Well it’s time to start my sixth month of residency – pulmonary critical care (PCCS)! I enjoyed spending some time with my parents over Thanksgiving break and had a chance to wrap up a presentation for the first morning report of the month tomorrow! I also reviewed some basics about mechanical ventilation, electrolyte derangements, vasopressors, and volume management while watching my beloved Texans get handed their tenth consecutive loss. Bleh. 🙁
The upcoming month on PCCS will be challenging in terms of hours, patient load, and the severity of diseases; however, it should also be a great chance to get some procedures under my belt. Bronchoscopies, thoracenteses, paracenteses, arterial lines, and central lines are likely all fair game depending on how vigilant I am about pursuing those opportunities. These are all skills which will be invaluable as an anesthesiologist, so I’m looking forward to getting my feet wet!
I just set my alarm for 4:00am (and 4:10, and 4:15). Break time is over. I hate the first day on a new rotation. 😯
