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A Day In The Life: Anna McCormick, M.D. PGY2
In one 10 hour shift at The Ohio State University Medical Center's Emergency Department, I treated septic shock in a teenage drug user, performed a conscious sedation on patient with a forearm fracture, treated unstable angina, and cared for a patient with an acute ischemic stroke.
Never dull, one day's shift included 2 simultaneous traumas. As the senior resident hurried out to examine the trauma patients, she asked me to look at a patient brought in by EMS after a reported seizure. The patient had another seizure as I entered the room. Thankfully the seizure patient responded to ativan and I decided to load the patient with phosfenytoin.
I could go on in detail about every decision, but the thing prospective applicants should know about OSU is that you WILL LEARN how to care for sick patients.
Approximately 25% of our patients are admitted. You will see patients with diseases that you have never heard of--so rare that you will likely never come across them again in a lifetime of practice. Some of this diversity is the natural result of a diverse population. You may care for a dentist in one bed, a homeless alcoholic in another bed, and a college freshman in a third, all in the same shift. I came here because I am confident that when I leave I will be prepared to work in any type of emergency department whether it be community, academic, or county.
When I come home, I look forward to hearing about my husband's day in law school. I find it particularly entertaining to hear about medicine from a different (translated wrong) perspective (is the unsatisfactory result of plastic surgery a breach of contract between the patient and physician for example). After eating supper and watching Hardball and Tucker with my husband, I read a little. Soon it's time for bed as I will be working tomorrow morning bright and early. Who knows what is in store...
When I get a few days off in a row, Columbus is an affordable city with fantastic shopping and great restaraunts. When friends or family visit we often hit Easton Mall and Bar Louie, or swing by the Cap City Diner for chocolate cake.
Living the dream... by Daniel Bachmann, M.D. PGY1
With my lunch and water bottle in hand, I head out the door on my way to Nationwide Children's Hospital of Columbus. The 3pm-1am shift is probably the busiest one at their Emergency Department throughout the day. Today is no different and the waiting room is filling as I head toward the hub of the department. My first patient is a referral from over two hours south of Columbus, Ohio. As one of the busiest pediatric emergency departments in the country, we routinely see patients from West Virginia, Kentucky, and the entire state of Ohio. This child is only four weeks old but will he will soon undergo cardiac surgery to repair the large VSD which we diagnosed with an echocardiogram in the ED. Not all of the patients are nearly as complex as he is, though it is equally fulfilling to diagnose and quickly reduce a nursemaid's elbow in my next patient room. As I am evaluating a febrile infant during my next encounter, I was surprised by how much easier pediatric lumbar punctures are than adults ones. When I get a few moments of down time, I check on the status a patient that I admitted the day before with a first-time diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta. The attending I worked with that day had remarked that even he had never made that diagnosis in the ED. With two pediatric-boarded emergency physicians in the ED 24/7, there is never a lack of expertise and experience for even these rare cases. And as a first year resident, I am both allowed and encouraged to manage patients with all levels of acuity. As the evening continues at a steady pace, the trauma alerts start to become more frequent. I see several "bread & butter" pediatric cases in a row-admitting a girl with appendicitis to Surgery while sending a boy with croup and a baby with a febrile seizure home. About two-thirds of the way through my shift I take the opportunity to grab some pizza from the residents' lounge. I staff one of my last cases this shift with the Pediatric Emergency Fellow. After resuscitating and stabilizing this diabetic child with DKA, we arrange for his transfer to the PICU. A fellow intern who is working the overnight shift assumes care of my remaining two patients and I am headed toward home by 1:30am.
Since I don't work again until 9pm the next evening, I take advantage of the beautiful fall weather to go hiking with my wife and daughter at one of Columbus' many Metroparks. We stop at the North Market in downtown Columbus for some specialty foods on our way to dinner in the Short North area. I use the time after dinner to read two articles on syncope in preparation for our monthly journal club. With a "goodnight" to my family, I am out the door with anticipation for what is waiting at the ED tonight.
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