Wow — tomorrow, I officially start being Dr. Levine to real, live, actual patients. Wow. I’m nervous as all hell, and doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight, but I’m just as excited as I am nervous. Today, I spent a few hours in the hospital meeting my new patients (two oncology patients, a strange GI/infectious disease patient, and an asthmatic), and realized when I left that I was just plain happy to be starting up. We have a few scheduled admissions tomorrow, and there’ll assuredly be the normal unscheduled admissions through the Emergency Room, so things are starting out busy, busy, busy.
What this means, though, is that updates will be in the evenings for the next couple weeks. I have to be at the hospital at around 5:45 AM every morning, and every fourth night, I’m on call (meaning that I don’t come home until nearly noon the next day).
Ladies and gentlemen, the insane Mike Tyson that we all remember has reentered the building. In his postfight “interview” last night, he said to Lenox Lewis “I want your heart. I want to eat your children.” Of course, before the fight, he made an offhand comment about giving money to a woman on the street, and when asked who she was, he replied “What’s your momma’s name?” What a freakshow.
I don’t even know what to say about dung spitting.
Such advice as a cranky old nurse can give(and I’m sure you’ve had your fill of advice already, so I’ll keep it short.)
Remember the Fat Man and his Rules.
Listen to the older residents; they went through the newness last year.
The nurses can be among your most valuable resource. Use them.
Nurses value organization and manners in a new resident. Think twice, write once.
Have fun! This is a groovy biz to be in, so enjoy it!
And now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to my cardiogenic shock patient who doesn’t seem to appreciate the effort we made in reopening his coron. arts. or the IABP we placed earlier this evening…
Good luck, Dr. Levine.
• Posted by: Alwin Hawkins on Jun 26, 2000, 7:31 AMAlwin:
Thank you, thank you. I’m lucky to be doing my residency at the same hospital in which I did my clerkships and subinternship, so I know all the nurses well, and know EXACTLY how valuable an asset they are. (Hell, I even hang out with the nurses outside of the hospital more than I do the other residents!)
I hope your patient is doing better than he sounds…
/jason
• Posted by: Jason Levine on Jun 26, 2000, 10:58 PMGood News: Valves only “trivially” incompetent, right ventricular fx fair.
Bad News: Anterior/apical/septal akinesis, global hypokinesis, atrial fib, EF=20% with IABP support.
Sigh. I suspect we are only prolonging his death. We’ve revascularized everything we could and called the sky pilots. They may have more to offer him than I do…
• Posted by: Alwin Hawkins on Jun 27, 2000, 1:33 AM