The Ending of Peds

Readers - If you're reading this blog, I congratulate you on your everlasting determination in checking this blog for the rare updates I give.

So the pediatric rotation is closing its final chapter this week. I had my last day of clinic today, I get tomorrow "off" to study all day, and then take the board exam on Friday. It has been a wonderful experience. I have reaffirmed that I do, in fact, love working with kids. Despite this passion, I would never want to be a pediatrician. Aside from a period when the child is 7-9 months old through the age of three or so (it's at this age that kids realize strangers truly are strange and there is no comfort like being in the arms of someone familiar), kids will do what you ask of them since they look up to you. It's always the mean nurse who gives the shot, not the doctor with the toys in his pocket. The parents - now there's a different story. Disclaimer: Working at state funded hospitals such as UAMS and ACH provides us a skewed population. These are people who are often uneducated, uninsured, and many are just downright trashy. In private practice and for-profit hospitals, it's a completely different story. The parent's can't always tell their left foot from right, one father of their children from another, or much less Tylenol from Motrin. OK, so the last is an exaggeration, but you would be surprised how many folks I see don't seem to know how many people fathered their three to eight kids. They don't seem to understand viruses can cause fever, even when you attempt to instruct them using influenza as a perfect example: viral infection = fever. They often look at me, question my age and place and life, and then don't believe anything I say, followed by an attending physician who repeats everything I said. If I had a dime for every time someone questioned my age. . .

I start surgery on Monday. I don't yet know where I will be working, what kind of surgery I will be going to, etc. I hope we find out something soon.

I walked into the hospital the other day and the scent of french toast filled the air. I suddenly realized how long it has been since I ate such a thing.

I started training for the marathon last week. I have been running at least once or twice a week ever since the race last year, but never more than four miles a day. I up and ran six miles last Saturday without any problems. I wasn't ever sore afterwards, and I didn't even stretch before or afterwards. I hope this is a good sign. This weekend I will go seven miles - further than I've ever gone.

That is all I have to say for now. I thought I would have more, but I guess I don't.