program directors. So, when I was offered a pre-match position, there was really no decision to be made. I knew it was a perfect match for me.

So, there you have it. I will soon be beginning my residency in psychiatry. Also, I just made a wonderful discovery a few mintutes ago. I thought that I would be finishing up my electives by April 30th, but I just realized that I’ll be finished on April 16th! So, I will even have to update my MD countdown. In less than 7 weeks, I’ll be a doctor!

I couldn’t be happier right now! I just got home from a day of pediatrics clinic, which I absolutely loved. Maybe it’s a good thing that I’m doing this pediatrics rotation late in the game, because I love peds so much that I could see myself doing this as well!

Note: Photos were all taken with my iPhone on the way to the hospital this morning. My obsession with trash continues. And now that I’m going to be living in Brooklyn for 4 more years, expect much more trash to come!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

I am currently experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations. My pupils are dilated and my cognitive function is impaired. No, there is no need to worry. There is a very good explanation for my current state. I just got home from a 28 hour call. I have slept approximately 5 hours in the last 48 hours. I am sleep deprived, to put it mildly. This was my first call during pediatrics and I actually had a blast. I’ve seen enough gastroenteritises (sp?!), asthma exacerbations, syncopes, seizures, URIs, fevers of unexplained origin, and pneumonias to last me quite a while (or at least until my next shift). I know that I’m crawling with kiddy germs right now, and I’m very much looking forward to a bath in a few minutes.

In short, I love peds, but the call was long and tiring. My email inbox has grown to a preposterous level due to my preoccupation with all things small, so if I owe you an email, please accept my apologies and know that I will email you back very soon.

Since I signed my pre-match offer 2 days ago, I have slept only a few hours, and I think the reality (good reality!) of it all has not completely set in. I have a feeling that it will all hit me like a ton of bricks (honey coated bricks?!) when I wake up later today. I’d share more great thoughts, but my thoughts feel like a boiling pot of goo at that moment, and I’d rather not have all you readers out there asking “why am I dripping with goo?!” (Bonus points to anyone who gets that reference.)

This is Kendra signing off.

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

Today was the first day of my pediatrics rotation. I didn’t actually do any work today, but we went through orientation and got our schedules straightened out. Here’s mine:

Week 1: Floor (with one 24 hour call on Thursday, and one 12 hour night call on Saturday)
Week 2: Clinic
Week 3: Nursery/NICU
Week 4: Pediatrics ER (three 12 hour shifts TBD)
Week 5: Pediatrics ER (three 12 hour shifts TBD)
Week 6: Floor (with one 24 hour call TBD, and one 12 hour night call TBD)

I’m actually kind of excited to be working with the kiddies. During orientation, the director made a comment that made me smile. She said, “don’t forget that some things are different with children…for example, urinate = pee pee and defecate = poo poo.” This made me immensely happy. I can already tell that I’m going to love peds!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

There is a blizzard warning in effect for NYC until 6 a.m. tomorrow. The snow has been steadily coming down since late last night. I’d guesstimate that we’ve gotten around 6 inches of snow so far in my area in Brooklyn, and it’s calling for up to 22 inches. Today, I’ve taken my doggies on two dog walks through the blizzard. I even managed to capture a few photos and videos during the the walks. If you ever want to challenge yourself, trying walking with two fairly large, very strong doggies who pull, through a blizzard, while also attempting to capture photos and videos, and at the same time stopping to gather poop!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series

Yesterday (my birthday) was great! I got tons of happy birthday wishes (thank you, everyone!), and I got to do one of my most favorite things, lay in bed all day, pig out, and watch movies. It was very relaxing, and just what I needed.

Today was long, and wonderful. I just got home from 13 hours at the hospital for my pain management rotation. I’m too tired to share all the juicy details, but I got to see a lot of great cases and meet some wonderful patients. One of them was an ex IVDA (IV drug abuser), whose veins were all shot from years of abuse. He told me that he’d be a hard stick, so I spared him my poking, and got the anesthesiologist to place his IV access. I ended up talking to him for a while before his operation, and afterwards. He really opened up to me and shared some of his most intimate details. He told me how guilty he felt for abusing his body for so many years, and I pointed out to him that the most important thing is that he now takes care of himself, and has grown as a person. Eventually, he was in tears and I held his hand and tried to support him. Those are the moments that make long days completely bearable, and even more than that, meaningful.

Tomorrow I have a residency interview in Brooklyn. But now, it’s time to feed my calorie-starved body!

“Yo Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit” Photo Series