Breaking into the 'Old Boys Club'

Medicine has traditionally been a profession full of old white men. Even though the way has been well-paved by women before me, training to be a doctor can still be very challenging. Here are the stories of my trials and tribulations...

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

trials and tribulations

Well, today was interesting. There has been a crazy snow storm in my city over the last few days and now we're starting to see all the broken bones come in..."Oops, I was walking and I slipped and fell"..."Oops, I was shoveling my driveway and I slipped and fell"..."Oops, I was snowboarding and I fell". PEOPLE...do you not know that snow =frozen water=ice. Ice is slippery. You've seen it on TV. You know, that white stuff that hockey players skate on?!?!?!? Keeps, the Emergency department on their toes though. We had 9 cases of similar stories waiting to be seen. Glad I'm not on tonight!

So, I had a moral dilema today. The clinic I was working at today regulalry has drug reps in who sponsor lunch 'meetings'. But really, it is just lunch. See, the ongoing debate is that phamraceutical companies know that by giving 'gifts' (like lunches) and promoting their product in offices, they can influence the way that doctors prescribe medications. This is seen as a conflict of interest. Boy, did the lunch smell good...souvlaki, rice, greek salad, hummus with pita bread, and dessert. And what did I do..."No thank you, I brough my own lunch" and I went to the hospital for coffee (and a crappy peanut butter and banana sandwich). I think I deserve a badge.

And for the first time today I encountered hospital burocracy. I had to admit a patient who came straight from an X ray clinic and bypassed the emergency department (he broke his leg and needed surgery). So I filled out all the required paperwork and I called the Bedline (a number that controls all the hospital beds in the province). A bed was available, but I needed to submit the paperwork somewhere. My attending sent me to the emergency department, who said they needed to confirm the bed (which they did). They sent me to central admitting, who said they needed special paperwork because he bypassed emergency. I filled those out, and took them back to admitting, who then wanted to reconfirm the bed situation. Done (again). But the patient needed to wait for his bed because another patient hadn't left yet, so the nurses wanted him to wait in emergency until the bed was available, but emergency wouldn't take him because he didn't come through emergency...PLEASE PEOPLE GET YOUR S**T TOGETHER!!!!! I took it upon myself to take the patient myself to the ward and have him wait in the patient lounge until his room is ready. I have a feeling I may catch flack from the nurses tomorrow. Oh well, I wanted to go home!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Speaking of Which...

So psychiatry is over (thank god) and the exam went OK (I think). You never really know with the standardized exams because they are american exams and they don't necessarily go with your experiences in the rotation. So, we'll see what my marks end up as, but the feedback from my instructors were positive, so I feel OK!

Today was my first day in orthopedics...and what an 'old boys club' it is!!! It's all about power tools and manhandling limbs! My preceptor at the hospital I'm at is really good and lets me do a lot. I spend the day in surgery and observed/assisted in 3 total knee replacements and one total hip replacement. It's amazing to me that surgeons can just replace a joint that is diseased with a brand spanking new titanium one! The surgeries are quite messy...I was sprayed with joint fluid and bits of bone. I LOVE IT...bring it on!

To top it off, the city I live in got dumped on with over a foot of snow so commuting was a treat. It took me an hour to go what usually takes me 20 minutes. Didn't really appreciate waking up extra early so I wouldn't be late, but c'est la vie.

More to come from the wonderful world of ortho...

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

New Revelations

It's been a while since I updated my blog...so sorry to those who are dedicated in reading it. The thing is, I honestly haven't had much to say lately. I am plugging away in psychiatry and have exams next friday, so I've been studying a bit for it.

New Revelation #1: I passed my Obs/Gyne rotation no problemo!!!! I "exceeded requirements" in my clinical marks (ie how well I do with patients and other health care professionals) and I was a bit above the average for the exam scores. I am happy that I don't have to re-write the exam!!!

New Revelation #2: Crazy people are not as scary as I first thought. They are frightened because they misinterpret the world around them. It's a chronic medical condition just like any other...such as diabetes and it needs to be managed as such.

New Revelation #3: Having said that, some crazy people ARE scary. Usually this is because they have just ingested drugs that are making them this way. I am still lacking in the sympathy department with these patients...they're doing it to themselves.

New Revelation #4: It's important to stay safe when interviewing psych patients...when in doubt, ask security to stick around. Also, learning kung fu moves is key!!!

New Revelation #5: If you haven't already guessed, psychiatry is not for me...one less decision I have to make!

Until next time folks...