Become a Doctor, They Said. It'll be Fun, They Said.
7 Minute Read-Intern Year: “Hey, feel free to leave early today; I can write the note on that patient,” I whispered to my co-intern, as the Cardiology attending droned on about a rare EKG finding. I was just arriving to work for the morning, but she had just finished an eventful 28-hour shift in the …
Continue reading "No. 20: The time my patient called me a n*gger"
8 Minute Read-Intern Year: “I am well... in Jesus name,” came my mom’s soft voice through the phone. She sounded faint, as though she had just run a marathon and was finally laying down to rest. “What’s wrong, mom?” I asked, knowing that when she said things like this, it usually meant something was not …
Continue reading "No. 19: The time I rushed my mom to the hospital… in another continent"
7 minute read- Intern year: “NO! Please don’t! PLEASEEEEE!” came the blood curdling scream of a 16-year-old girl. She was shaking and crying in anticipation of pain, and I couldn’t blame her: the resident taking care of her was about to pull off her fingernail in order to drain a collection of pus in the tip …
5 Minute Read-Intern year: “Hey Doc, am I officially discharged?” my patient asked as I helped him sign paperwork before leaving the hospital. “Yessir!” I responded cheerily. “You can go in just a few minutes, just let your nurse come to remove your IV and give you your clothes.” “So…..” his voice took on a …
Continue reading "No. 13: The time my patient asked me on a date"
6 Minute Read-Intern Year Day 70: There is a particular patient I remember more vividly than most. We’ll call him Mr. K. He was a dark brown man in his early fifties, his thick beard speckled with silver hairs. He had a heart warming smile. His wife was at his bedside every single time I …
Continue reading "No. 6: The first time I told a patient he had cancer"
7 Minute Read-Intern Year Day 45: “You are the most phenomenal doctor,” a patient’s sister exclaimed, as she hugged me. It was my first day seeing Mr. C, a 60-something-year-old gentleman admitted after a fall at home. Since being in the hospital, he had been confused on-and-off, resorting to actions such as calling 911 from …
Continue reading "No. 5: I gave a patient’s family member my cell phone number"
4 Minute Read-Intern Year, Day One: I’m not sure what I expected. Over the last three months since Match Day, I had binge watched seasons one through eleven of Grey’s Anatomy, but I figured that depiction was too dramatic. I was nervous, but expectedly so, since I had been assigned placement in the medical intensive …
Continue reading "No. 1: Introduction to ‘Not Another Doctor Blog’"
