Sunday, August 28, 2016

Is this thing on...?

I wasn't sure if I still had a blog. I tried to log on from Switzerland and it wasn't working so I was a little concerned.

I finished residency (or rather, all my residencies) at the end of June.

This whole blog, which was meant to document my journey from nurse to doctor has technically come to an end. I am now a fully fledged GP-Surgeon. Want me to explain what that means? Do you have half an hour and half a bottle of wine?

It was a horrific year. Not like a horrific year compared to 70% of the world's population, I know. But, with respect to medical training, residency, life: horrific. I crawled and cried my way to the finish line. Then I worked basically 19 days straight and went on vay cay at the end of July. Sort of a holiday / honeymoon / end of residency party.

It was amazing.

It was an eating melted cheese in Switzerland, hiking in the Alps, drinking Champagne more nights than not sort of endeavor. I got to be a tourist, waking up to the mountains in France one day and then to freshly made scones and clotted cream at one of the finest hotels in London, the next. I had a 37th birthday that was OFF THE HOOK.

Now I am visiting family in BC and soon heading back to officially start my job as an attending-rural-medicine-GP-surgeon-ninja next week.

I am terrified and in debt. And I have so many stories, so many moments from the last year that roll around in my head. I don't even know how to start taking them off the shelf. I don't know if anyone even reads this blog anymore, but I promise, I promise to start writing again now that the dust is settling and a new story is starting.

The morning of my last call shift as a resident.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations!!! I started reading your blog when my ex was in med school and you were nursing in the North. She's in her fourth? year as a Family Med. and Addiction Med. attending and you are one of the few surviving med. bloggers that pops up in my RSS reader now and again. I do hope you do find time to write more now that residency and fellowship is behind you.

Lisa said...

Congratulations and welcome back.

Liana said...

Welcome back... I think I understand what you mean about the GP surgery year being horrific. It's a lot to learn in a very short period of time. I did 30 hour shifts on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to work with preceptors that were keen to teach and also do the morning slate of c-sections post-call, and I would go in on Saturday for at least 16 hours, and I kept up that routine for 6 months straight. I even skipped the 2 week holiday I was supposed to take. By the end of the rotation, I was just working, sleeping and eating whatever I could scrounge in the least amount of time... forget cooking or eating healthy or working out or doing anything besides operating and just subsisting.

Anyway, I am glad you're back. Would love to know where you're working and what your long term plans are... we are still looking for a GP surgeon to start in summer 2018.

Gus Hinrich said...

You made it out alive!!
Glad you're back.

CraftyGirl said...

Welcome back! I've kept you in my bookmarks and look forward to hearing more from you! :)

Auction said...

Welcome back

Just Me said...

yay!!!!

Shelley said...

A massive congratulations! I'm so looking forward to hearing about your next adventures.

Anne said...

Yes, yes, yes--welcome back!

L said...

Congratulations!! It is so exciting to hear that you're done, you survived, you slayed, however you want to look at it.

I'm looking forward to hearing some stories from the past year. And I'll raise my flute of extra cheap definitely-not-from-switzerland champagne to you now!

Anonymous said...

I went ahead and read your entire blog front to back during my PGY2 year. I'm now a PGY3 and still check in every so often looking for a scrap. Sitting in the hospital on trauma call, I got a little thrill when I checked in and saw something new.

Congrats and please, please write more!

Mrs. Higrens said...

Congratulations! Happy everything to you.

audare said...

I'm so glad you are back! Congratulations on such a major achievement, you will be wonderful and do wonderful things for your patients! All the best to you.

skyjockbill said...

Chapeau - you did it! Well done!

James said...

Still Reading!

BrainiaxMD said...

Congratulations on graduating from residency! :)