Best job in the world

I can't get over the fact that eight or so years from now, someone will be paying me to do what I did today.  As much as last month was a struggle, that's how much this month is a joy.  You know you love what you do when you look forward to each of your shifts as much as you do to your days off.

Today was a pretty busy one.  All told, I saw five patients, each with a different complaint and needing a different workup.  That's one of the many benefits to the ED -- you'll see anything and everything.  (Of course, at times I suppose that's also one of the drawbacks).  I actually felt like I was holding my own with the junior residents today in terms of seeing patients, although I definitely need to learn how to take care of administrative tasks (consults, admissions, discharges) more efficiently.  (It would probably help if I had a pickle phone, but who in their right mind gives a third-year medical student one of those?!)  Regardless, though, I saw (and admitted) a patient with recurrent severe abdominal pain (also did my first guiac test for occult blood, but like all the other tests we did, it didn't really help us figure out what was going on), had another kid with a wrist injury after wrestling with his sister (x-rays were negative, so we splinted his wrist and sent him home with ortho follow-up), one girl who was less than 2 years old but had an extensive history of hospitalization for asthma (mom and dad had brought her in pre-emptively because they recognized the warning signs, and I think we cut off a more extended hospital stay at the pass), a little guy who had sat around in another ED for 6 hours before being transferred to CHP by ambulance (as soon as he got through our doors he perked up and looked great, so he got sent home after some IV fluids), and a kid whose PCP swore he had a dangerous complication of strep (he was reacting to a medication).  If I wasn't in a patient's room, I was bugging GI (I talked with at least two fellows and one resident, possibly more), presenting to an attending, writing a note, or preparing discharge instructions.  I was there a full hour and a half longer than my shift was supposed to run, but the entire day went by in a flash.

Still, though, as fun as this is, there's room for some serious improvement.  I need to start thinking about management much earlier in the process so that I have something semi-intelligent to say when the attending asks "So what do you want to do for this kid?"  I'd really, REALLY like to get the right answer to that question a few times before the rotation ends.

Anyway, that's all for now...tomorrow I work from 5 PM until 1 AM, and I strongly doubt I'll be in a fit state of mind to post immediately after that, so I'll write something on Sunday.  Until then, peace and God bless!