My First Week

This sounds crazy, but apparently it's already been 10 days since I joined residency. I could have sworn it was only a few moments back that I was packing my stuff, and writing goodbyes. But anyway, I'l accept that the calender cannot be wrong, so I must be. I got Saturday night off, so back home for a highly unexpected early break.

I got posted in MICU, which was a bit of luck, since it has fixed rotation. So for the last 10 days, I've been doing nights, putting in straight 14-hour shifts, and still feeling like I got a good deal. (getting to sleep for 5 hrs everyday is one.) 

The most difficult part of residency is the transition, from doing nothing at all at home, to doing pretty much everything in a madhouse over-loaded hospital. But once you accept that life is tough, and shit happens (often literally), you begin to settle down and just get to your work. And actually, that's where all the fun is. As a first year houseman in the ICU, my job is mainly that of an over-qualified intern, basically sending investigations, following up on lab reports, monitoring patients, and waking up my sleeping registrar the second I see something wrong with any of the patients. But in the midst of all the mayhem, here and there, I can catch a glimpse of the life that I will eventually have, where I look at all the evidence and make a logical diagnosis. And that is my drive in a nutshell. 

A piece of advice to anyone who starts working in a new place.. don't take anything personally. It is never about you, it is only about the system and the part you play in it for the brief span of time that you are in it. So, instead of focusing too much on creating good impressions and power plays, just make sure that you get as good as possible at your job, as fast as possible. Everything else will then fall into place.  

I'll be going back in a few hours, my shift due at 6 am tomorrow. And this time, I can say I am kinda looking forward to it.

Adios. Blog you when I blog you.