Sun 21 Oct 2007
So my last post was a whopping 18 days ago. I’ve been having trouble keeping up because my likes and dislikes change by the minute… and if I wrote them all down you’d think I was 4 different people. Readers, meet Zac, Larry, Curly, and Moe. I do, however, have a huge backlog of stories to tell when things calm down a bit around here.
Let me back up.
I am really enjoying OB/GYN. The sheer breadth of things I see in clinic on a daily basis is fantastic, the people I work with are hysterical, and the patients are young, healthy, and usually very happy to see me†. This in stark contrast to ophthalmology, for example, where your patients are almost all old, decrepit, and present with one complaint - “I can’t see”.
OB/GYNs also perform surgery, but don’t have to deal with the surgery culture. Every office visit is procedural (pelvic exams are substantially more invasive than just listening to your heart & lungs with a stethoscope). They have incredible continuity of care and an amazing rapport with their patients. Plus, every day I find that I’m truly having fun, which isn’t something I can say for previous rotations. In short, OB/GYN is almost the perfect specialty.
Almost.
I don’t do well without sleep. I never pulled a single all-nighter in college, and the very few times I got only 2-3 hours of sleep I distinctly remember feeling physically ill. I remember 2 times in specific where I actually had to leave class and vomit - not from booze & greasy food, mind you, just from lack of sleep.
This all being said, OB/GYN is the king†† of all specialties when it comes to sleep deprivation. I was at the hospital for 28 straight hours yesterday, during which time I slept for a grand total of 43 minutes. I know it was 43 because I set an alarm for 4:55 AM at 4:12, and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. I slept until it was dark out when I got home.
So here’s my dilemma. One of my favorite classmates told me the other day that if I loved it enough, I’d suck it up and deal. Honestly though, I’m not sure if I’m physically capable of it - or if I want to doom myself to a lifetime of sleepless nights and premature aging. Can’t I find something else I love?
†I’m the one who tells them their baby is doing great!
††Queen?
October 21st, 2007 at 5:57 pm
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October 21st, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Let me know if you get a good answer as I sometimes (read: now that I’m distanced from L&D call) feel the same way.
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:30 am
Thank GOD someone out there actually like Ob/Gyn. I was beginning to be concerned.
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 am
Man, I gotta hand it to you if you actually think the clinics are fun in OBGYN. I hated that rotation with a passion, but I always knew I wouldn’t from first year.
As far as finding something, just keep your mind open to your rotations. If you aren’t concerned about sleep (and lawsuits, high malpractive premiums, etc.) OBGYN should be considered. However there are a lot of options out there beyond what you’ve only seen. Plus you can take online exams that help point you to a specialty, read about the field, and obtain a mentor in that area. All things I’m sure you were aware of, but they honestly help.
October 23rd, 2007 at 2:44 pm
From my experience (not in the medical field) I have found that enjoying your job doesn’t come from what you are doing, but who are doing it with. You could have a dream job but if you coworkers don’t mesh you will be miserable. Conversely if you love you coworkers and have fun any job can be made interesting.
One downside of OB/Gyn. You will always be the first one picked to give any sort of lecture about sex to kids / teens.