Finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it at work. Today was my 6th shift and I'm finding my groove. The ED at Wake is awesome (and freakin' busy). We'll be over 90,000 visits this year, and the ED was built to handle 55,000. Yes that means patients in the halls sometimes, but it also means that we need to see patients quickly. This felt like a pressure cooker the first couple of days, but I eventually realized that it would behoove me to set up a system and stick to it. That helps me stay focused while it feels like everything around me is hitting the fan. As interns we don't really take any trauma patients (e.g. those who have a trauma alert called), but we do get the sick cardiac patients, shortness of breath, and abdominal pains as well as some of the lower level trauma patients. These folks are always a little more of a diagnostic challenge for me, and seeing a lot of them is really helping. I must emit appendicitis vibes, though, because I've had 4 acute appys since I started (including a 71 year old lady...) but at least it keeps it interesting. One of the things that makes the ED so great is that we have tons of help. Our Fast Track (a.k.a. urgent care) is open from 1-11 pm, which takes a bunch of the low acuity stuff, and there is also a 15 bed holding/obs unit, where patients can go if they're waiting for lab results or consults. This leaves the ED for the truly sick folks (at least most of the time), and we have great nurses, techs and pharmacists to help us. It's certainly different from other places I've been or worked. The only bummer is that I don't really won't have any days off until I head back to NY for my sister's baby shower. My chief scheduled my day off for Tuesday every week, which is our conference day, so I have to be there anyway. But oh well, I got the 3 days off to go home, so I can't complain.
OK, so an update on the house. As you may have noticed, I posted new pics over there to the right. It is really really coming along. Nick and I met with Jim today and we were really expecting the worst. But it actually wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. Even though the construction industry pretty much shuts down over the 4th (and I'm not sure why that is), quite a few things got done in the last couple of days. Appliances are all on site, ready to be installed, toilets and vanities are going in, electric is almost finished, etc etc. Jim said things are 95% done (I'm assuming he means time wise, not item-wise), and that we will be able to move in in a week. Yup, a week!!! He is meeting with the city Monday or Tuesday to arrange for the CO and the inspection, and hopefully everything will be hunky dory. We got really excited today because it is actually starting to look like our house, we can't wait to move in!!
Just looked at the new pics and everything looks great! The storage space under the stairs looks like it could be a fun kitty room if you didn't have to use it for storage, and I love the dark accent wall in the dining room! I do, however, think you should reconsider about the toilet in the middle of the master bedroom. Come on, Youngin', try thinking out of the box for once! Leave it where it is. This could be a new wave in interior design!!
Posted by: Jenny | July 07, 2007 at 12:55 AM