Anticipation

Hey everyone,

Well, we’ve just about finished orientation at UNC, and I’m about to start my first real workday, my first day of residency as a doctor. Of course, with my luck, I get assigned to be on overnight call my very first night. That means I work Saturday, my first day. Then I work all through Saturday night. Then I work until Sunday at 1pm. Then I can leave and go home and sleep.

Yep, 30 straight hours. However, that’s not what I’m even scared of. What scares me is that I have no idea what I’m doing. Sure, I have some fundamental medical knowledge from medical school. But I’m starting with oncology (cancer patients). Many of them are in the hospital, very sick. I will inherit probably 5-8 patients from the previous intern when I start. But, since I’m the intern on call at night, I will be covering 3 other interns’ patients that night while they go home after 5pm. So I will have possibly 20-25 patients, who I don’t even know, who I have to care for that night. This is in addition to the new admissions. Any night you’re on call, you get up to 6 more patients who become yours throughout their hospital stay. This will add to the 5-8 patients I’ve already inherited. And they are ALL cancer patients. AND, I have no idea what I’m doing. How to order things, who to call for x, y, and z.

Can you tell that I’m up against a lot?!

It gets better…a few months later I’ll know my way around the hospital, the logistics, the computer system, and be better at patient care. But now, I’m a brand new doctor.

Anyways, I've met almost all of my classmates, my colleagues. They are fantastic, and from different cities all around the country. We have former carpenters, AP English teachers, world travelers (over 30 countries), college tennis players, and even another former pole vaulter and former high school pole vault coach! Its maybe 60/40 men, however I'm the only Asian, and there are no black people in my class. So strange! And many of the girls are Indian or Middle Eastern. Anyways, they are all very nice, many of them attached, a good bit with children. Makes me feel young. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them, and this year will be tough and be a bonding experience for all of us.

If you can, avoid going to hospitals in July! Just kidding...sort of.

=)