MOHS and more Fall Fun.

I am done with Obstetrics. Forever. Thank you Jesus, forever. Well, that is until Mandi and I have children (she does most of the having, but I will share in the credit amyway :D ). But I feel like that will be a different experience. Barring some Emergency Department deliveries or country road deliveries I could possibly be called on I am done. And I while I will always try to be up to date on OB in case I need to know that stuff for emergencies the part of my life where I am expected to do that stuff is past me. Thank goodness.

People often mistake my distaste for OB for a distaste for Women's Health as a whole. And nothing could be further from the truth. I like Women's Health. Meeting the challenges of health maintenance among the fairer half of the population is fun and rewarding. And important! One can't really be a Family Doc if he has to ignore Mom and Daughter. If you count the dog that means I am only taking care of 2/4.5 of the traditional family members! Hardly comprehensive. No, I like women's health just fine. Mammograms, Osteoporosis, PAP smears, and any/all feminine issues are no problem for me.

I just don't like obstetrics. And I don't like obstetrics for the sole reason that I don't like being on call 24/7. I HATE it. I have no problem with home call, as long as I know that 1-2 dedicated nights a week, that I know in advance, can be set aside for call. But one can't do that with OB. When you are doing obstetrics, you're on call for 6 weeks at a time practically, and really even longer than that. Babies come when babies want to come, and all of the miracles of Western Medicine still haven't managed to change that (not much anyway). And while I love caring for my patients, and while I want to be there for them... I want a life too. And my psychology just can't handle that kind of 24/7 pressure. Never knowing when I might get called in, never being able to relax, never knowing what time is truly mine. Ugh... I can't do it. And to all you Obstetricians out there, kudos to you for doing it. I admire that in you, but have no desire to mimic you in that.

So that said, OB is done, and I am on to MOHS! Its essentially learning how to run an office. A rotation that I will actually USE when I leave this place. Talk about FANTASTIC. I am pumped. I get to spend a lot of time with two of my favorite attendings: Dr. J. Golemon and Dr. Awesome Jaffer. (Awesome isn't really his first name... not exactly anyway). It should be a lot of fun, and equate to a lot more time to have fun while off, and sleep. WoooT!

It also continues to be fall. I took a fun trip to Geneseo yesterday to visit Ethan. That was a blast. Ethan, Aaron and I saw a movie (In Time... it was meh), traded some cards, ate some Shanghai, and played some MtG. Overall a pretty Jaaaaam day. And to top the day off, like the icing on the cake I got to meet Katie, Ethan's sig-O. She was super fun in the two minutes we crossed paths, and it was nice to finally make contact with one of the most important people in Ethan's life.

Thats enough for today,

Stay Healthy!

MNPS Ruins My Life.

So last month I talked about how MNPS was starting this month. I was somewhat cheerful about it then... well eff that. MNPS ruins my life. I had really underestimated how bad the 6AM start times were going to be. Getting up at 0520 is ridiculous. The month is probably 98.5% service and 1.5% learning. Thats low value for those select few (around 30%) of the residents who want to do Obstetrics. For the rest of us that means 1/2-2/3 of that 1.5% learning is completely wasted. Compare this to the FMS service in which you have a higher base % of learning to service, AND all of it is pertinent. Because in the end, I will get up at 0520 every morning for the rest of my life if its for purposeful gain. I will work 12 hours a day and not blink an eye if it matters. But this? This is meaningless to me. This is me filling a G.D. slot for a bunch of faculty who have an inflated sense of the importance Obstetrics has to the Family Medicine field. /rant.

Anyway, it sucks. Hard. But I am almost done. 3 more days left. Just three more days. And then I am on to a rotation that is going to be fantastic. I get to learn about appropriate medical coding, patient satisfaction scores, and how to work within a health system. Talk about valuable. And following that month is FMS, which as I mentioned above is PACKED full of value for me. Even if it is hard. And we are coming in fast and furious into the holiday season which is always fun. This time of year typically flies by and then BAM, into the late January/February crawl. Still, can't knock on Christmas. The novelty of the first snow which still resonates with me, even if I have to scoop it. Pumpkin pie, holiday shopping, christmas parties, family, annual nerd-a-thon, gifts, and vacation time. Always a lot of fun.

Enough for now.

Stay healthy.