Brooklyn also starts with B...

11 days until match and my countdown continues...

The second city that Dr. Boyfriend and I co-habitated in was none other than NYC. We lived in Manhattan for three years while Dr. Boyfriend went to Medical School at SUNY Downstate and I worked in Midtown. Thus if I were to match at his Alma Mater we would have no problems living in Brooklyn and readjusting to the big city life. I like NYC and while the last time I was there I was a bit of snob insisting on Manhattan living or bust, I think I could embrace the Brooklyn borough just fine. I have many friends still in the NYC area not to mention Dr. Boyfriend's entire family. And most importantly it is THE CITY so it is kind of hard to be too down-trodden about this possibility.

The list of Brooklyn awesomeness would be long so I'll give you the short version. Or skip my list and just watch the montage. Brooklyn to me in a nutshell is Park Slope, coffee options galore, Prospect Park, 24 hour everything, good food, diversity, familiar grounds, brunch options that never end, driving distance to that other B city I just so happen to love and so much more.



That's all I've got for today.

Life Updates

I found a new great spot in the city to lounge/read and free WiFi. Color me happy!

ERAS applications are due Sept 15 so that is exciting. My list is currently at 86, not sure if it is growing or shrinking at this point. I'm applying to general Peds and Child Neuro and that's about all I have to say about that.

And speaking of child neuro, tomorrow will be the end of my first week on my child neuro rotation and  I NEED TO STUDY! So far this week I have seen, Becker's Muscular Dystrophy, Global Developmental Delay,  Failure to Thrive, Febrile Seizures,  Plagiocephaly, GBS Meningitis, Recurrent E.coli meningitis, and some other stuff that I'm forgetting at the moment. It has been a good week. I heart peds and child neuro and clinic and babies and cannot wait until this is what I get to do with my life.

Oh, and I'm going camping this weekend. Very fun!

And my bike ride is 10 days away. You should sponsor me, see last post.

And that's my life at the moment. Life is good.

Summer in the city, Sancho updates, Camp is Magic and other random things...

Don't you just love NYC in the summer? I do. I took this photo shortly before I left the city on one of those hot, humid nights when all the hydrants were open to cool off the kids and city.

Anyhow... I'm back from my whirlwind of Teen Adventure MS Camp and trip home to NM to visit my family. It has been quite the two weeks and everything was great but I have to say I am happy to be back in NYC and back in my bed. 

I start my Child Advocacy elective tomorrow and am looking forward to it...

I have so many things to share, it has been a busy couple of weeks but for now I just want to say I'm home (well my temporary home) but once again separated from my husband and puppy. Its hard to be away after a week together. I miss them both but they are also home and Sancho has claimed the living room. Literally. He personally unpacked all of his toys and spread them out as seen here.  He also seems to have perfected the stretch. He really isn't THAT much bigger than when we got him but he seems to take up so much more space (when he wants to.)

My little guy is growing up. Tear.

how to bribe your patient into compliance?

answer: with coffee and tea. No joke!

Geriatric psychiatry is a lot of things... however holding my interest is not one of them. I tried to give it a fair shake. And for about a week I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised by just how much I liked it. But it must have been the newness, or the fun patients I had that week because my enthusiasm quickly wore off.

 Last week was rough. I didn't really want to go to work and once I was there I just couldn't wait to leave. My patients were belligerent, agitated, hostile and demented. I feel bad for them. But not bad enough to make myself bribe them to take their medications like my Attending does. I mean I guess if getting a cup of tea or buying a cup of coffee is all it takes for a patient to become compliant why not do it? But in my short experience it only works for a limited amount of time. And even if patient complies for the moment/day/week then what? Even if the patient is discharged it is not like we won't see the same patient back next week or month for the same thing.

Medication non-compliance is real. Psychiatry is a revolving door. I wish this were not the case or there was something else I could hang my hat on. But so far that is all I've got.

I only have two weeks left. And it is bearable but not exactly fun. Now the admission notes and discharge summaries just feel like scut work. Write this. Dictate that. Go talk to a patient that is laying in bed naked and refusing to take any medications or put on any clothes or eat any food. Wait for said patient to decompensate to point of needing IM meds or become so dehydrated or hypoglycemic that she qualifies for medical transfer. Type up discharge summary for transfer. Repeat.

Did I mention, I only have two weeks left? But on the upside I do have a whole entire weekend (off) to study in NYC so I'll survive. One latte at a time. Maybe I need to be bribed just like my patients. Oh my...

the good, the bad and the crazy

 -day 4 and so far inpatient psych is

good - I have a wonderful attending that let's us pretty much do everything. Admission notes, interviews, MMSE, discharge summaries, etc. Some of the other teams are still on "needs supervision" to talk to their patients or write a progress note but we have full reign which I appreciate.
- Our weekly lecture series is going to be great if today is any indication. There is a full time pharmacist that works on the unit and he gave us a great lecture on antidepressants today. Yay for learning pharm!
- I have a favorite pt that likes to compliment me in another language and dances in his wheelchair whenever there is music or mention of the same. You can't be sad when your pt is dancing in his wheelchair.
-Did I mention 9-5, no weekends, no call?

bad - Psych is depressing. Pt's have no insight, poor hygiene, hear voices and scream at you. Treatment is medication (sometimes forcefully) and structure. But a reading room without books and a place that smells like urine half of the time is not exactly my cup of tea.
-I hate the old fashioned keys needed to get into anything on the unit. The entrance is key coded but the rest of the until requires keys. And of course none of the keys fit well so it can take 5 sec or 15 min to open a door. We have computers that are fingerprint access enabled but we need a key to get into the nursing station. Does this make any sense?

crazy-  enough said. Stories will follow.

Pscyh, The Big Apple and Life as I know it-

So, today will mark day three of psychiatry. I'm at an inpatient geriatric psychiatric hospital so my experience is thus limited. However in just the first two days I've gotten to see and do quite a bit and my schedule is strictly 9-5 with no call or weekends so I'm not complaining. And of course I'm in NYC so I'm going to live up these next six weeks.

Museums, broadway, apple picking upstate- check, check, check! Shopping, eating out at super yummy and fancy restaurants, fun runs in Central Park- Yes, yes please and sign me up!

In any case. I'm back in THE City and I'm ready for whatever, whenever and lots of it. And I'm pretty sure psychiatry will keep me entertained during the day at a minimum. Bring it!