Rotation #2: weeks 4 and 5

My 125th post!!

Hello readers. I'm sad to report that my time in Ob/GYN is coming to an end. Never in my imagination could I have conceived a more articulate, compassionate, intelligent preceptor. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could fall in love with this specialty. I am sad to see the end of the week draw closer and closer. I know I have lots left to learn and that the rotations I have left will be phenomenal. I just love this hospital, these people, and most of all, my preceptor.

Still, as much as I love this work I still don't see myself working in this specialty. Not at all. I could do GYN all day long, but the Ob side is not the most exciting to me. I do, however, enjoy the OR, and I now know that whatever specialty I do chose to work in, there must be a surgical component to it. Surgery is like music in a lot of ways. You prepare in advance by learning your lines (the procedure), and before stepping foot onto the stage (the OR suite) you must put on your costume (gown, gloves, mask, etc.). The stage is set and once the curtains rise (drapes) it's showtime! And it really feels that way to me. I love it! There is a fanfare associated with the OR. You either love it or you hate it.

I've learned a great deal about myself on this rotation. I've learned that babies aren't so bad after all. I've learned that Ob/GYN is so much more than pap smears and Ob office visits. I've learned that being aggressive in this field is a good thing! I've learned that this really is something I can do for the rest of my life. I love being in the hospital, and I love working with people...the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly! I've seen enough 15 year -old mothers to last me a lifetime. I've diagnosed enough Chlamydia and Trichomoniasis to last my entire career. But the relationships that develop between me and my patients...that never gets old. It means a lot to have been given this much responsibility. It means a lot to touch someone and change their life. It means even more when, serendipitously, a patient touches you and changes your life.

Good-bye Ob/GYN, hello Peds!