Life Update

Well, Monday saw the return of The Red Suit when I had my second and final residency interview. 

This time I was at UMKC.  They seem to have a good program with the residents alternating between Truman Medical Center and St. Luke's on the Plaza.  They shuttled us back and forth between the two in a Navigator limo.  Pretty pimp....a bunch of med school geeks rolling in a tricked out tool-mobile.  Unfortunately, the running board was pretty high off the ground and the combination of huge high heels, a somewhat tight skirt and a couple of inches of slushy ice on the ground did not make for a very lady-like entry and exit.  Oh well, at least I didn't face plant in the snow.  What I found really impressive about the program, however, was the air hockey table in the resident lounge.  Hummm, going to have to bring that up with the program director at KU. 

What else......oh, I started my Pulmonary/Critical Care elective on Tuesday.  Should be a pretty interesting 4 weeks.  I get to wear scrubs every day, which is awesome!  Yesterday, I got to hold up a patient's arm while the fellow put in a chest tube.  Pretty sweet, I hope I never need one!  Lots of needles, skin slicing, tissue tearing and finally, chest wall puncturing.  Oh, and then shoving a tube up behind the lung.  Fun times. 

*FYI - a fellow is someone doing specialty training after completing their residency training - this wasn't just "some fellow" who put in a chest tube. I know you were wondering....Danny.*

I love the first day of a new rotation when I have to tell the powers that be (usually a male resident or a male attending) that I'm breastfeeding and have to go pump.  The reactions have been pretty standard.  Er....um....(choke, choke)....breast....um...(blushing, twitching nervously)....you just do what you gotta do.  During my interview Monday, one of the male interviewees asked me what was in my bag.  "Oh, just my breast pump."  Gasp, twitch, fidget....

I got fancy new doctor shoes from my parents for Christmas, so I have been feeling more "doctorly" than ever.  They are pretty hideous looking clogs, but they are super comfortable and they are somewhat of a status symbol.  They say hey...I'm such a tool so totally awesome, I can wear ugly shoes!  You SOOO wish you were me! (Unless you have any fashion sense or self respect, of course.)

It's getting late and I need to ponder the many causes of pulmonary effusions (and pump my boobs - are you twitching?), but I will leave you with a few observations from today:

 - Pretty much everyone in the world is taller than me.

 - A surprising number of people are missing most, if not all of their teeth.

 - People who eat smart and work out still get cancer.  Boo, as if I needed any more convincing to eat oreo balls and lay around on the couch.