ah, the weekend

For those of you watching at home, when we last left our heroine, she was tethered to the toilet at both ends and skipping out on her second day back at school. Would she give up hope and crawl back into bed for the rest of the year like she felt would probably be a good idea? Tempting, but no, she did rally on Wednesday and hauled her wizened-up self in to the hospital. And now she will stop referring to herself in the third person, because that's weird.
So I made it through the first week in the usual progression of things: Monday, pure terror and confusion. Tuesday, sick as dog. Wednesday, dehydrated and headachy. Thursday, pure terror: have to see a patient and write note. Friday: boredom with it all.
This is my first time in a teaching hospital, actually. I'm enjoying it. It takes a lot of the pressure off when you're the medical student in a team consisting of five actual physicians. The attending, Dr. S, is usually badgering them and I can listen and take notes or count the holes in the ceiling tile. In my third year, my hospital rotations were under the guidance of the gruff and burly Dr. A, who grilled the students incessently on everything in his misleadingly gentle Persian accent. I did learn a ton, but I left everyday burdened by the knowledge that I was completely incompetent and would never, ever measure up to the great Dr. A. Standing there (for hours and hours and hours) with several interns and a resident, I realize that I will most likely be ready to move up the next baby step a year from now. There is not so much distance between us. Also, it's intern week, when all the new interns are starting, all over the country (and, consequently, probably the worst week to become sick and require hospitalization), so they are at least as crazed and confused as I am. Misery loves company. And misery loves people in more misery. I get to go home every night this rotation after rounds. No call for me...yet!
I'm glad I'm back though.