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ClaireEBeth
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Name: Claire
Country: United States
State: Mississippi
Metro: Jackson
Interests: Cubs baseball (YESSSS!), cooking, working out (I really do like it, stress relief), music (makes me smile and dance), family, friends, church
Expertise: studying
Occupation: Student
Industry: Medical
Message: message me
Member Since:
12/16/2005
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| So far, I've had a great month! Most of my calls I've slept 1.5 hours or less, but that's to be expected. One night I got NO sleep but held it all together and didn't have a breakdown. The next call was another story. I did get a little sleep but had to go talk to a mother at 5 am who didn't want to let the nurses replace her child's IV because they were having a hard time finding a vein. Now, this child had come in for dehydration and was NPO (nothing by mouth) at the time. He NEEDED that IV. So, I went up there and she immediately decided that I was not for her. Everything I said, she had a comeback. "Do YOU want to try?" "He's been coming here for 9 years and I'm not going to have y'all poking on him." When I mentioned that if he didn't get one, she ran the risk of him getting dehydrated again "Well, okay. We'll take that risk." So, I told her that I was going to leave a note for her primary team just so they would know why he didn't have an IV..."Well...you can WRITE your little note but I can't get in trouble because I'm an adult." Huh? I wasn't getting her in trouble! THEN she proceeded to tell me (all while I'm standing there saying, "Yes, ma'am. I understand. Yes, ma'am.") that all of us have bad attitudes, etc. That's when I just had to turn around and leave without saying anything. When I got to the nurses' station to write my note, I lost it. I broke down and started crying. It was not a fun experience, but I understand that she didn't want her baby to hurt and has dealt with a lot as he has a chronic disease and will never be "normal." I've seen her since and she was pleasant.
The other thing that I've seen since starting is how inefficient our registration process is. We had a child in the hospital who was not growing (size wise) properly, so he needed to come see me in clinic after he was discharged. I wrote on my orders "Dr. Claire in clinic on Thursday, 7/17/09 PM clinic." WELL, he didn't get scheduled for that clinic, in fact he got scheduled for a day I don't even HAVE clinic. When the mom came for the appointment they wouldn't let her up b/c she didn't have an appointment. When she said that her doctor had told her to come no matter what and could they at least call upstairs so she could talk to me, they wouldn't do it. Please, tell me...how hard is it to pick up the phone and call upstairs. If they had done that, she would have been able to come. Something just isn't right about that! It's okay...he came today for a weight check and is doing okay.
Honestly, those are the only two...well, there is one more but we won't get into that one...somewhat negative experiences I've had so far. I really love my job and know that God is going to use me to bring Him glory! How much a blessing it is to work with children and their families and to be able to overhear some families, even in their distress, proclaim their trust in God and His wisdom for their child! Wow!
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| So, I've been on the job for 11 days now...sometimes it feels like longer. I've had three calls, which means I go to the hospital around 7 am one day and leave around 1 pm the next. Whether I get any sleep depends on how many kids we admit and how much the nurses call me for patients already admitted. The first call I got 1.5 hours, second 4 hours, third...NO SLEEP! It was great fun...but I must admit, I love my job. I really enjoy the puzzle of figuring out what's wrong, seeing kids get better, really almost all things that go with it...call is just a "bonus!"  It's always fun to see a kid warm up to you, to smile for you when she hasn't been the whole time in the hospital. To see a kid go from obviously feeling sick to being a normal kiddo. Then it's sad to see a child with diabetes come in for the sixth time because the blood sugar has gotten so high that the body is acidodic...this is BAD. I'm going to learn SO much this year and am really excited about it...learning medical things AND more from God. There is no way that I can do this job without Him...I get tired, and when I get tired I can get grumpy and short. I recognized this a several points on my last call, I'll definitely have to pray about this area of my life! Anyway, I'll try to post more often, especially if I have a story...but at this point, I don't!
And just so you know...I do still have a life as a busy intern! I went to the block party for our M3's on Tuesday and went to dinner with a friend to meet her boyfriend last night. Oh, and before the rotation started I went to Memphis to see Wicked with a friend...it was SUPER good! Go see it if you can!
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| I have officially finished medical school! Sorry that I've been absent...guess I just didn't have much to say. I spent my last month in the ambulatory clinics for pediatrics. It's a great rotation because it's very laid back but taught me things that I'm going to need to know for my residency, which starts July 1. There were a few interesting things that I saw:
- when I went to neurology clinic there was a baby who was having trouble sitting up, crawling, etc and she was a year old...much past when she should have reached these milestones. She had not gotten any teeth yet, either. She also had this strange streaky rash. When I presented her to the attending, I told her that the rash reminded me of hypermelanosis of Ito (a neurological/dermatological condition - can also be called hypOmelanosis). The attending also mentioned Incontinentia Pigmenti but the rash didn't start as this condition usually does. So, basically, I all but diagnosed this child correctly with a rare neurological disorder.
- At one clinic, a grandmother brought her 6 week old grandson into clinic for his eyes doing funny things and rash. Well, the peditrician though that it would be a pretty typical "his eyes are crossed" concern. WELL, it wasn't. This baby couldn't focus his eyes at all and they were constantly moving from side to side. This is NOT normal. So, we sent him for a visit to the pediatric ophthalmologist and a CT scan. Thankfully, his CT scan is normal, so he shouldn't have problems with cognition, etc. The ophthalmologist, however, said his retina was white (instead of pink) and that he has ocular albinism. So, he'll be okay but will have very poor eyesight. Sad for him but also glad that is "all" it is.
- I had to treat myself proactively for scabies. Ugh...they just give me the heebie-jeebies! We have a good bit of this around here, and, so, one of the clinics keeps some Eurax on hand to use immediately after seeing a child with Scabies. it is very treatable but just makes me itch thinking about it!
In the middle of all this learning I also caught the pediatric cold...remember the cold from the ER? Well, it also exists in the clinics! The Monday after I started, I woke up with a stuffed up and runny nose. Other than my nose, I felt fine after Monday. It wasn't too bad. Then, the Friday after my clinic month ended I got an itchy throat...after about a week it developed into a sore throat and took a week to go away. Guess I should get used to this because, as an intern, I will be sick quite a bit next year. Everyone says that the first year you get colds a good bit but after that you are pretty much immune to everything. We shall see!
I've been off this month and have been enjoying it in between house shopping, which has proven unsuccessful thus far. I had my long coat ceremony last Thursday and now have my official doctor's coat with my name, M.D. on it! The next day we had our graduation ceremony and I received my diploma with my name, M.D. on it! Pretty weird if you ask me. In less than a month, I will start my orientation for residency. Pretty exciting and scary. Maybe I'll have some more good stories for you then.
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| Things I've learned:
- Looking in ears, especially itty bitty babies, is hard!
- I actually did learn some things on my ENT rotation
- I can recognize tympanosclerosis, fluid levels, and nasty effusions
- 120 pounds on a 4 year-old is WAY too much
- 120 pounds on a 7 year-old is too much
- Palatal petichiae is pathopneumonic for strep throat
- Little kids who suddenly start wetting the bed are quite often constipated
- Looking for a house is fun
- Thinking about buying a house a little stressful.
- Applying for a loan and temporary medical license is annoying and stressful.
- I LOVE PEDIATRICS!!!!
- I am thankful for my family and friends.
- I'm excited about my residency family
- I'm excited about WICKED in June with Sarah
- I am weak
- I can't do anything on my own
- I need God to give me strength and direct me
I started my pediatric ambulatory month on Wednesday. I LOVE it! I always get nervous going into something after I haven't done it for a while. What if I've forgotten how to do it? No worries...this is totally what I'm supposed to do. Yesterday, we had a fundraiser at a local pizza place...I sat with Sarah and some of the peds residents. So comfortable and fun! Makes me even more confident and excited about next year...gonna be fun. I'm so thankful that Sarah and I will be working together (or at least in the same program as interns don't often work together) for three more years. I'll keep you updated on the goings on of intern life!
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| Things I've learned:
- Looking in ears, especially itty bitty babies, is hard!
- I actually did learn some things on my ENT rotation
- I can recognize tympanosclerosis, fluid levels, and nasty effusions
- 120 pounds on a 4 year-old is WAY too much
- 120 pounds on a 7 year-old is too much
- Palatal petichiae is pathopneumonic for strep throat
- Little kids who suddenly start wetting the bed are quite often constipated
- Looking for a house is fun
- Thinking about buying a house a little stressful.
- Applying for a loan and temporary medical license is annoying and stressful.
- I LOVE PEDIATRICS!!!!
- I am thankful for my family and friends.
- I'm excited about my residency family
- I'm excited about WICKED in June with Sarah
- I am weak
- I can't do anything on my own
- I need God to give me strength and direct me
I started my pediatric ambulatory month on Wednesday. I LOVE it! I always get nervous going into something after I haven't done it for a while. What if I've forgotten how to do it? No worries...this is totally what I'm supposed to do. Yesterday, we had a fundraiser at a local pizza place...I sat with Sarah and some of the peds residents. So comfortable and fun! Makes me even more confident and excited about next year...gonna be fun. I'm so thankful that Sarah and I will be working together (or at least in the same program as interns don't often work together) for three more years. I'll keep you updated on the goings on of intern life!
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