R & R

Another busy week has come and (almost) gone. I was on-call Thursday night; E.D. was super busy, with plenty of medical referrals (a real neuro evening -- seizure; fall/EtOH cerebellar ataxia; and ?stroke -- all great practice!) so I didn't get home until 11pm. Then I was up at 5.15am the next morning to meet the Cardiology Professor by 6am. Explanation: I found out a couple days ago that he had his once-a-month rural clinic on Friday so I asked if I could come along with him. Some consultants fly, but Prof apparently enjoys driving (flash-as BMW). So 6am it was! It was a jam-packed day: two hours of non-stop conversation during our drive there, over twenty patients (amazing clinical signs! I *heart* murmurs; and even felt x2 thrills!), followed by another two hours of conversation coming home. He's a really interesting guy and did his Fellowship at Mass General in Boston, so we had more than enough to chat about. In the span of four hours I think we covered his upbringing, my upbringing, his family, my family, his training, my training; the future; choosing a speciality; health economics; working overseas verses New Zealand; the art of medicine and doctor-patient interaction; and some general life advice.

"Think about what you truly enjoy doing (...But don't stew about it). And then, do it."

One of the aspects of my medical training which I have found the most valuable these past three years is watching different consultants do their thing and, in particular, how they interact with their patients. What I took away from sitting in with this Professor for the day -- and what I wholeheartedly hope to emulate -- is how because of the way Prof approached his practice, every single patient (and their family) left the room smiling more than they had been when they walked in. I reflected on this observation on our drive back and asked Prof what his "take" on being a good doctor was. The conversation that followed only further solidified my respect for his philosophy on clinical practice. It was, for sure, a really long day, but so, so worth it.

Today: no phone, no alarm, sleeping in until I wanted to get out of bed (whoa!). And despite being chilly it was a sun-shining day, so I ended up going on the most beautiful, perfect hour run -- yay! Followed by laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen -- so satisfying. I'm on-call again tomorrow, which is technically like studying/working, so I decided today would be a guilt-free Me day. Running, cooking, cleaning. No phone. No rushing. No plans. And it has been a beautifully relaxing day. :)