* * Anonymous Doc: Finished!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Finished!

Sorry for the lack of consistent blogging down the home stretch.  Was spending far too much of my free time hoarding medical supplies before they deactivate my ID.  Do you know what you can get for mini-bottles of hand sanitizer on the black market?  If anyone needs band-aids, e-mail me, I'll send you some.  It must have been amazing when they let pharmaceutical companies market to residents.  For a pen or two, I think I'd prescribe just about anything to anyone.

I imagine it takes a while to sink in.  Like an indentured servant getting his freedom.  What do you do when no one is making you work 28 hours in a row?  What are two-day weekends like?  What are one-day weekends like?  What is it like to be able to make someone else write notes on your patients?  What does it feel like to sleep every night in your own bed, instead of a stained, mildewed mattress on a rusty set of springs in a roach-infested call room, sharing a bathroom with a psych patient who is in the middle of his long-planned escape?  What does it mean to have underlings who listen to you?

Before we could leave, one final scavenger hunt as we were required to collect a dozen signatures from various administrators verifying that we'd returned our white coats, didn't have any overdue library books, given back our pagers, emptied our lockers, and not smuggled out any adorable elderly patients.  It was the first time I'd been in the library since orientation, with everything online.  I didn't even know we were allowed to check out books.  I had an end-of-year review where I was told one patient requested a different doctor because I seemed like I was in a rush.  I remember that patient.  He was three hours late to his appointment, he was tacked on to the end of my schedule, and, guess what-- I was in a rush!

24 hours of "vacation" until fellowship.  What should I do with all of this luxurious, responsibility-free time on my hands?  Maybe I'll nap.  Napping sounds good.  Showering, napping, taking a couple of alcohol wipes and rubbing down everything I've touched in the past three years.  Catching up on about three thousand unread e-mails-- I think I have a couple of Groupons to spend before they expire.

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Enjoy your solitary day off before starting your next step towards someday being a full-fledged doctor.

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  2. All that hard work and they don't even let you keep one of the cute old guys? Man, I'm rethinking the whole thing now...

    Srsly, congrats and enjoy the nap!

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  3. Congratulations. I remember how weird it felt for me to hand in my pager that last day. Good luck to you in the next stage of training.

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  4. Congratulations!! Enjoy fellowship!!!

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  5. Free at last! Free at last! Let freedom ring!

    Congrats!

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  6. What about the cockroach? What happens to him now?

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  7. The psych pt keeps the cockroach as a pet...

    Congrats on your responsibility free time!

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  8. I have been following you for the past three years faithfully. Remember that first post you wrote? Worrying about finding a wife? Worrying about your life? Guess what? You turned-out ok. Actually, you turned-out better than ok. I am so proud of you! How I wish to meet you! Maybe one day...

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  9. Congrats! Just in time for Independence Day.

    - KrisW

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  10. congratulations, still rocking my favorite depressing blog to read! hope you don't go soft now that you made it :P just kidding...

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  11. Congrats, hope you enjoyed your time off. Best wishes on your fellowship. Hope to be reading more from you soon!

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  12. CONGRATULATIONS! Please consider relocating to NY! I am in desperate need of a Doc with compassion!

    Hope you'll continue to blog with us and GOOD LUCK! ;) xo

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