Senior Resident, who me?!?

In less than 2 weeks I will be a Senior Resident. I cannot believe how far I have come. At a social event to welcome the Incoming Interns this week, one of the newbies turned to me and said “I have heard all about you, I can’t wait for you to teach me”.

Teach you?!? Who me?!? (I of course didn’t say this but the chuckle I gave probably betrayed me)

The wimp in me wants to jump back and put the brakes on the whole transitioning to a Senior Resident thing, but if I breathe slowly and reflect, I know I have been trained to do just this: be a freaking awesome Senior Resident.

Here is a list that I started working on today (while on overnight call) that lets me know I can do just this:

• ran a real code blue situation my 1st week of Intern Year and the patient survived and did pretty darn well
• learned how to manage and crosscover patients with a myriad of conditions from bladder exstrophy, to double outlet right ventricle, to constipation - in both an inpatient and outpatient setting, to neonates of mothers with positive drug screens for every illicit and abused drug you can imagine, to medical child abuse, to motor vehicle accident, to status asthmaticus, to poor weight gain/ failure to thrive, the list goes on and on
• learned how to succinctly and efficiently sign out my patients and receive sign out from another resident
• learned how to admit and discharge patients efficiently and effectively
• learned how to work with all sorts of different people with different roles and aptitudes
• learned how to “balance” work and life (meaning, I punt tasks such as planning my child’s birthday party when I can, I get help when I can meaning hiring a cleaning lady, I drink wine when I can, I laugh when I can, I sleep when I can, I travel when I can, I do my eyebrows/shave when I can, I catch up with my family and friends while commuting home when I can, this list too can go on and on)

So, regardless of how I feel in the moment, the Senior Resident in me has to take over in t minus 2 weeks. A pep talk that my father always gives comes to mind. He looks me straight in the eye and says “are you a man or a mouse?”. Obviously I’m neither, but I have been taught to return his gaze and yell “I’m a man!” So starting now “I’m a Senior Resident!”. Hoping the Transfer Center calls sometime over my call shifts this weekend so I can act like a Senior Resident while there is still a Senior Resident here to guide me.

Wish me luck!!!