Another One Down

I apologize for the hiatus over the past 6 weeks. I was in Pittsburgh doing a clinical and the router in the house I was living in wasn't compatible with my computer so all extraneous internet usage went out the window.

While in Pittsburgh I did orthopedic surgery again only this time I was with a sports medicine specialist. I have always thought that sports medicine was what I wanted to do. I've had that idea in my head since I was a high school student. In college I did athletic training and exercise science, after college I worked in physical therapy doing a lot of sports rehab. Imagine my surprise when I get to sports medicine in the clinic and operating room and discover that it is not for me. I found myself bored most of the time. In the clinic it's the same things over and over again. In the O.R. it's either arthroscopic or there is a resident running the case which means I can't scrub in so you just stand around and watch. Observing is all well and good in the beginning but after 4 months of orthopedics I'm ready to get in there up to my elbows in everything!

The rotation wasn't bad at all, it just wasn't super duper exciting. The PA I was with was great. She was my age, easy going, and very knowledgeable in all areas of medicine not just ortho. The doctor was a great guy as well. He was easy to get along with and eager to teach and gave me as many opportunities to do things as he could. He was one of the team docs for the Pirates and even hooked me up with 4behind homeplate seats for a game. I enjoyed being with them but the topic didn't quite do it for me.

I took quite a few things away from this rotation. One I now know that sports medicine isn't for me. I learned that I need to be challenged on a daily basis in order to be content. I've learned that I don't particularly want to work in a teaching institution because I don't like sharing my OR time with other people. I liked living in a big city but I know that I don't want to live in a big city for an extended period of time.

My next rotation starts tomorrow and is family practice/internal medicine. I know NOTHING about either of these and am mentally preparing to have my butt handed to me on a daily basis. I guess I'll get that challenge that I've been missing for the past few weeks.