MINDFUL OF MEDICINE

Happy almost-New Year everyone!

I remember spending so much time trying to figure out what shoes to wear on clerkships before starting. I felt like it should be so simple, but it actually turned out to be a little stressful. The truth is, third year is about many things but one stands out to me in particular: comfort over style. If your feet are in pain it will be hard to do your job. Even so, we all like to feel confident while working so while being comfortable is a priority we can also try to be a little stylish! It can be difficult to invest a lot of money on a pair of shoes especially on a med student budget so I would suggest shopping around and finding the best deals! I've put together some shoe ideas for clerkships and included the links below, I hope this helps!

1. Dansko Clogs: good for both hospital & clinic, and SUPER comfy. They can be hard to walk in at the beginning but you get used to them.

2. Cole Haan Wedges: I love these wedges - they're on my dream list for clinic shoes. I've seen so many people wear them and they look so classy and sleek, plus they're supposed to be really comfy.

3. Clarks flats: these are also on my list (I might have to give in soon since my Vince Camuto flats are on their last leg!). Clarks is known for their comfort and quality. These would be good for clinic, and the wards if you have a short shift.

4. Nike Free 5.0: I included these because I think they're really cute, but any comfortable athletic shoe would be ideal for long hours in the hospital when you're walking several miles in one shift. Surgery and ObGyn (as well as other surgical specialties) are known for allowing athletic shoes and scrubs, but we were allowed to wear them during call days on medicine too! Be warned, though, you might get bodily fluids on your shoes during some rotations and you might end up having to throw them away.

5. Clarks clog: I got these before starting internal medicine and I'm so glad I did. I didn't feel like committing to the Dansko clog at the time and these shoes came in handy. They're light, extremely comfortable, and work for both clinic and the hospital. If you follow me on instagram you've probably seen these a few times.

6. Vince Camuto Flats:  these flats are not only gorgeous, but really comfortable as well. They have a small heel so you're not completely flat when walking. They also feature a padded footbed that resists wear and tear. I bought these in black in June and I think they're the best flats I've ever purchased, plus I always get a ton of comments when I wear them. As a bonus, they're on sale at Dillard's for $58 - I might have to get the light pink and brown ones.

Happy Friday, everyone!

I just finished the first week of my internal medicine clerkship. This clerkship is 12 weeks long, with 8 weeks of inpatient medicine as well as 4 weeks of outpatient (clinics). I started off with two weeks of inpatient medicine and will finish off my first month with another two weeks of inpatient hematology/oncology (so excited). Starting third year has been quite the whirlwind. I chose to start with internal medicine because I recently took Step 1 and the material is still pretty fresh in my mind. It’s also supposed to be a great foundation for the rest of clerkships. So not only is internal medicine the longest clerkship, it also seems to be the most important in terms of how residencies look at your third year performance!

Monday started off with a morning orientation and then I had to report to my assigned team that afternoon. My team consists of two interns (PGY-1), a second year resident (PGY-2) and a senior resident (PGY-3). The residents were informed that we were brand new third years and that this was our first day ever. So basically they knew not to expect a whole lot from us the first day. That afternoon I followed my resident as we saw some patients in the ICU that were being downgraded to our service and even got to translate for a patient, something my team was super grateful for (apparently having a Spanish-speaking med student is quite the luxury!). I stayed at the hospital until 6pm for sign-out to the night team. At sign out the day’s patient’s are discussed, including any significant changes to their management so that the night team knows what to expect.

Tuesday was what I would consider a “typical day” on inpatient medicine. The morning started bright and early at 5:45 am. I was assigned my very first patient who was in the ED (emergency department) and was being admitted to our service. I performed a full H&P (history and physical) and then prepared my presentation before rounds. Rounds typically occur around 9am for us, so I had a couple of hours to get familiar with the patient’s history and fine tune my presentation. As we walk from room to room, patients are presented to the attending and we discuss any important things that happened over night. We also decide what needs to be added or changed to the patient’s management, what other specialties need to be called for a consult, and what labs or imaging needs to be done. Rounds are a great time to learn new concepts or realize that you don’t know something. My attending will ask me a few questions here and there, this is something called “pimping.” Pimping can be pretty stressful but I’m lucky to have a very kind attending, though I’m sure I’ll encounter many other attendings with different personalities along the way.

Rounding can last until 12 pm at which point the attending goes on to do his own thing and the patients are left in the care of the rest of the team. While the residents and interns deal with patient orders and procedures, my job is to help them do their job the best I can. This can include anything from calling for a consult, scheduling a specialty appointment, requesting records, or even translating. By 6pm the night team has arrived for sign out it’s time to go home. My senior residents have been really nice and I’ve been pretty fortunate to be excused a few hours early each day, which has been a treat since I’m fasting and being on my feet all day can be somewhat challenging.

One thing I noticed about internal medicine on my rotation, beyond the fact that everyone works extremely hard is that there is a genuinely kind and enthusiastic culture to it. I’m actually enjoying internal medicine a lot more than I thought I would and learning a lot about the physician I ultimately aspire to be.

Have a wonderful weekend!  