Our First Month as Interns

Tony and I are officially halfway through our first month as intern physicians... and we are surviving!  For these first 6 months, I am currently working as an "off-service" intern, rotating through the emergency department, internal medicine, and neurology.  Come the new year, I will begin working full time in the psychiatry department.  Tony jumped head first into his hardest rotation of the year: Medicine Intensive Care Unit.

During this first month, we have been settling into our new roles as doctors.  It was a bit of an adjustment at first.  Calling myself "Dr." felt alien the first few times, and I caught myself more than once beginning my ingrained introduction as "the medical student."  Trading in our short white coats for the long ones also felt a bit odd.  Tony put it perfectly when he said that he couldn't help but feel like he was "playing dress-up" the first time the long coat came on.  But, the fire hose start of July 1st quickly reminded us that we were no longer medical students.  We found ourselves suddenly with our own sets of patients, managing diagnostic work-ups, coordinating care, and writing orders (of course under the supervision of experienced physicians).

Overall, the transition has been going well.  I am thankful for the strong training that I received in medical school, and feel confident in my patient care.  I really LOVE finally being a doctor and the overall positive response from patients.  Despite the long-hours, it is amazing to finally be able to practice the skills developed over many years of schooling.

Outside of work, Tony and I have been enjoying every minute of our limited time off.  The time that we share is no longer taken for granted.  The little things... midday texts, surprise notes, sharing a glass of wine, and a golden morning to sleep in together have become so important.  Being in a new city, there has been a lot to explore, and we look forward to taking day trips together.  We already have tried out a lot of new restaurants and have a long list of new sites to see!  Also, with two great friends right around the corner (Mamie and Jon), we have been trading off on making homemade dinners after work.  Trips to the pool at their condo have also been nice on the hot summer days!  And, of course having Butters has made life so enjoyable.  He has adapted so well.  Thankfully, Jon has agreed to walk him for us during the day.  And, with Tony and my schedules being different, Butters has been enjoying plenty of cuddle and play time.