Internal Medicine, that is. It's one of the clerkships we have to take as medical students. Three long months...it's our longest rotation during medical school. I have to admit, I was totally dreading it. For one thing, it's a lot of old people, and I don't really know how to talk to old people. That's part of why I'm going to do kid medicine. Also, this rotation has the reputation of mean attendings (that's the boss doctor in non med speak) who "pimp" (ask difficult questions) third year medical students to within an inch of our lives. I was afraid that my formerly nice medical students would turn into these terrible "gunners" (translation: really intense medical student who tries to one-up the other students on his or her team). I was worried that I would be bored and nervous and sleep-deprived all at the same time. Why couldn't I take three months of pediatrics instead?
Of course, none of my fears were realized. For the past three months I've had attendings and residents who were both brilliant and supportive. I've adored the other third year students I've worked with. And the patients have totally rocked. And I've even slept on call. I must admit, this rotation has taught me more than any of the others. Yes, after all that fretting, internal medicine has been my FAVORITE rotation. Crazy, huh? But I'm still totally doing peds...or child psych...or both.
Obstetrics and gynecology is up next. Yuck. Now I can start worrying about that. Pelvic exams? All of the body fluids that go along with birthing babies (no one tells you this, but a lot of women defecate when they have babies)? Not super exciting. Plus, the ob-gyn residents do not have a very good reputation at our school. They're brilliant, of course, but intense.
Geez...you'd think I'd have learned by now that worrying accomplishes nothing. And yet I can't even get through a post about they folly of worrying without, well, worrying.
