A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Well, I survived another week of surgery and I only have one more to go! This week we got two new interns added to our team. They are so nice and actually say thank you when we help out. It's been an amazing difference this week. I wish they had been here the whole rotation.

Last time I was on call I brought my camera to take a few pictures around the VA! The quality is obviously not like the pictures John takes.

"The Medical Student Workroom."

Actually, this is a computer room that is used by many people and we often get kicked out. When we are not in the OR, clinic, or on the floor, we spend a considerable amount of time in this narrow room. Yup, those are CRT monitors; I also thought they were extinct. And those chairs are as uncomforable as they look. But anything feels great after you've been standing for forever in the OR.

"The On-Call Room."

This is where all those wonderful sleep-overs at the VA take place. Now don't be fooled, the bed is not as comfortable as it appears. Really, there are springs all over the place. I just had my last on-call shift last night. . . I won't miss this bed!

The Autovalet.

Oh how I love and hate you! When I did my rotation at the university, they use nice machines that resemble big vending machines to distribute scrubs, but of course the VA doesn't have anything that nice, they have the Autovalet. When you swipe your card you hear the machine start working as it scurries through the back room to find your size scrubs on the conveyor belt. I would compare it to a dry cleaning business conveyor system. On the left side of the picture you can see a long slit... that is where you reach your hand in to grab the hanging scrubs. The metal handle on the right is for depositing your dirty scrubs. Now as ghetto and deafening as this machine is, I wouldn't really complain except it has NEVER (not in 5 weeks) given me the size I ask for. I have finally given up and just wear the large bottoms and xsmall top it often gives me. I can say I have learned patience from my many experiences with this machine.

And of course the stats for this week:

Week 5

• Total Hours: only 62 (My second weekend off in a row!)
• Most consecutive Hours worked: 30.25
• Number of times I was yelled at: 0 (I was told numerous times before I started this rotation to be prepared to get yelled at. I have been lucky.)
• Number of days at the hospital: 30 out of 33.
• Surgeries: Axillary lymph node excision, Inguinal hernia repair, lipoma excision, lap cholecystectomy.

Next week will be crazy. We have our oral exams on Monday, practical exam on Tuesday, and the Shelf exam on Friday. I am terrified and so unprepared. But at least the end is near!

A Side Note: I got my PPD (tuberculosis skin test) this week. The first night I had a 2cm red, raised mark. I knew that it was nothing since it takes approximately 48 hours for a positive test to show, but I still had this fear in the back of my mind. I don't want to take INH for 9 months! And of course when I had it read yesterday, there was no mark and I was TB free!