Thursday, September 30, 2004

I'm bored. One patient is leaving and I saw my other patient and wrote my note. I have no clue where the residents are which worries me that there's some meeting or learning session they neglected to inform me about. Oh well, this is why I don't care for inpatient services. I hate just sitting around. I could do this at home and watch tv or read my book. I should have brought my book. I guess I can read my first aid for the match book. HO hum.

~me~ at 9:53 AM

Monday, September 27, 2004

I think I must be easily impressed. After an adventurous morning (see below), I was told about the perks of the providence milwaukie program. They have the best Electronic medical record system I have used so for. Everything is computerized and typed letters are scanned into the system. I wanted to cry. It was so beautiful how technologically advanced they are. It's a young program but because of this, it was easy for them to implement the system. You can design what electives you want for the 2nd and 3rd years. And while training at 5 different sites can be annoying, the benefit of this is that you train at the best location by the best instructors for each discipline. The intern said that the 3 programs in the portland area (includes OHSU, PMFP, and SW washington programs) have an incestuous relationship. Residents from all 3 programs rotate through each others hospitals and attendings teach at 2 or more of the programs. OB is done at the SW washington program (I was impressed at how much OB they do), Peds is done at Doernbechers (can't spell and don't care to look it up) and regular OHSU, NICU I think is at OHSU, internal medicine and ICU at OHSU, FP inpatient is at Providence Milwaukie hospital (near the lindleys), and clinic will either be at the Providence Milwaukie clinic or at the SE Portland Clinic at Eastport Plaza (the poor people clinic). Needless to say, after 1 day, I'm impressed. Oh and I'd get a $3000 relocation cost budget. And because you take call at home after the intern year, the program pays for your HIGH SPEED internet access in your home. You know I'm crying out of extreme delight over that bonus! $12/day for food at the hospital. Again, maybe I'm easy to please. I'm in heaven just thinking about it. Oh and health insurance is free and if you want the plus plan, it's just $17 a month. And apparently the Providence health plan is pretty good.

Okay, now for the adventure. It turns out that while I thought I had asked for the milwaukie clinic, I was placed into the SE Portland clinic. And while I thought I was supposed to be at the hospital for the 1st week, the person who was there this morning, sent me over to the SE clinic after giving me instructions on how to get there. It was pretty simple to get there and didn't take long at all (faster than my morning commute to Tulane from home and people here understand the concept of merging onto the freeway - no road rage attack this morning). So I get there and the Dr in charge didn't know that plan so he calls the Dr who did know the plan and they decided that since I had driven to SE Portland, they'd put me to work. But 10 minutes later they get a call saying to send me back to Milwaukie. Not a problem...I figured I could just go the same way and that went flawlessly. And then upon arrival they laughed and said, "well, now that you've passed your first test, time to get to work!" But, since I'm a white cloud, there wasn't a new patient to take care of and we got rid of 3 patients - i think I scare them away...sort of like how I'm convinced 4 year olds can smell the doctor in me when I'm out in the community - they run away when I say hi. So that was my adventure. I didn't get lost and I'm getting used to how grampa's car works. I miss the power and small size of my little toyota but beggars can't be choosers! So next week after my first clinic day, I'm going to swing by and visit gramps. Or maybe this weekend while the lindleys are down in eugene cheering on the idiots in green - the ducks suck this year.

In other news, OHSU has granted me an interview! The question will be whether or not their deep seated tradition (but overworked residents) will win me over. And I may be able to visit the SW washington program sometime this month.
~me~ at 8:31 PM