MOHS and the Holiday Season

I love outpatient rotations. And among outpatient rotations, MOHS is especially good. Its essentially the rotation in which Residents learn the business of being a Doc. So rather than focusing on how best to treat patients, we learn about how best to charge for our services within the convoluted government/private insurance world. We do this so that we can stay in business, and continue to help more people.

Because while most people like to believe that I should work for nothing or next to nothing, I have no intentions of doing that. Don't get me wrong, I didn't get into this job for the money. I could have made a lot better money elsewhere. But at the same time, I wouldn't have done this if I didn't know that it could provide a comfortable lifestyle for my family. I don't ask to be rolling on piles of cash or driving a Porsche, but I want to make sure I have a retirement, I want to have a few nice things, and I want to to be comfortable. And if I can't do that being a Doc, I will take my considerable amount of effort elsewhere into a field that will.

And if I am going to make any money, I have to learn to navigate an overly-complicated financial system that is set up to make sure I provide as much care as possible for the least amount of money. If you can't tell, MOHS has made me a little bitter about this. That said, its been a fun rotation, and I can't believe I only have a few more days left of it before FMS starts again. FLEW by.

And now its the Holiday Season. Which means Holiday shopping. Not only is that usually completely brutal, but I get to do the bulk of it while on service. Talk about rrrrough. 1st world problems right? It shouldn't be too bad though. This is the part of my job I like because I can learn from it. Even with 12 hours a day, 12 days in a row, with 4 days off in a month, I think I will have a good time, and I imagine I am going to be looking back 28 days from now unable to believe that I am almost done with FMS. The only difference between now and then will be a few inches of snow on the ground, and Christmas immediately ahead.

I also drew short straw on Thanksgiving this year. Again, not complaining. If one is going to work a holiday, Tgiving is the one to work. It means a few days that would have been full become half, and I get to round when there is a ton of Pumpkin Pie to be had at the various nurses stations. Jaaaam! I also have a real heart for those patients stuck in house over a holiday. Talk about a bummer. Its a lot easier to remember an adage one of my attendings uses when one is rounding during the holidays: It may be difficult to deal with some patients, but 99/100 times its even more difficult BEING those patients. That goes double on the Holidays. As much as working sucks, being sick is worse. And so I pray for the health of the patients. May there be very few to none in the hospital this year over the holidays. And I pray for my own health (and sanity) for another rounder. It will be a whirlwind of a month I am sure. Or worse, a blizzard ;)

Stay Healthy!