Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Happy Halloween 2018!

Considering the amount of grief I give Dear Husband on the regular for his terrible, awful, no good puns, you'd think I would have more class than to choose punny Halloween costumes. Well, you'd be wrong. If I wear a costume in the hospital or clinic, it needs to be work appropriate, and I've decided punny is the way to go. Last year I taped candy Smarties to my slacks and went as a "Smarty Pants." This year my internet search yielded the following gem: bunny ears and a feather duster = "Dust Bunny." I already had the ears, and DH humored me by purchasing a handheld Swiffer. When I asked what he would be, he facetiously answered, "a vacuum cleaner." Ha! Challenge accepted. We stuffed a small pillow in a drawstring backpack like a canister, hooked together some vacuum parts to make a hose, and added the end of an old computer cord for a plug. DH went so far as to look up a YouTube video of vacuum cleaner sounds on his phone to put in his breast pocket as the finishing touch.


The perks of being an Elite Yelp!er include invitations to special events, such as the Ghostly Gallery costume party hosted by the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. The night had an inauspicious start: I came home from clinic early but with enough time to create Dear Husband's costume. We headed out the door and managed to secure parking that was close and free...only to discover that we were 1 hour early...the museum was closed for hosting a separate private event...and I had forgotten to bring my photo ID. So we hopped back in the car and drove home. I had just enough time to finish my clinic notes, but by the time we arrived at the museum again, the free parking was all gone, and there were long lines both to get into the parking lot and into the museum.  




We waited in the COLD for at about 20 minutes before we could even get in the door, have our IDs scanned, receive our wristbands, get checked in, make a donation, and hang up my coat.
Finally, we were free to roam through the museum halls, enjoying DJed music and free samples of food and drink from local vendors. We sampled hard apple cider, savory flatbread, dessert crepes, chocolate milk, pork sliders, banana pepper bruschetta, pumpkin gelato, popcorn, deviled eggs, fancy juices, cookie dough, soda/cocktails, mini danishes, red velvet cupcakes, and the aroma of cooking waffles, because we just couldn't eat anything more.


The people-watching was excellent: an older man dressed as Fred Rogers and his wife wearing a red trolley costume; any number of witches and spiderwebs and an enormous evil Jack'o'lantern; Prince resplendent in purple; foods such as a banana and a hamburger; a school of Finding Nemo clownfish hats; two Grammar Police; several Harry Potter get-ups; Snow White and Prince Charming; an AED; and not one but two jelly fish made from umbrellas with tendrils--one of whom had rope lights and was accompanied by a woman in a light-up starfish onesie. Below is our action pose. We left tired but happy and sated. I hope they invite us next year!





Tuesday, October 23, 2018

What Residency Looks Like XXXXIIII: Blooming


The Neonatal ICU where I am currently rotating has a large coloring sheet hanging on the wall near the family lounge. When I was on night shifts, I stopped by a few times to add to the picture. The little pink flowers on the light green vine in the center are my handiwork. It's a good metaphor for the growth I've gone through this month. I was really trepidatious about working in the NICU triage area, as our major responsibility is to attend high-risk deliveries and resuscitate newborns in distress. It has been more than 2 years since the last time I rotated through the NICU and more than 1 year since I did my baby CPR training. Further, I had heard from other residents that the days are long, especially the 7a on Saturday to 7am on Sunday shift. Thankfully I have been assigned to work with another resident (except for that pesky 24-hour shift!). My first companion went to my first several deliveries with me, and for the really risky ones, the fellow has been there too. One fellow went out of her way to not only do practice drills with us but also to debrief with us after emergencies--especially the night I had to resuscitate 3 out of 4 infants. Best of all, NICU is a really interdisciplinary area of medicine, so a nurse is always at my side, and a respiratory therapist is only a phone call away. After the next 2 weeks, I will never work with newborns again, but I am glad I had to do this rotation, because it has helped me conquer my fears about unstable patients. Now, in a sort of daisy-chain effect, I am helping another resident get used to the duties, and she will do the same with my replacement.

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Thursday, October 11, 2018

WRLL XXXXIII: Grand Rounds vs Mini Rounds

 

Sometimes residency looks like slim pickings after Grand Rounds. They used to serve full-sized bagels at this weekly lecture by a respected researcher. Then they switched to the little ones, which are probably better in terms of daily carb and caloric intake. But maybe it should be called Mini Rounds instead.

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