Happy housewarming/last fam med day!

Last night my housemate threw a housewarming party! She has only owned the house for about 1 month and had friends and family over to celebrate this new step in her life. There was good conversation, great food, and thoughtful cards/gifts throughout the evening.

Gifts of Tupperware!

It seems strange to me that someone my age owns a house, but I guess it would be more common in smaller towns. And it makes sense...there are "relatively cheaper" houses located in great locations in Bridgewater. And there's only so much rent one can pay before you're tired of your money disappearing before your eyes. The Halifax equivalent would just be a condo.

This was also my last day in family medicine and it was a good one! One of the most interesting patients was one who presented with CLASSIC symptoms of MI: chest discomfort increasing in frequency and intensity, spreading up the chest and down the left arm, waking up at night from chest pain and shortness of breath, tachycardic on presentation...it was crazy! I'm a bit sad that this is it for family med but am also excited for internal medicine next week!

Well, it's time to head home now. Just had supper and packed my things. More updates will come with this Canada Day weekend :)

Yummm...mixed green salad with salmon!

Thoughts on family med...

There are some aspects about family medicine (rural, in particular) that I love. Getting to know the patients on a more personal level, relative control over your own schedule, knowing a bit about a LOT of health conditions... . The bonus of practicing in a rural setting is the opportunity to do rounds in the hospital (emerg, ICU, etc) to see your own patients or being asked to assist in surgical procedures. I have to admit, family medicine is very appealing right now. I think one of the biggest struggles for me would be monotony (although that is a possibility in any speciality) as well as the fact that the majority of what is treated is chronic pain and mental health. Don't get me wrong, I think these are two areas that definitely require care! But am I passionate about this field? I don't know. But I would say the same about pretty much any specialty right now.

Today was definitely a roaster! Apparently it only got up to 21 degrees but felt a lot warmer in the sun!! When I got back from the clinic I had supper (same as yesterday...I am in love with the bread that I bought!) and then went for a 10k bike ride on the Centennial Trail. It definitely feels good to be biking again! I love going FAST and feeling the breeze in my face! I also like that my knee doesn't bother me at all while biking. Downside? Bugs...in my eye...ewww. That happened about 3x during the excursion. Next time I'll be sure to wear sunglasses!

When getting back I had a snack - some organic hummus and a 1lb bag of baby carrots. Wow. 1lb. It just hit me that I have a pound of baby carrots in my stomach! Haha.

I'm gonna drink some tea and relax tonight...maybe watch something online while crosstitching. I am an old woman at heart! Maybe the resident cat, Maxi, will join me :). Say hello to Maxi!

Hello Bridgewater!

I'm finally here! After months of emails and paperwork I have arrived in Bridgewater for the NS Preceptorship program. I am with a family doc in the area and had my first day with him yesterday. Man...did we ever fly through patients!! This experience is a lot different than rural week, where I was with another family doc who was still setting up practice and taking new patients. I do enjoy the fast pace - I get to learn a lot and talk to several interesting people.

As far as accommodations are concerned, I'd like to think I lucked out :). I actually only found out I was in Bridgewater on Friday afternoon which gave me...a little over 48 hrs to find affordable accommodations in the area!!! I'm staying in a house with 3 other girls and the space is quite comfortable. And the best news? The hospital and clinic I'm at this week are less than a 15 minute walk away (although, I did walk in the wrong direction yesterday which put me 5 minutes behind...oops!).

What are my biggest concerns coming here? To be honest, Bridgewater doesn't feel that small. The town really has everything it needs and it's all within walking distance of where I am. I think I'm more scared that I'll get out of shape which is why I brought my bike :D. I'm looking to do some good trails while I'm here. Oh, and one of my housemates is into running! Yay! I also was afraid that my diet would go down the drain but am feeling more reassured after grocery shopping with my mom yesterday. Check out what I ate for supper!

Well, gotta head off for another day of shadowing!