Positive Points

I know most of my posts since starting residency have been pretty negative about things, but there are good points as well, so I though I should share.

• At least in the NICU my pager only goes off maybe once a day if at all
• I got to intubate a baby successfully on my first try last night
• Seeing some pretty cool things, such as a baby born with it's intestines outside it's body

I'm sure there are more, but that's about all I got right now. Of course there are all the positives such as taking care of people and helping families and all that stuff. That gets lost sometimes too. I had a couple of really good relationships with families last month on wards, including one who was there just about the entire month that I got to know really well. I think they were ready to leave their pediatrician and start seeing me instead. That's when I had to tell them that it was my first month and I was at least 4 years away from practicing. The other family was another father named Jason who was also a fellow cancer survivor. There have been many other moments and relationships big and small that have made an impact also. Hopefully I have made as big an impact on them as they have on me. Most days are stressful and busy, but it does feel really good at the end of the day to leave and know that I got it all accomplished. Right now I have a baby who was born at only 25 weeks, almost four full months early. It is so amazing that this baby has even survived, but the survival rate for that age is almost 90% now. It is a miracle to see such little hands and feet. Of course the eventual developmental and neurological outcome is a different story and debate to have at a later time. I think it's about bedtime for me, so this will be the end of today's story. Almost halfway through the month!