Still Kicking! An Update

Still here!

I'm back! First, my extreme apologies for the huge lack of posts this year. I tell myself that no one actually reads my blog (which helps me be more open and personal with what I write about), and it doesn't actually matter if I post or not, but clearly that's not the case. My mentee passed along a "formal complaint" today that some of you have felt a bit ghosted by my lack of posts and updates, so I promised I would do a brief update.

A text from a friend today that pretty much sums up the 2021 residency season for me

For those who are wondering, I have not given up on my surgery goals. I have submitted my completed applications, and since the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) officially opened to programs at 9am EST this morning, I am officially back in the residency program waiting game. Unlike prior years, I will share my experience with the entire process on my blog BUT you will have to wait until after Match Day in March 2021 to read about it. I don't want anything written to interfere with my chances, so while I plan to write frequent dated posts throughout the process, I will not actually hit the publish button on them until everything is all said and done. I will continue to post about things outside of this application season, and I am always happy to take requests if there is a topic you'd like me to address. What I can tell you regarding this season is I have only applied to surgery programs, and I continue to remain positive and hopeful that everything will work out the way it should.

Post work glow :)

As for work updates, I am still enjoying my work as an urgent care physician. If it weren't for my love of surgery and the fact that I deeply miss being in the operating room, I would be completely happy with this lifestyle. I work an average of 3-4 days a week, pretty much get to pick my schedule, the attending physician level pay is a plus, and I usually have time monthly to take a quick getaway or have a staycation for a few days. Plus, working in the urgent care setting offers a ton of variety, I still get to perform small surgical procedures in addition to suturing, and I rarely have to type up notes at home.  

 

Me and my not so little one

For those of you who care about mommy updates, my daughter continues to do well. She is currently attending school in-person, remains an Honor Roll student, and in a little less than 3 weeks, she will be turning 14 years old...Can you believe it?!?! This blog has been around for half of her life! She still remains very supportive of my surgery goals and loves to speak things into existence by telling all friends about her "surgeon mommy" :) My daughter remains the biggest reason why I continue to push forward and I hope to continue to make her as proud as she makes me.

I voted! Have you?

Despite being in a pandemic, my life hasn't changed much, so I don't have too much in the way of updates. I continue to stay pretty busy with work (COVID testing and telemedicine services have added a new layer to what I do), and I'm always keeping myself occupied with new activities. My recent hobby has been testing out new vegan recipe ideas, so I hope those of you who follow me on Instagram haven't been rolling your eyes with all of the food posts in my stories, LOL. I've also been trying to make a better effort at promoting my BOOK since a few people recently were super surprised that I wrote one, so don't be surprised if you see a few shameless plugs in each of my posts. Other than that, the most important thing I will end with is I don't care if it's via absentee ballot, mail-in, early voting (like I did last week), or in-person on Election Day, please do not forget to exercise the right that so many fought for you to have. GO VOTE!!!!

      

Featured on CBS46 News Atlanta

My first television appearance!

Happy New Year!!!! Last week I was given the opportunity to discuss the recent flu spike and its impact in Georgia on CBS46 News. 

I honestly had no idea I would be doing a news segment when I went to work that morning, and only had a few minutes to prepare for filming which took place in between seeing patients, but I'm always more than happy to educate my community. 

It was definitely a fun experience, and I look forward to doing more in the future. I am including it on the blog so that I have a fun memory to look back on. Plus, who knows? I may even get a chance to become a featured medical correspondent on national news one day ;) 

Click here to watch the full segment and let me know what you think: https://www.cbs46.com/news/flu-cases-on-the-rise-across-georgia/article_0d930d26-31a0-11ea-b505-cf0bcac45363.html

Life as an Urgent Care Physician

Managing more than just colds and coughs!

Since I've started practicing, a lot of you have reached out to me wondering what it's like working as an urgent care physician, and what a typical day entails. This post will hopefully give you a glimpse into my current role and answer a lot of your commonly asked questions.

How would you describe urgent care?

The best way to describe urgent care would be something along the lines of "Emergency Medicine meets Family Medicine (with a sprinkle of Surgery)." I manage patients from 3 months old to 100+ years old, and I get to do a little bit of everything. Whether I'm treating an asthma exacerbation, performing vaginal exams, managing fractures, suturing lacerations, doing incision and drainage procedures, or treating something as simple as a UTI (just to name a few), urgent care pretty much does it all. We don't treat super complex things like heart attacks or other life-threatening issues, but oftentimes these patients will come to the urgent care instead of going to the emergency room, and it is my job to stabilize them until EMS transport arrives to take them to the emergency room. We perform x-rays, EKGs, place splints and boots, and can even provide IV hydration if needed. We then refer to specialists for ongoing management if a patient requires continued care. Urgent care offers a great deal of variety and I think it's a really great way to keep clinical skills current while avoiding burn out.

What are the hours like?

Urgent care offers a very flexible lifestyle and the hours are pretty nice. The practice where I currently work has two locations, one that is open 9am - 1030pm seven days a week and the other that is typically open 9am - 8pm (with slightly earlier closing times on Fridays and on the weekend). At the location with longer hours, shifts are 9am - 4pm and 4pm - close. The other location usually just has one shift that lasts the entire day until closing time. I usually work until about an hour or so after closing time since we have a rule that as long as a patient walks in the door before the official closing time, they will be seen. Usually someone will walk in around 10:28pm with something more complex to deal with, which means I'm working until at least midnight or whenever that patient is fully managed. Despite this, the hours are still insanely better than any day in residency since I never worked less than a 12 hour shift on any given day during my training. 

What is the patient load?

I typically see an average of 20 patients per shift, but this number can vary by more or less depending on the day. It is a job that requires quick thinking and efficient management, but I have never felt super overwhelmed. Sometimes a ton of patients will all come into the waiting room at once, and other times it is a more steady flow of about 3 patients per hour.

Is there help?

When I work, I am the only physician on staff, so I am responsible for seeing and managing all the patients. There is a front desk person that checks everyone in, a medical assistant who does triage and any procedures I may need done (such as x-rays, injections, strep tests, giving IVs, etc.), and at the busier location, I also have a scribe who follows me into the room and types up the majority of my notes so that I can focus on patient care. During my training, I often split my work with at least one other individual and I usually had more senior residents and attending physicians to step in if I needed help. Urgent care differs in that I do not have anyone to split the load with, but I never truly feel alone as I can always call up one of the other physicians in the group for advice, to provide a second set of eyes on an x-ray image, or to even come in if I feel swamped and need help (thankfully I have not had to do this yet *knocks on wood*). Our medical malpractice insurance company also provides helpful resources such as UptoDate for free, so I always have access to the most current medical information and treatment guidelines for my patients.

How is your work-life balance?

My work-life balance now is spectacular compared to how it was during my training. Before I worked no less than twelve hour shifts per day at least six days a week with every third day consisting of a full 24 (which almost always turned into a twenty-eight) hour shift. Right now, I work an average of three days a week with shifts that range from seven hours to eleven hours. The most hours I have worked in one day since starting urgent care was 14.5 and that is only because I picked up another physician's shift and worked a double. I work less than half of what I did during my training, am more than fairly and doubly compensated, and I have time to explore my passions and do some of the things I love outside of medicine. Even better, we are asked for our desired work schedules in advance of each month's schedule being made, so I am able to plan trips and spend more time with my daughter. The work-life balance is without a doubt one of the best things I've got going for me right now, and it will surely be missed if I end up going back to residency.

What new insights have you gained from working at an urgent care?

Believe it or not, I have learned a lot working in urgent care and not all of it is medical. The main thing I have learned is the power of collaborative relationships. I don't think I truly appreciated the power of collaboration during my training (probably due to fatigue and the type of environment I was in), but now it is more evident than ever and a daily necessity. Whether I'm speaking to a radiologist about a patient I sent for an outpatient CT scan, getting advice from a specialist, or working with my staff to make sure a patient is fully taken care of, I am so appreciative of the collaboration that urgent care involves. It has also enhanced my teaching skills as I am frequently educating patients on things like why I will not prescribe antibiotics for their colds or the importance of seeing their primary care physicians for follow up care. Medicine truly is a team sport, and it sometimes takes many individuals working together to ensure a patient gets the most appropriate care. Additionally, working at an urgent care has strengthened my critical thinking and self-directed learning skills, and the beauty of having work-life balance has taught me a lot about self-worth and recognizing the signs of burn out. Lastly, I've gained more insight into my self as an individual. Whether it's been learning to trust my own inner knowledge base or recognizing my limits as a physician, I continue to work on myself daily and being in the urgent care setting has truly allowed me to continue to learn and grow as a physician.

I hope this sums it up and answers most of your questions, but if not, feel free to ask away in the comments below!

The Training Wheels are Off and the Doctor is In: An Update

My glow is back!

So many changes have occurred since my last full post! Over the past three months alone, my life has made a complete 180 degree turn, and I couldn't be happier at the moment. It was only six months ago when I found out yet again that I didn't match into a categorical general surgery spot, and it was so stressful worrying about how I would be able to pay bills, take care of my child, and still continue to live my dream of being a physician. I never could have imagined how smoothly everything would come together for me, and I can't help but feel anything other than blessed and thankful. I've finally settled down enough to write about my recent experiences, so this post will serve as a quick recap for your viewing pleasure :)

Goodbye Philly!

A few days after I officially finished my intern year, I packed up my belongings, sold what wouldn't fit in my car, and I made the long drive back from Pennsylvania to Georgia. During that time, I had no real plan on what I would do for work as I didn't have any jobs lined up, and I was still waiting to hear back from a couple of residency programs I interviewed at for open PGY-2 positions. I only knew I wanted to be back in the south and that I would figure out everything later. During the last week in June, I took the time to relax, hang out with a few friends I made while living there, and enjoy some sight seeing in Philadelphia one last time before I was gone for good!

Badge Official!

During my final week in Philadelphia, I submitted the application to obtain an unrestricted medical license in the state of Georgia (I had to wait until my final day of training to officially have a complete application), and I received the approval email around three weeks later. This approval meant I could finally start working as a general practitioner, and I immediately applied for various jobs in my area. I also spoke with an old classmate who connected me with an awesome urgent care physician who told me his clinic was looking for a new physician. Just a few days after this conversation, I had a chance to check out the clinic and interview with the owner. I started training the following week working alongside other physicians as I couldn't fully work on my own until my DEA license was approved. Luckily the approval took less than two weeks, and my training was paid, so it was a super smooth transition. By the first week of September, I was working full shifts as the only physician on staff, and as we near the end of the month, I am starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my new role. I guess you can say the training wheels are officially off since, for the time being, I am no longer a resident physician, but a fresh urgent care physician.

Mommy-Daughter Time!

This new position is such a welcome change from the stress of residency life. I am no longer working insane hours, I have great work-life balance with much more free time, and I actually get to spend time with my daughter. I agreed to let her continue to stay with my parents another year to enjoy band, her friends, and her dwindling time in middle school, but being only six hours away from her by car (and one hour by plane) is way better than the two flights or twenty hour drive it took from the northeast. We pretty much get to see each other in person now whenever we want, and it's kinda fun making random trips in the middle of the week to help with homework or just relax with my little one.

Third time's a charm?

This new chapter in life doesn't mean my long-term goals have changed just yet. I am still one stubborn individual, and I submitted my ERAS application for yet another go-round of the residency match cycle. Having to re-apply sucks, but the bright side is I didn't have to struggle to pay for my applications this cycle, and no matter the outcome, I know I will have a job this time next year. In the past, I've been pretty quiet about the process, but this time around I will share more about it on the blog to help out my medical student readers. I'll also write a post detailing urgent care life since people close to me have asked a lot of questions about it. As for now, I'm going to use the next few days I have off to relax, and I hope everyone reading this has an amazing weekend!