My first day...

...wasn't all that bad!

But, I don't want to get ahead of myself. I went pretty slowly, I only saw 5 patients. Some of the patients that I saw didn't have anything wrong with them, so talking with them and updating their records was a bit easy.

I did get to help in a procedure though! I helped remove someone's in-grown toenail. Yes, you may laugh, but I finally got to do something. :)

This is definitely a different experience from my RUOP. At my RUOP, if a patient didn't want to see me, I didn't get to see them. In this situation, I am introduced as the person that is going to talk with the patient first, without question. Of course, the patient is never seen by only me at this stage. So the only thing that the patient has to endure is telling their story about 1.5x.

I am also getting things right at this site. Of course, not everything, but there were a few times that I was able to answer a question that the doctor didn't think I would know. That gave me the warm and fuzzy feeling.

I also am realizing where I falter in confidence. There were 2 times today that I had the correct diagnosis, but I didn't think that it would be it (only because I was questioning myself). And, it turned out, I was correct. So frustrating! I guess that I am so worried that I will be labeled as arrogant and egotistical that I am pushed into the other direction of seeming like I am just not sure of myself and that I have to make apologies for everything that I do.

I should work on that.

My favorite patient of the day was actually my first patient. He came in with his wife because he fell asleep while driving and they were trying to figure out why (It is slightly more complicated than that but I can't really go into the details, of course). When he was informed that he was my first patient as a 3rd year medical student, he genuinely seemed interested in how I was doing and he was happy to be a part of my education. Are you kidding? I am about to put him through questioning twice, be all nervous in front of him, and give him an awkward physical exam but yet he was still happy to be a part of it all.

I LOVE working with patients! This is why I went into medical school. After the hell, otherwise known as second year, that I went through, I am reminded what I signed up for. I only hope that I don't lose that excitement.