Day #1- Babies and Insight

Today was the first day of my first rotation and it started like most days of a new job filled with anticipation, fear and trying to figure out how to beat the traffic. Luckily school is not back from holiday break yet, so the traffic was relatively good and I made it to the clinic for our first meeting with plenty of time. Before I knew it, the orientation meeting was over and I had new friends in the 6 of us students starting today.

By noon, I thought the day would be over. There were no patients in clinic, the doc was on call and exhausted from overnight, and we had finished what we needed to finish. The clinical coordinator in the clinic had us finish the last paperwork, handed us our paperwork for hospital badges, and that seemed to be it...until she said three of us would be on call. Guess who was one of the three?

Call? First day, first night, first rotations? Really? My consciousness had to suck it all in and up, and my id wrestled with my ego for a bit, but then I realized I've done this before. And as a medical professional, I've sort of kind of done this stuff before.

I had 4 hours to kill before the shift started at 6 PM. I ran to the hospital, got my picture ID done and headed "home" (or at least my temporary corporate housing home). At least I could get a short work out and something to eat before I had to be back. I did both. And before I knew it, I was back at the hospital, searching for parking.

Meeting the doc for the first time was not without some advance preparation. I'd heard about Dr. G but nothing could prepare me for his energy, insight, stories and calling to teach. I think I am the 1900th or so student he has "mentored" and it shows. His interest in students is amazing. He genuinely cares, and said so in no uncertain terms and his discussion on the practice of medicine not being about him, but about his patience, was truly inspiring. I can see already, this is going to be an amazing learning experience as long as I keep open, present, eager and not worry about the infrastructure that is living in a new city, with new staff etc. But then, I've done that before too.

And just when I thought the day would dash my anticipation, nervousness and excitement with fairly routine, "It" happened...

One of the patients on the floor birthed a baby human. And even though I've seen 100's of babies being born, participated in many myself including emergency, life saving C-sections, this still felt amazing, and very new. And in a small way... 5 lbs, 6 ozs small...reminded me what this is really all about. And it's not about me at all. But then, it never was.