Tag: residency
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Professionalism
I made the call when BG vomited for the third time the three ounces of formula we’d just given her: She’s not going to daycare tomorrow. Which mean that I need to call in sick. Residents don’t call in sick. And they especially don’t call in sick by proxy. But the thought of my daughter…
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“New Green”
My internal narrator has been compelling me to write since the beginning of summer, when the fresh leaves decorated the tips of lonely branches with a new, fresh, green that makes its appearance only once a year. In Japanese, this is called “shinryoku” or “new green.” We have no such word in English. Now the…
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The First Block of Derm
When I get home after clinic today the house is uncharacteristically quiet. My husband is at work (unusual for him since he usually works from home), and my daughter is in daycare. And I soak into the silence, hearing sounds I don’t usually do: the hum of the air conditioner in the background, some voices…
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By the end of residency
As I wait for my Uber outside of work I soak in the summer air. It’s fragrant, soft, and cool. Like burying your face in freshly washed sheets. It’s wonderful, and most of the summer hasn’t been like this. In my backpack is an article I’m supposed to read on lesion characteristics I need to…
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A Typical Sunday
It’s Sunday afternoon and the afternoon sun is filtering through the the closed shades of my bedroom. BG is snuggling up against me and craning to look at my laptop screen. She just woke up from a nap. We move to the living room as she’ll want to start moving around soon and my “office”…
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Personal Statement – Dermatology
Watercolor is becoming my favorite medium for painting in its ability to ignite the senses while simultaneously capturing a moment in time. Acrylics are much “safer” paints as they dry quickly, layer easily, and can hide any mistake in a stiff coat of titanium white. Watercolor is unforgiving in that every touch to the canvas is…
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Where Credit Is Due
Just like that, my intern year is over. My replacement came to the workroom to introduce himself today, and I signed out my critical care patients to him. “You’re going to do great- I’m so excited for you,” I said to him, and I meant it. Before leaving, I finished my notes and I placed…
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“I’m Healthy”
On the way home from the hospital I wait for the bus. My day was longer than I would have liked and it’s dark. My fatigue is stacking and somehow this blunts the paranoia that normally would have me avoid public transport after hours. Not ideal, but it can’t be helped tonight. A stranger approaches…
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Growing Pains
Yesterday I got some unexpected, negative feedback at work. A combination of poor delivery, fatigue, and some shouldering burnout caused the 2-minute encounter to subsequently ruin my day. As a resident, receiving constructive criticism is part of the job description, but some days are more palatable than others. What follows is some advice to myself…
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National Doctor’s Day
Instagram is telling me it’s National Doctor’s Day. I scrolled through my photos and tried to find something recent that’s “doctorly” and came up blank. Most likely because I’ve had some more pressing things on my mind… The question of what to do about childcare has been this enormous, frankly stressful project over my maternity…
Med-Derm, MD 