The best part about working over the weekend (hah, what a grown-up thing to say) is that parking is easy, there aren’t any conferences to pause workflow, and I have an excuse to eat Fruit Loops at the hospital “because nothing else is available.” 🙂
In seven days, I’ve learned an incredible amount about the management of acute and chronic kidney injuries. There’s an elegant interplay between all the body’s organ systems, but I feel like I never appreciated the physiologic marvel that is the kidney until now. While the details of ion channels, concentration gradients, and fluid exchange can be nitty-gritty, the fundamentals are pretty simple – conserve volume above all else, analyze injuries based on pre, intra, or post-renal etiologies, and when all else fails, dialysis/transplantation are considerations.
Outside of the logistical headaches like getting my computer access and parking hangtag, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed starting residency on the renal consult service and anticipate a plethora of new challenges this coming week.
