How awesome is that? Two skeins of sock yarn - will be used for a Christmas gift, recipient not yet determined. A skein of Sugar 'n Cream in perfect colors for the dishclothes I said I wanted to make for my new kitchen. Blocking pins (I've been wanting to buy some for forever!) which will be very handy if/when I finish Charlotte. A cute notepad and note cards. A great pin - possibly to put on a felted bag as decoration or on the lapel of my white coat. A candle that smells heavenly - cinnamon with a hint of a fruity smell, kinda like apple pit baking. And some yummy mint chocolates (I already ate one and the rest won't last much longer). Thanks, SP. You rock!
Now on to some griping...I am so tired! I blame my medical school. Really! I finished my last roation of medical school in February and have been doing pretty much nothing since then. I waited for the Match and then waited for Graduation, but other than getting ready to move I've done nothing. I've been sleeping late, watching movies, reading books (and certainly not medical ones), and knitting for four months. Now I'm expected to jump right into this whole doctor thing. Really hard to do. Just getting up early is a struggle. Thank God for coffee! And then the hassle of getting settled in a new state - new driver's license, new registration, new plates (which I can't put on my car because I don't have a frame on the front end - I have to go to the VW dealership and get HOLES DRILLED IN MY CAR!), new auto insurance (which is way more expensive up here). I'm also working on getting a new cell phone number which has turned into a huge fiasco. Don't believe the Verizon website when they go on about their "EZMove" program. I called the 800 number... I'm sorry, we can't change you to a Mass. phone number because their billing is different than SC billing. You will have to cancel your service and get a new contract in Mass. This will of course involve a new credit check, an activation fee, and an early termination fee of $175 for ending your service in SC. WHAT?! So now I'm being a complete pain in the ass to anyone at Verizon who is unlucky enough to answer the phone or email. Until they give me some way to do this without that fee, I'll just keep my SC number.
OK, moving on because just thinking about Verizon makes me mad. Orientation has started and it's fun so far. Most of the time is devoted to learning all the life support procedures. Since I'm doing Med-Peds I have to do all of them - ACLS for adults, PALS for children, and NALS for neonates. The best but most disturbing part of this has been learning how to intubate (put a tube into the airway to breathe for a patient) for NALS. For ACLS and PALS we learn on dummies, but NALS is different. We practiced on kittens since they are similar to newborns. Good because it was real; intubating a plastic dummy just isn't the same. But it just seemed so mean to do that to little kittens. They were sedated so not in pain, but I'm sure they felt it when they woke up. And thankfully the kittens weren't euthanized in the end - they will all be getting a new home. But it was sad to see them like that.
In knitting news...not much. I've gotten a few rows of my scarf done, but I haven't picked up my lace. Haven't touched my socks. Haven't swatched for my sweater. The hours are just taking a toll on me; I really need to get back into the swing of things. I'm at a point now where I've gotten used to 8 hours of sleep a night, so I'll have to taper that down. Must be ready for July 1 when the real misery begins.
Gina - The pattern for the scarf is here.
posted by GamecockDoc @ 5:56 PM
7 Comments:
You sound just like my son. He too is just getting back into the swing of things as a new resident in emergency medicine. He, too, completed all his rotations early in the year and did just like you...waited for match day, waited for graduation, waited to move, taking it easy, etc.
I have been meaning to ask you..did you know Andrew Tabor at USC Medical School? I am assuming you attended USC since you are GamecockDoc.
I feel tired just thinking of everything you're going through! I hope it all gets easier for you soon.
Ditto, I'm exhausted just reading about everything you're doing. You got some great SP things though, so that makes up for it I'm sure. I wish I had signed up for this SP. Oh well, next time!
Right there with you. This whole working every day thing? Not what it's cracked up to be. I go on the wards next Thursday, though - scary! And fortunately I only had to do ACLS. Just those plastic dummies.
Hey Gina, Thanks so much for linking the scarf pattern for me. You've got a great secret pal! Which movie did you end up watching? Don't you LOVE netflix? I think they should offer a Knitters Section that suggests movies just right for knitting to! Have a great weekend!
Yeah, the intubation of sedated kittens does sound kind of sad. Yet I'd rather my baby's doctor have learned on a kitten, rather than a dummy, before trying to do it to my baby, so I guess it's the best way to do the training.
Hopefully you'll get more accustomed to the hours soon! I don't know why new doctors have to be worked within inches of their lives. I know I'm useless if I don't get good sleep. =)
Hi Gina, just checking in to see how you are adjusting to your new life in the Nawth. Thinking about Verizon makes me mad most of the time too. I got used to reading your blog as your Tea Swap pal. Hang in there--What's the old saying-what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
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