Trivia time

After one month of residency, I've taken a little time to reassess. Today I sat down and made a list of things I'd like to do differently while in residency; e.g., do more anesthesia reading, exercise in the mornings more regularly, read daily about at least one of my patients, etc. That was one column. In the right-hand column, I listed how I might go about accomplishing each goal. And I think it all comes down to going to bed earlier! This will give me time in the mornings, as well as help me resist the temptation for a time-wasting afternoon nap.

A rather unpleasant experience awaited me in the ICU this morning. From across the nurse station, I heard an ICU attending make a demeaning comment about my TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) orders to another resident, not realizing I was at the nurse station. I walked over to him, and I think he felt embarrassed when he saw my name, but still was condescending and sarcastic when he questioned the electrolyte concentrations I'd ordered. Even though it was one of those situations where I felt he was acting inappropriately, I was pleased that I was able to respond calmly and professionally, and explain my rationale for ordering the TPN as I did. It turned out that my TPN orders would have made a lot of sense had not another MD changed some other orders after I'd rounded--orders I'd had no idea were changed. Anyway, I'm certain it won't be the last time that a superior is perhaps out of line, but at least it was good practice in keeping my cool in that type of situation.

I felt I redeemed myself in the ICU this afternoon when I successfully and essentially independently placed a subclavian central line with the supervision of my resident and a different ICU attending!

Here's the trivia question for the day: What was the largest thing killed by the first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in World War II? 10 points for the first correct response...