Done with the MICU!

At noon today, I ended my last call--and last shift--in the MICU. Ever. It was a very happy moment. Or, rather, it would have been if not for the fact that I was exhausted and frustrated (which happens when I'm exhausted).

Technically, today was the first day of the new rotation, but since I was on call last night (the last day of the old rotation), it kinda carried over to today. So, everyone was new at rounds (well, by 'everyone', I mean the doctors, not the patients), which meant that rounds took forever, because everything that had happened to all of the patients had to be discussed. The only 'old' people there were me and CPT McDonald, the oral surgery resident (their schedules are different than ours; he still has a few more days in the MICU). Not only that, but there were three interns who had never been in the MICU and didn't know how rounds go or how to work with the computer system, which really just added to my frustration. But I survived (as did the patients, although one was actively trying to die yesterday/last night), and now I am done with the MICU forever, because despite MAJ Holley and LTC Cuneo's (the attendings for the month) best attempts, I am not switching from preventive medicine to internal medicine. No way, no how. I don't see how anyone puts themselves through three years of that and stays sane. It is prev med, all the way, for me.

One of the things that we have to do is log our duty hours, to make sure we don't violate any of the rules--average of 80 hours/week over four weeks, no more than 30 hours at a time, at least four days off in a four week period, etc. So the final verdict on my hours in the MICU: total hours, 284. Average per week, 73.6. I did have a lot of days off (six, instead of just four), so I can't complain about that too much.

And from what I hear, general medicine wards (where I'm going next) is much worse. I went up to introduce myself to my team (resident, fellow intern, two med students) after finishing my notes and work in the MICU, and my fellow intern essentially tried to convince me that it's easier for both of us if neither of us takes any days off.

Yeah, that's not happening.

Should be an interesting experience.