It's here...

The time has finally come. Residency is over. The post-residency break is over. This Monday, August 3, 2009 will my first working day as a full-fledged physician... after all these years. This past week I was involved in orientation. Although I pretty much know my way around this clinic and hospital, having been a resident here itself, there were still things I needed to learn and being hired as a physician involves some different steps than being hired as a resident.

My fellow orientees were a young dentist fresh out of dental school, a family practice doc fresh out of residency, a research scientist moving to our Research Foundation from Houston, TX where he was faculty, a neurosurgeon, fresh out of fellowship training and a bariatric surgeon. Quite a bunch! It was fun to hang out with these guys who are in the same boat as me: starting their careers as physicians at the Marshfield Clinic.

During the week, I was also able to tour the faclities at the Med-Peds department where I'll be working. I have my own office, with my name on the door. I have my own medical assistant. Monday is a fairly busy first day with 4 patients in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. I know. It doesn't sound like much. But it will be the first time I am seeing a patient in clinic without having to staff it with an attending. I dictate the note under my own signature, not under the supervision of someone else. I don't have to say "seen, examined and discussed with Dr.---" like I'v e done for the past 4 years.

I'm excited and scared. Excited to begin. Scared because I don't want to miss anything. No more is there anyone looking over my shoulder, making sure I haven't missed anything or that I'm not barking up the wrong tree.

Of course, life is not fancy free. I have the Internal Medicine board exams coming up on August 27 and there's a LOT of studying to be done for that (and not enough time).

All told though, I'm looking forward to my real working day and week.