End of the Month

1) Double Espresso-Hold the baby: I couldn't resist. One of our last newborns of the month was born in a coffee shop. I happen to think that this is a sign of divine greatness for this child, and I resisted the urge to ask about naming the kiddo Mocha, or Latte, or Kenya, or Doppio. Happy to report that the kiddo is doing well.

2) 140: If it felt like a busy month, it was. We (my two star first year residents and I) rounded on 140 newborn babies. Of those, we only had one go to the NICU (who did great), 2 to the custody of DSS and the remaining 137 were discharged home to their parent/parents. I skimmed the list this afternoon of those 140 kids, and it's pretty amazing the number of names which I don't recall, but also there are many names which evoke visual images of proud new parents holding their precious new children.

3) Pager Off: Finally, and for another 17 hours I am off/free. Today was day #5 of a 10 day stretch.

4) Pedi ER: Tomorrow I switch to the Pedi ER. I'm actually looking forward to it. It's a 4pm-1am shift all month long. It's been almost 2 years since I was in the pedi ER, and I feel like I've learned a significant amount in those two years. I feel like this is a time to hone in on clinical acumen, as well as a great chance to brush up on some ortho and other topics. I am also approaching this as a warm-up to Bara.

5) Dropping off the grid: Heads up on the upcoming 2 months... I'm working late shift this month, and days will be spent studying for part 3 of boards (USMLE) as well as doing some review for Cardiac ICU in October. It's a bit frustrating because I already feel slightly out of touch with a bunch of people, and know I'm headed into a long 2 month stretch, where it's going to be tough to keep in touch. Did I mention that in October we do overnight call every third night?

That's about it really...

Enjoy labor day.
B