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.