I am currently on my Pediatrics rotation and just got home from a grueling, exhausting, and inspiring week. I had the opportunity to spend a week of my rotation serving as a counselor at Camp Kaleidoscope. (Check the provided link for more info) Briefly, it is a camp that Duke offers for chronically ill children who would not be deemed healthy enough to attend regular summer camps. But because of the access to Duke staff, we can pull it off. And pull it off we did. We left Sunday mo...

Years ago, when I first started contemplating going to medical school, I had a fear. And that fear has successfully been overcome. I was afraid of the first year of clinical work. Yep, downright afraid. And as I finished up my first year (all bookwork and basic science stuff here at Duke) and second year approached (the first year of clinical work, usually the third year of medical school at other schools) that fear became more real, more tangible. After all, I have a family, a wif...

If I go missing please do not concern yourself mayhap I'll return BlueDev

It's been bugging me for a few days. A nasty smell. Can't quite get it out of my metaphorical nose. Something burning. Then today it hit me. It's me. Ahh the acrid scent of burn-out.

Eating dinner the other night, Jessica took a bite of her fried chicken and cried out in pain. She said she had something stuck between her teeth, so I took her to the bathroom, grabbed the floss and tried to help clean her front teeth out. I didn't seem to see anything so she went back to dinner, only to cry out again. I had her come over and I took a closer look. What to my surprise, one of her front teeth was loose! My little girl is getting loose teeth! She was, of course, ecstatic ...

There are a lot of great blogs here. And a lot of folks talk a lot about their lives in their blogs. Up to this point I haven't really written much about myself. But as I feel I am starting to make some online friends here and become part of a community I don't much care for the idea of hiding behind the anonymity of my screen name. So I thought I would write a little about who I actually am and what makes me tick. Arrogant of me? Perhaps, but I don't mean it to be. Actually it is an e...

Some days the you control the chaos.  Others, the chaos controls you.  You just sort of ride the waves, hoping to keep your head above the surface.  Around the Jones home, we are still sort of reeling from the chaos of last week.  Alive and well, but our heads are spinning just a bit. I am currently on my second tour of the Trauma service here at the hospital.  It is a crazy service in that we get all the traumas that come in, as well as any general surgical consults ...

Boards, boards, boards. I hate 'em.  But it is part of the wonderful medical education.  And this Friday I take another step.  USMLE Step 2 CS that is.  USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) Step 1 is an 8 hour, 350 question test that tests our knowledge of basic science topics.  You know, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, genetics, the like. Step 2 comes in two flavors (for which they charge you $1500 to take!).  CS is the Clinical Skills part.  ...

Well, the results are in. I matched!!! (Whew!) Come June, we will be moving to New Hampshire, so I can start residency at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center! Interestingly enough, this was the only interview my wife was able to come on. Cool place, great program and medical center. I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am.

I will be glad when it is next Sunday. This week will be a bit crazy in terms of interviews. I have to be at the hospital tomorrow, so I can run home and drive up to Baltimore for my interview on Tuesday. Then drive home Tuesday because I have to be at the hospital again on Wednesday and Thursday. Then it his fly up to Detroit Thursday night for a Friday morning interview, then fly to Nashville that afternoon, rent a car and drive over to Knoxville for my interview there on Saturday. T...

One of the great things about medicine is the whole educational process. It is singular in the way it works, and is just a joy to be a part of. Really. Trust me. I promise. To be honest, it is hell. I thought applying to medical school was awful. I was naive. Enter residency. At least with med school you ultimately were the one who chose where to go. But that is another blog altogether. Looking on the bright side, applying for residency is giving me the opportunity to visit pla...

My entire sense of time has changed. It is true. I no longer operate on a 7 day week. Nope. For me, the week is four days long. Unfortunately, there are no weekends in there. Being on call, and not really getting days off, really messes with your schedule. I no longer remember what day of the week it is. I am constantly having to check my watch, and it is driving me nuts. If my watch was wrong, well I would be screwed. The week goes like this: Long call, post-call, short ca...

I have found that my birthday means less and less to me the more I have. Growing up they often had some significant advantage to each advancing year. Suddenly I could have a job, *poof* now I could drive, etc. But once you hit a certain point they pretty much just become a day like any other. My oldest daughter, of course, has a hard time with this idea. To her it is daddy's birthday, so he should feel different, older, special. Her enthusiasm is contagious. But I just don't need a...

"A time to live, and a time to die" Death fascinates us. Every art form has obsessed over the subject. Entire religions and belief systems center around the concept of death. But we run from it at every turn. Not everyone, of course. Some spend their entire lives running headlong toward it, often unwittingly. But it is inevitable. It will come for us all, whether we care or not, whether we are prepared or not. And lately I have seen more than my fair share. When your life ...

Please refer to the previous post to fully understand my excitement. It is sufficient to say that I passed my stone. Hooray. I just have some vague lingering discomfort in my back, but nothing like it was. Thank goodness. Carry on.