So as of today I'm officially in my 2nd year of residency. Amazing the difference a day makes ... now I'm the oh-so-experienced 2nd-year helping the brand new 1st-year resident figure out the ropes, when last week I was the 1st-year! People keep asking me how much time I have off between finishing my first year and starting my second. I got a weekend. Not a long weekend, mind you, even though tomorrow is a statutory holiday, but at least I got a weekend. Some of my colleagues weren't so fortunate.
It's been a crazy year. I can't believe how much I've learned and grown! Amazing what a year of residency will do to you. Right now I'm feeling a bit worn down and in need of a break, so I'm not feeling too philosophical at the moment. Suffice it to say I'm glad this year is done, and I'm SO glad I'm moving on from this most recent 6-month rotation. It was good and awful at the same time. I've learned a ton, but I think if I had to be there any longer I would probably quit. So thank the Lord I'm moving on...sort of, anyway. I do have to help orient the new people this week, but I don't think I'll stick around much. Beyond that, I'm on call tomorrow and Wednesday at a different hospital where I haven't worked yet, so I'll be figuring out a new system. I hear it's a much nicer environment than where I've been the last while.
Maybe I'll have more to say about all this later. I feel like there is a lot of reflecting I could do. For now, though, I'm just glad to be moving on and don't want to think much more about it.
I still have the big splint on my wrist. Saw the physio on Friday again, and things are pretty tight and pretty inflamed. I'm trying not to be discouraged about it, but it doesn't help when people comment several times a day on what this means for my career as a surgeon, and ask me if I have good disability insurance. I don't want to go there! I know that God has called me to be a surgeon, and that He ordained this residency for me, and I really do believe that he has all this under control. I just don't see the whole picture right now, and I don't exactly know how long this is going to last. All I know is that I have the month of July as a bit of a break, since I'm doing research and just covering call for surgery, but come August I'm back at it. The Lord knows, and I'm just needing to trust Him in all this. I was doing pretty well with that until this week, and then it seemed like all the questions and comments were getting to me more than usual. ANYWAYS, I know God is in control, so I just need to rest in His love and His grace.
So tomorrow I'm on call again - this time as back up for the 1st-year resident who is on call. This means that her pager is the first one that goes off, and she just calls me if she needs help. Should theoretically make for a quieter time for me, but since she's brand new, I'm guessing I'll still be pretty busy. Oh well, better busy than bored, I guess, and I like teaching. Should be more and more of that as time goes on.
