Gen Surg

Well, I guess I better chime in to all of you work-aholics and let you know what to expect in your Surgery month with Matlin. First off, he's a great guy, great teacher, let's you do tons of stuff, but it all comes at the cost of scratching his back (and cracking it a little)...some of the seniors have told me that the rotation is great, if there is a med student on with you. Well, they must be right, because there is no med student on with me and it is WORK! This morning was a 12-hour shift, from 6 a to 6 p and tomorrow will start at 5 am. He says if there are students on with him, they sometimes come in at 3 am!! Anyways, he likes to round at 6 or 7 am and he wants all of his patient's pre-rounded on. I thought I could do it all in one hour this morning, but I was a little bit ambitious and finished half of the patients before he got there at 7 am. Following rounds, he's had 5-8 cases per half day, and then clinic the rest of the day, not to mention a daily jaunt to JCL for some cases. So, I've been a little worn ragged (he keeps you busy the whole time--writing pre-op notes, getting his ipod set up), but it's been ok and he's a great guy--done 3 intubations and a lot of suturing already. I hope you all make it through this month--we'll all be a lot smarter and worn down at the end of the month.