One more week to go

As I sit here waiting for a phone call from my doc to come in for a delivery (hopefully!) I am realizing it is my last weekend on call for OB, which is making me sad. After I switched doctors I have really enjoyed my rotation. I like both the OB and the GYN part, I love doing procedures in the office, I love all the baby stuff (esp the ultrasounds my doc does!) and I like the surgeries. So, it is good that I switched so I wasn't dreading everyday of a rotation that I could potentially love. My new doc is a world difference then the old one. In fact, after discussing things with my school I think they are planning on removing all students from future rotations with such doc. Yay! No one should ever have to learn from such a person!

Anyways, my new doc and I had a good conversation on Friday about fetal monitoring during labor. He actually said as good as it is he feels like it hasn't really decreased fetal death rates that much or decreased cerebral palsy rates that much either..it has only, in his opinion, increased c-section rates which is not beneficial to mom or baby. He talks a lot about how things have changed since he started practice and how things are now and this is just another one of those topics. He loves to teach and I really am happy that he is so good with his patients and has some of the same opinions as I do on the birthing process!

Also, I am trying to read as much as I can..but it is sooo hard when you don't have tests! haha

I am site representative for my hospital site, that means if anyone has a problem they can talk to me first before the school or if any second years have questions about coming here then they can email me and I'll figure out the answers for them. UGH it is becoming really annoying! I can not believe some of these second years. They are really freaking out about this decision. I have finally emailed most of them saying you will get what you want to get out of your rotations, they are what you make them! Any place you choose to go will good docs and bad docs, you can't avoid that! They are driving me nuts.

Fall seems to be here but it is rainy and cold outside and almost feels like winter...besides it is supposed to snow here tomorrow! booo! Even though I love winter, I would like some nice fall days and nights too!

To induce or not to induce

Today my doctor and I had a discussion on when to induce and when not to. I feel like I am in learning a lot from him, both in things that I don't want to do as a doctor and things I do want to do (if that makes any sense!). Today he tried to talk two women out of induction. Both women are in their 39th week of pregnancy and are having a miserable time, at least that is what they both said last week and this week. In fact, one of the women starting crying today saying she just wanted the baby already! Both asked him if he could induce them. With both he told them he would rather wait until the baby came naturally on its own terms. He told them that natural labor compared to induction is easier and better for mom and baby. He said if natural labor is 100% good then induction is only about 30%. He said some other things to them but it didn't matter. Both wanted to be induced, so I have two inductions tomorrow! Afterwards we discussed the whole induction thing. He says he tries to talk women out of it but what can you do when a woman, your patient, is asking you and begging you to induce her. The hospital I am at has an induction rate of ... 80%! He said that is just crazy and doesn't understand why it is so high. He says he does his best not to give in. He says if a woman really just wants to have the baby because she is being 'broken down' by the pregnancy then he will but only after 39 weeks. He says anyone who does anything before that point is really endangering the baby and its health. We even read an article together on induction and elective C's before 39 weeks and how much worse the baby's stats are compared to after 39 weeks. He says he is really ashamed of some of his fellow OB's. I can't blame him. I feel like he is a good doctor and does the best that he can but in the city we are in/state we are in the people are just a certain way and follow tradition..or what they see everyone else doing. If everyone else they know got induced, they want that too. It is frustrating but you need to make your patients happy as well as healthy which is a balance in this case. I just hope I can be firm in not allowing this when I become a doctor and have my own practice but I know I will have to be able to make money and I hope that not inducing will not be a problem.

my first call!

Today I was called to the hospital for my first emergency. A 35 year woman in labor at the hospital, I was so excited! She had had two previous vaginal births both almost 9 pounds. However, she was breech in this delivery. Our hospital doesn't allow breech births really unless there is "no way to stop it to do a c-section"..sucks I know!! Well, they let her labor for awhile but off to the OR she went eventually. The c-section went great. When the doc pulled the baby out I was like WHOA that is a big baby! Almost 10 pounds! Crazy! Too bad she wasn't able to deliver vaginally because of the breech (stupid hospital rules!). Even my doc says the hospital rules really bothers him sometimes because he feels like a lot of his patients could deliver vaginally (he means mostly VBACS I think) if the hospital would allow it. I think the other hospital in town does offer VBAC deliveries but I am not sure...but a lot more people deliver there I know.

a complete 180

yes! the school is great and has given me an OB that is great. He has his negatives too but I really am enjoying him. He loves to teach which is great.

My current OB/GYN attending did his residency at Yale and was even chief resident there so he knows his stuff and loves to teach which is great. He told me he agrees with VBACs but he can't do them at the hospital since they don't allow them. He has said to me a lot that labor is natural and should happen naturally...but his patients ask him so much to be induced that he does but not til 39 weeks...ugh I can't believe the patients that do this! I can't believe he does it and lets his patients do it too! He does not do elective C-sections. He actually had a woman last week who was in labor in +1 that would not push. She actually said no when he asked her to push..he said you can push this baby out in like three pushes or less and she said nope I will not push. He said well I will have to section you and she said yep I know so do it! ahhhh I couldn't believe it! He is also very pro breast feeding and has no information in his office for formula or anything like that which is great! He has a great relationship with a lactation consultant in the same building as well. I am doing so much better in my new office and am loving it! We have a lady in labor now..she has been for almost 3 days! I am hoping she will deliver tonight so I can see it!

New, Fresh Start

My school has decided that this is not the best situation for me. They are moving me to a new physician tomorrow! Yes!! Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot better..I just hope this next doc doesnt suck..but I must stay positive!

Tonight I wanted something sweet...so I made the best chocolate icing ever! yummy

I also had an amazing weekend with the boyfriend..it is so nice when he comes to visit!

I dont even have words..

of how disappointed I am! I am currently on my OB/GYN rotation. I love OB...it is what I want to be I think. I, however, am hating my rotation. It has nothing to do with OB itself. It has nothing to do with OB itself...it has everything to do with my attending. I can't stand him and it has only been 4 days! So here it is

The second I walk into the office on Monday morning I smell something weird but don't think anything of it at the time. I wait around for an hour til my doc finally shows up...why no doctor can be on time is beyond me and why all of them are at least 30 min late! I hope I am somewhat on time! Anyways, I start talking to my doctor, he seems okay. We go to see a patient and he...no joke...says to the patient "well, you know women can't do anything without a man so...". I say to myself okay is this doc going to be one of those guys? The day goes on, he pimps me a lot, I talk to the staff etc. Pretty normal stuff. Then I am talking to him in his office and he LIGHTS UP A CIG and starts smoking. In his office. in his OB/GYN office! No wonder I smelled something! This is a. illegal b. unethical c. not safe for his patients or office workers! I get up and leave the room. Since then he has said stuff like Male docs are superior to Female docs blah blah blah. He also told an 18 year old today ..who has 2 kids already that she should get preg and not take birth control because he doesn't think women should take BC since they are meant to have children! Who would advise that??? Who??? So frustrated because I cant do anything. Can't say anything. AHHHHH. This is horrible. I want to tell someone but who? I need to talk to my advisor about this to see if I can somehow switch to someone else's service. I hope I can. I also want to tell on him..but how and to whom? He should not be smoking.

any advice?

seeing the light

Well..I'm done. finished with second year (at least the test aspect).  Its been a long haul this year but I got through unscathed.  Now  I'm sitting here finishing up on some mandatory modules for our clinical skills class and preparing myself for a night of board studying! fun stuff I tell ya.  Figuring out what to study first is hard..biochem, pharm, micro, immuno, blah!  More and more studying to come in the next few weeks, hopefully I can manage it all.  

The boyfriend is going out of town tonight...boo. However, it is greys night with the girls, so maybe I wont miss him too much since he doesn't watch the show anyways.  

Ps. trying to find housing in Charleston is hard, esp when you don't have time to go look for it...hoping something will work out in the near future so I can stop stressing out about it!

giving it a go

so. here i am. 

Decided I should create a journal to document the up coming time in my life so I will have something to look back upon later.  I am finishing up my second year of medical school (last tests on Monday and Tuesday!).  I will be studying for boards and then off to rotations in June.  This is going to change my life, hopefully for the better.  I am so happy to be done with classes and craming for exams.  blah. well, I guess i'm going to get back to it...study study study!