"I never come to work with a heavy heart, I am always whistling on my way in. Sometimes, at the end of the day I have a heavy heart, but never at the beginning".
This was said to me today by my new preceptor, a man who has been a family physician since opening his clinic thirty five years ago. At that moment I said a silent prayer that I will someday be able to say the same thing about my career.
J. A is easy to laugh, and a very straight talker. A shock of white hair rings his bald head yet he carries himself like a much younger man. I was fairly certain we'd get along well right from the beginning based on the fact that his expression seems to carry the right combination of mirth and sincerity. But he sealed the deal today on our way to a home visit when, as we walked out to his car dressed in our long winter coats, he suddenly turned to me and said, "Oh dear, I've just remembered...I've got a lot of game in the trunk of my car...er...I'm really sorry...I was hunting on the weekend and...well...the car smells quite bad!"
Yes, I think we're going to get along just fine. How could he have known he was dealing with an Alberta girl, raised in a family of hunters? One of my earliest memories is going to my Dad's shop, and opening the door to the horrifying sight of a moose head on the cement floor, then lifting my eyes to an even more gruesome view, the skinned body hanging from a large winch. I just smiled and reassured him he didn't have to worry, the smell would not offend my delicate sensibilities.
To be paired with a physician who--still whistles on his way to work, is genuinely keen to learn about current best practices in medicine, and is quirky enough to have animal hides in his car makes me think I've probably hit the jackpot for the next 5 months. Woot!
This was said to me today by my new preceptor, a man who has been a family physician since opening his clinic thirty five years ago. At that moment I said a silent prayer that I will someday be able to say the same thing about my career.
J. A is easy to laugh, and a very straight talker. A shock of white hair rings his bald head yet he carries himself like a much younger man. I was fairly certain we'd get along well right from the beginning based on the fact that his expression seems to carry the right combination of mirth and sincerity. But he sealed the deal today on our way to a home visit when, as we walked out to his car dressed in our long winter coats, he suddenly turned to me and said, "Oh dear, I've just remembered...I've got a lot of game in the trunk of my car...er...I'm really sorry...I was hunting on the weekend and...well...the car smells quite bad!"
Yes, I think we're going to get along just fine. How could he have known he was dealing with an Alberta girl, raised in a family of hunters? One of my earliest memories is going to my Dad's shop, and opening the door to the horrifying sight of a moose head on the cement floor, then lifting my eyes to an even more gruesome view, the skinned body hanging from a large winch. I just smiled and reassured him he didn't have to worry, the smell would not offend my delicate sensibilities.
To be paired with a physician who--still whistles on his way to work, is genuinely keen to learn about current best practices in medicine, and is quirky enough to have animal hides in his car makes me think I've probably hit the jackpot for the next 5 months. Woot!
6 comments:
You do family placements for five months? Wow.
Yep. Kind of frustrating when CaRMS is due in the fall and I won't have done any peds, ob/gyn, psyche rotations yet...but I will have done 18 weeks in GP! :)
As I said, I'm just thankful he's so great. It'll make the experience much more meaningful!
Wow -- he sounds wonderful. He sounds lovely to work with, no matter what occupation.
Did you say "home visit, as in house call???
Research--Yep. Everyone at the clinic is, in fact.
KT--Yes! GP's in Ireland frequently do house calls. In fact, at our clinic each one of them has at least one 1/2 day a week dedicated to *only* house calls.
Agreed - better five months of a fun family doc (who will know you really well, and write you a good letter) than a miserable two in a rotation you can't stand.
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