Really, though, not much has changed. I still rotate every month through different rotations. I still see clinic patients (though now, I see them every 40 minutes instead of every hour, and I 'm in a constant struggle to get faster), and I have to take house call every 6th week.
This month, I was in outpatient pediatrics, with a community provider's office that was recently acquired by the mega-conglomerate. The physicians in the office were mostly transitioned but occasionally struggled with some of the transitions that were now enforced with the new management. It was definitely an interesting process to watch. With my transition away from hospital/residency medicine to outpatient, community-based medicine, it was a bit difficult at first to revert back to a shadowing role. I was no longer the main decision maker in the process, and for much of the rotation, I didn't feel like I even had much of a voice at all. I did not want to anger or embarrass the physician I was rotating with, so I often had to spend more time with my mouth shut and staring at the floor if I did not agree with the physician's conclusions. Most of the time, though, it was fascinating to see how his management different drastically from that of our "in the trenches" comprehensive care we provide to our patients.
The physician's patient population were a mix of white suburban, well-to-do families with money to spare on summer trips (Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, etc), who were mostly here for well-child exams, juxtapositioned with young ethnic mothers on Medicaid with new babies in tow for newborn exams. It was boring and fascinatin
g at the same time. I had a good time learning from the first week or so, but the monotony of the same questions (5 fruits and veggies a day? 4 servings of dairy? less than 2 hours of TV?), and the stark contrast to my own patient population ( mostly urban, elderly African Americans) seemed to mock the necessity of this rotation. At the same time, I was fascinated by how the physician I was following maintained his relationship with his patients. Sometimes, he was a father, scolding them for not doing this or that. Sometimes, he was a guidance counselor, gently shepherding the lost sheep towards his goal. Sometimes, he just nodded, disapproval in his eyes, and used his "you are an idiot but I am going to be nice to you" voice in order to avoid conflict. There is so much psychology to be learned in the art of clinical medicine. I may not have learned as much pediatrics as I would have liked during this visit, but I certainly have gained insight into the nuanced skills necessary to gain the respect of patients and keep them coming back.
FDM: Fascial Distortion Model
To some in the osteopathic world, FDM is the epitome of everything they railed against. It uses excessive force to achieve its goal. Its modalities cause patients pain while they are utilized, and patients will be sore, bruised, and limp home with a packet of ice and strict instructions not to use heating pads.At the same time, it is one of the best modalities for treating weird spots that are nagging, painful, and just won't resolve. In spite of my reservations, I attended the weekend course for FDM, and found it to be immensely helpful.
I got to go home for a few days at the end of July/early August because my brother was on break. It was so nice to go home, get to eat good Chinese food again, and to see my family!
-> Vegas, as usual, the only place where ringing slot machines are the soundtrack to your arrivalI also visited my friends Marlie and Al in mid-August, and played with their dog and the dog they were petsitting
Knitting content:
I'm finally finishing up my sweaters! I participated in the sweater knit along hosted by the Grocery Girls, and it was so much fun that I decided I wanted to finish up some of the other sweaters in my queue. I am still working on finishing the button band on my Calligraphy Cardigan, which I am making wider than the pattern calls for because it seemed to be more flattering for my body shape.
I finally finished my Drachenfels shawl, which I bought the yarn for in early November last year when I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan for an audition rotation. Through the last year, it's been a nice reminder of that crazy time, the wonderful people at Michigan Fibre Studio, and the crazy chain-smoking AirBNB that I lived in while I auditioned.
In addition, since I've been at the pediatrician's office, I've been knitting at lunch and during my downtime. It has been helpful to keep me from going crazy with the monotony of the day. I've been knitting on socks as well as on my Bifrost scarf from Infinite Twist
I bought yarn for a Faded shawl, but I haven't decided which one to make yet. Yes, I have also succumbed to the faded trend by Andrea Mowry. It is just so tempting!
On the plus side, I did discover a really nice restaurant next to the office which offers "express lunch", which means they give you soup, salad, and a sandwich for a set price, brought to the table within 10 minutes of you sitting down, or it is free. It has been so nice to have that resource so that I don't have to resort to the fast food restaurants down the street.
All the ramblings I can think of at the moment. ~Z
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