80 hours down, 2000 to go!

this week marked the end of my second week of internship!  (I started this blog entry last week, stating the "end of my first week" but didn't get farther than writing that sentence; I guess that shows how busy/tired I've been!)  That means that I *only* have 2000 working hours until I am officially a doctor!

the first week consisted mostly of training/orientation at the main VA hospital  (there are 3 different sites that are all part of the same system; I'm placed at the smallest of the three, which is an outpatient facility located in downtown).  I'd heard that the first week was the worst; simply because it is long/boring/tedious with all kinds of training for new employees that doesn't necessarily apply to us... well, the upside of expecting it to be painfully boring was that it wasn't as bad as I'd expected! :)

Friday of the first week marked our first day on site... it was nerve-wracking and exciting, but we got to tour the facility, see our offices, and find out about our supervisors/rotation schedule for the year.  I was very happy to find out that I was given the first rotation in the PTSD clinic (something that was very important to me, but beyond my control!) and I was also assigned to a supervisor who focuses on PTSD work-- this will be great in a month or two when I'm starting the application process (yes, once again!) for post-doctoral positions.  The remainder of Friday, and all of this week, consisted of back-to-back meetings with just about every person/department in the VA (wow- can we say information overload?!?!)  I'm not really sure how much I retained, but it was nice to meet the various people whom we might interact with this year.  the week also gave us a chance to begin to get to know the mental health staff & supervisors, all of whom I'll be working with this year in various capacities.  Although we are assigned a primary supervisor (the PTSD clinician I mentioned above) we also run groups and participate in other tasks with nearly all of the supervisors... this is great for networking & increasing our knowledge in a wide range of areas; but it is pretty overwhelming trying to get to know all of the different personalities, supervision styles, and preferences for how we do things like recording notes in the patient charts. it's going to be a while before I feel settled, but at least I'm feeling really excited!

The other big task of the week was for the other interns and I to create our group schedule for the year. Basically we were given a list of all of the group treatments that all of the supervisors offer (many of which have different requirements), and we had to determine who would do what group when.  This might not sound too complicated, but trust me- it was a stressful, overwhelming & confusing task!!  BUT, we managed to have it sorted out by 3pm this afternoon (our deadline was today, although the supervisors seemed surprised when we said we were finished!) and the best part was that all 4 of us are relatively happy with our choices and we worked very cooperatively together!  Everyone was careful to hear the other people's preferences & priorities, so that we made sure everyone's needs were met (apparently, that is somewhat unusual-- I think this process has brought out the worst in interns in the past, it's just asking for competition, insecurity, and interpersonal conflict--- but we had none of that!)

I'm very grateful for my intern cohort; the 4 of us have a nice mix of similarities & differences, and we bonded during the (somewhat painful) orientation process...not to mention that 2 of the interns have an amazing sense of humor, feed off each other, and have *very* contagious laughter!!  We've already participated in 3 after work happy-hour outings, and we plan on having a weekly Friday lunch to decompress--- I have a feeling this is going to be a great year!

The year is going to be very busy- our schedules are feeling packed already, and we still have a lot of things to add!  I'm hoping that once I get into a routine I"ll feel better, but I'm expecting that it will take at least a month before I start to feel settled.  All of the supervisors are warm & welcoming, and the environment feels like a place that I want to work (which is awesome, as they tend to hire former interns!!)

Unplugged

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a family reunion.  Despite a long travel-day with some potentially vacation-altering roadblocks (on a layover in Chicago, I noticed that my flight had been booked to Rochester Minnesota, rather than Rochester NY!!) I made it to Rochester NY where I spent the night, and picked up my father the following morning to start the 2.5 hour drive to the campground.

Weds, Thurs, and Friday were spend visiting with family members, and playing with my adorable little cousins (including 3 under the age of one, whom I hadn't met before).  I really enjoyed the time with everyone, as well as the time to "unplug" from my busy life, and just enjoy being in nature.  This trip also allowed me to cross off 2 more items from my goals list: attending a family reunion, and being "unplugged" for 24 hrs (no phone, no computer, etc).  I actually was unplugged for closer to 3 days, which suited me just fine! :)

Some highlights of the trip included: taking a walk & watching the sunrise in solitude the first morning; playing with all of my little cousins, but specifically holding A. and watching her giggling smile; walking around with E. at the logging festival; staying up waaay too late talking at evening campfires;   and successfully making dinner (green salad & fruit salad) with C. despite the sad/limited assortment of kitchen utensils (yes, I chopped a pineapple with a butter knife)!  Oh, and breaking my caffeine "fast" with s'mores at the campfire!  I nearly forgot, but that means I get to cross off yet another goal!

As much as I loved visiting with everyone, my sleep did suffer (I was waking up between 6-7am, eastern time every morning!) and I am glad to back in my own place, with my own bed!  I have this week to recover & get back into some sort of a routine, as next week marks the beginning of my internship!