Saturday, October 15, 2005

More on the Heavenly Kettering Medical Center

I want to expound a little on my last post. I've heard Kettering Medical Center as being like a medical student heaven, and I've got to say, that this isn't too far from the truth.

First the facilities. I get to park in a parking garage adjacent to the hospital, so blazing sun, rain, or snow, my car and myself are protected. And then, as you walk into the hospital, you go up a grand staircase to the lobby level with marble floors and a grand piano being played by a ghost. I see my patients (only 1-3), and then go to the morning report, which usually is well run with excellent topics.

Free breakfast is in the new doctors lounge with juice, coffee, cold and hot cereal, pastries, and a most excellent "monkey cake" type food which is hard to describe except as sweet, flavorful, and fattening. This lounge has two 40 something inch plasma flat screen tv's, prepackaged snacks, a frig with a variety of beverages, 2 computers, and all with a 5 star hotel lobby appearance and decor.

Rounds start at 10, so often I get to sleep in until 7 am. My team of residents are all friendly, non-malignant, eager to teach, and never scut-work me. My attending is one of a kind: brilliant with the best bedside manner I've ever seen. She is fun, not taking rounds too seriously, making sure that the patients and myself, the medical student, get plenty of attention and teaching.

Lunch is grand rounds with free food every day. These also are well run and very informative. After rounds, which ends around 2pm on average, I do a little floor work, and almost always finish by 3pm. Sometimes I hang out in the lounge until dinner, which is also free. The Atrium Grille has the biggest, meaty, unique sandwiches ever... cajun turkey, portabello mushrooms, avacado, and the like.

If I'm on call, I'm working mostly in the ER. The ER waiting area is something else: hotel lobby appearance, full service coffee bar, computers, tvs, and a 100 or so gallon aquarium. We take call every 4th day and as a team, which makes it more fun. The residents have me work up 2 - 3 patients, and they are available to help for anything. They normally send me to bed around 11pm to 1am, and then I sleep uninterrupted until the morning in my own private call room with a window. The medical student lounge has a computer with printer, a big tv, with cable, xbox, and playstation, along with prepackaged snacks and a fridge of drinks.

That took too long to write up. Too bad this place is far from mountains, the ocean, and my immediate family, or else I'd rank this hospital #1 for my transitional/internship year... maybe I will anyways.

Friday, October 14, 2005

I've been doing my sub-internship here at Kettering, OH, for almost 2 weeks. This place has been treating me well. If only mountains were nearby.

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Thursday, October 13, 2005

Wow, I didn't know comment spam was such a problem. Please don't support these fools by following links left in their comments.

I can now edit my blog from my cell phone. Sweet.

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Residency Applications

I am currently applying to like 70 different residency programs... it cost me lots of money for all those applications. I'm applying for anesthesiology, which requires an internship year before starting. Here are the anesthesia and internship programs I got interviews at so far and the date for each. All those flights are going to cost me even more... please let me know if you would like to submit a donation into my bank account!


Arrowhead Transitional Year, Colton, CA, date undetermined
UCLA-Kern Medical Center Transitional Year, Bakersfield, CA, date undetermined

UC Irvine Preliminary Medicine Year, CA, Nov 14
UCLA Anesthesia, Nov 15
U. Southern California Anesthesia, LA, Nov 16
U. Nevada Prelim Medicine, Reno, Jan 9
Banner Good Samaritan Transitional, Phoenix, Jan 12
U. New Mexico Anesthesia, Albuquerque, Jan 14
George Washington U Anesthesia, DC, Jan 21
Cleavland Clinic Anesthesia, OH, Jan 23
UCSF Fresno Extension Prelim Medicine, Fresno, CA, Feb 3

But all this may be fruitless. The Air Force that owns me first has to let me apply for anesthesiology. I find out from them on Dec 14 what's next. If they don't let me do anesthesia, my back up plan is to become a flight surgeon, serve my 4 years, get out of the AF, and then reapply for anesthesia.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

In the beginning...

Drew created this blog.

Yeah, so now I have a blog too. I thought it would be cool for all friends and family to learn about new happenings in my life, especially since I'm going through a big transition now.