Happy Independence Day!

Reasons to feel independent:

1) Graduated out of residency!!! Woohooo!

2) Starting new life as an attending while having a nice transition by doing a fellowship

3) LIFE OUT OF MY NYC SHOEBOX and into my brand new apt which isn't large, but feels luxurious in comparison with my brand new furniture, awesome 46" tv, and a real bed!

4) I don't have to be chief anymore!

I'm going to miss the life of NYC and being able to get anything / do anything whenever I want, but I won't miss the traffic, the paradoxical culture-less population, the people congestion, the dirtiness, etc. Already in my apartment I love the fact that I can't hear much street traffic, I've got a great view of the long island sound, I'm surrounded by unique boutiques / bookstores / art shops, and the people seem naturally happier. I definitely won't miss the drama of my old hospital (and there was tons of it in June, even up to my last week which I had to sort out as the out-going chief, even though I was on vacation) :).

So I spent most of the weekend with a quiet one in, gradually sorting out my piles of clutter, building my new ikea furniture (my whole apt is best buy, ikea or bed bath and beyond) and finally making what feels like a home. My family left, which is a shame but I don't think there was much excitement on this family vacation this time. Hopefully there will be more exciting trips planned because that makes two dud vacations this year (Shanghai which we did not like, and this one where most of it was spent with graduation and me moving out of my apt, although we did have a very enjoyable massive shopping day where we all stimulated the economy)

Today was my official first day of fellowship, but there's nothing clinical yet so I still have a little downtime. Met some nice folks in my apt. complex, a couple people who are ED like me and who I'll be working closely with so I now have some potential company.

Things to check out: outdoor trails, and THE POOL!

Happy New Year 2011!

First off, some resolutions (okay, 15 days late...but still... ) for the rest of the year

1) I will not let others get to me and I will be more patient with the stupidity of others (yeah yeah I know that sounds condescending, but it's what I need to tell myself before I explode at them). Try to be more patient because patience is not my strong suit
2) Go to the gym more - already making progress on that one!
3) Eat better - ok, not making so much progress there but because of all my night shifts lately, I'm nearly down to my high school weight!
4) Explore and enjoy NYC more before I leave - this will have to wait until after the exams
5) Go snowboarding!! - haven't made it yet this season!
6) Study Study Study - congrats to me for getting an Ivy League fellowship, but I better make it stick and not look foolish up there
7) Find that old optimism I used to have and start each day with a clean slate and look at each relationship I have through clean glasses
8) Find time for creative activities so that I can feel more balanced

I've got a lot of positive things to look forward to, especially in the first half of this year. First off, I'm going to my US fellowship at an Ivy League place full of history and tradition (I love that kind of stuff!) so already I feel I'm finally kick-starting my career.

After 2.5 years of residency, I really do feel like I'm ready to be an attending. There's some knowledge-based things that I really need to hone up before I get there, but in terms of spirit and attitude, I'm ready to handle anything thrown at me. It's nice when your attendings tell you as well, "You looking forward to this yet? You're ready and you'll be great!" Positive feedback is always so endearing. I've just finished two weeks at Harlem. Got a great thoracotomy case (my 2nd) and this one I saw up close and personal. I have the pictures to prove it, which I can't post unfortunately for legal reasons. Got a pure inhalational smoke injury which was a fantastic case, and between Harlem and Monte, I've gotten a lot of tubes on the first attempt. Although many codes come into the ER already DOA, I feel like I know how to handle them.

I feel like my residency has been a success, although I haven't achieved as much on the research end as I have wanted to. I'm comfortable with most cases, sick or FP-like. I'm comfortable with procedures. I'm happy with my patient through-put. I wish I had more time for reading or my elective or research, but we can't have everything. I'll get more of that during my fellowship, so c'est la vie! I definitely wish I had more time for creative venues, but that might change in the future, who knows?