Happy days indeed

What a good day!  I don't even know where to start.  I read all sorts of interesting things in the paper, such as this by Julie Bindel in the Guardian.  And I loved shadowing in the hospital.

The day actually started in a muddle.  I took my train ticket from home to DGH out of my bag, then left it behind.  I cycled all the way to the station before I realised, speeded back and started again.  Luckily, even after getting changed I was only a couple of minutes late for my teaching on prescribing drugs at 8am this morning.  The format was good and the presentations well done.  I also got a very sweet text from a young man I rather have my eye on, which made the morning look brighter.  

By 10am I was on what will next week be my ward.  It's one I know from a student placement, but the firm is different.  Looks like I shall be working for Rheumatology for my first 5 weeks of house jobs.  This particular firm has coffee and biscuits on consultant ward rounds and seems generally friendly and kind to baby doctors.  

Having visited occupational health and medical staffing and been fully kitted out with computer id and passwords I returned to hunt the house officer I was shadowing for the day.   No sooner had I written a discharge summary for her, but I was phoned by another house officer.  This one works for surgeons, but I won't be doing that job for 6 months.  Still, he knew me as a keen theatre-goer from my student placement and thought of me when summoned to theatres to assist my previous consultant during a bowel resection.  Now, for me, assisting in theatre is the best thing I did at medical school, and I won't get to do it for my first 6 months of work, so I raced off to theatre like a 6 year old at Christmas.  Miss X the consultant was pleased enough to see me volunteering to let me mostly close up the abdomen after the operation.  

To compensate for abandoning medicine, I offered to show up for the post-take ward round tomorrow, where the consultant who's been on call the night before goes round all the people admitted by their team.  This is sort of optional for me on shadowing week, but I think I should show willing.  Better go to bed soon as it will start at 0755 tomorrow.  

I sometimes feel I ought to make more reflection on things, like the Fortunate Man and other medical authors.  I hope to do so in the future, but since this is all pretty new and I am still quite excited I will stick to informing you for the moment of my activities and I will reflect a bit when I calm down.