My Ob/Gyn rotation began Monday of last week with this pitting feeling in my stomach that I was headed back to a "let's get up at 4 in the morning" specialty thus robbing me of the precious free time that pathology provided. Oddly enough, I don't mind this as much as the dreaded general surgery rotation.
For starters there aren't 40+ patients on our service, there's 3. Yep 3. Now when my senior tells me I need to "round on all my patients before signout at 7" I laugh to myself. No more blistering rounds in the morning with a team of 10 people roaming the halls for 2 hours. Now when I examine the patients, I can actually spend time writing notes or talking with the nurse about their nights. I'm not reduced to a myriad of abbreviations (PERRLA, EOMI, RRR No M/G/R, CTAB, NT/ND, +BS).
So this situation is creating a strange feeling that I haven't felt in a long time...enjoyment. Of all the specialties in medicine, I thought I had surely ruled out Ob/Gyn from the get go. Perhaps it was all the jokes my friends would make, or the highly litigious nature of the field. But if my experience is an indication Ob Gyn would provide: A nice mix of surgery and clinic, semi-regular start and end times (right now I start at 6 and get home at 6), and all around friendly residents and physicians.
Could it be that I found a specialty that I really enjoy?
At this point anything to help fight the burnout that resulted from 8 weeks of general surgery will be greatly appreciated. While I loved the OR time I got, I came home completely drained with no interest in reading up on my patients. If anything, my contempt grew for the routine complaints, and found myself having trouble empathizing. These are not desirable traits to have as a doctor and a decent human being.
So yes, any experience that reaffirms my interests is indeed a welcome change. Let's hope this keeps up for awhile.
