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Winter 2007 |
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R
E S I D E N T ' S C O R N E R
Life-long
learning
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Stock Photo |
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July 1st, 2007 was
something more than Canada Day for me and the group of newly minted
residents [who] took to the halls of the hospitals and clinics,
armed with pagers and multiple pocketbooks, hoping that we didn’t
actually have a license to kill despite our graduation year.
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By Dr. Margo Wilson |
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July 1st, 2007 was something more than
Canada Day for me and the group of newly minted residents. The
medical student graduates of the class of 2007 took to the halls of
the hospitals and clinics, armed with pagers and multiple
pocketbooks, hoping that we didn’t actually have a license to kill
despite our graduation year.
In addition to assuming the new role of a
resident, I am also new to Newfoundland. I found myself at the bottom of
two very steep learning curves. But, in keeping with our commitment to
life-long learning, I have been working my way up step by step. Here are
some of the choice lessons I’ve learned so far:
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Resident – a new level of
responsibility. Also describes one who now primarily resides in the
hospital.
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Around the Bay – from outside of St.
John’s. Originally, I thought there was actually an enormous bay
that I had missed on my maps.
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Teaching rounds – are now more
relevant than in medical school. Instead of needing the answers for
a test, I now need to know when to check potassium in a patient with
diabetic ketoacidosis. For real.
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Weather report – an interesting work
of fiction, often humorous.
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Pain – something that some residents
of Newfoundland don’t seem to feel, despite physical evidence to the
contrary such as a myocardial infarction or laceration. Instead ask
if they have a “hurt”.
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Rain – St. John’s has a reputation to
live up to, and it does a good job.
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Call – a marathon repeated every four
days.
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Crooked – adjective, sometimes used to
describe me after a night of call. Please see above.
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Pager – an electronic ball and chain.
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Colleagues – invaluable. Dispensers of
timely advice and support. Thank you.
And to the PGY1’s on July 1, 2008 – Good
luck, and look for me and my colleagues in the halls. We will be more
than happy to share what we’ve learned in our first year of residency.
Dr. Margo Wilson is a family medicine
resident in St. John’s.
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