Notes from an Upper Level Resident!

Well, I survived my intern year - the first year of residency! It's July, and a fresh new crop of interns has arrived. That means I am officially promoted to PGY-2 or second year resident. I don't really feel any different, but I can definitely see how far I've come in the last year. My first rotation this year is adult medicine - the hardest and most challenging rotation we have. I started off on a week of "night float."

(Digression - due to changes in the duty hour requirements, first-year residents are only allowed to work 14 hours in a row, instead of 30 like we did last year. So we had to change our call system. Now, rather than take 6 30-call shifts spread across the month, we do a week of night float. We are on call for 5 days in a row, taking new admissions overnight. In the morning we get to go home instead of staying 6 more hours to round on patients. It's actually pretty nice once you get used to doing the night shift.)

I was on night float with one of the new interns. My role as supervisor was to supervise (duh), or rather provide support for the intern as she worked up all the admissions. Of course, I was very helpful and even did a few admissions when we got backed up. But she was really smart (smarter than I was when I started), so she didn't need that much help. I still stayed up all night and saw all of the patients with her, but it was a much different role than last year. I found myself giving advice on how to write orders, what to tell attendings, what to consider in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Wow - I must have learned a lot last year! In fact, I can tell I'm much more efficient and confident with my own patients this year. What a journey! I still have so much more to learn, but it's fun to see how far I've come.

In between first and second years, I managed to move to a new apartment/townhouse. I have a new roommate - a Baylor med school alum who graduated from my residency program last year and spent a year doing an international fellowship in Zimbabwe. I also took my last set of board exams - Step 3 - a two-day test that will allow me to get my license (if I pass). Once I get my license, I can "moonlight" at immediate care centers and rural hospitals for more experience. I also want to volunteer at a free clinic in my free time.

Maybe second year will mean more time for keeping up my blog. I hope so! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying staying inside the hospital during this 110-degree heat.
Stay in touch!