Another month gone... I think it started with an "M"...

March was good. Blurry, but good.

Took some tests. Did some studying. Thought about the future. Got rained on almost every day. Had a Spring Break. Felt a bit more settled and got into a better groove.

Started an Emergency Medicine preceptorship. I float between Peds and Adult medicine. I go wherever the doctor goes... :0) He's actually a great doc. Even personality, wealth of knowledge, excellent teacher, takes the time to teach when he can, very dedicated, etc. Am learning and getting to see some interesting things.

Am seeing the kinds of people who come through the ED. Some of them come through more than others. Some people think they belong there. Some people think they don't. Watched a surgeon put in a chest tube. Kind of cool. Learned how to tie suture left-handed from watching him. I knew I would learn things here... - Got to take a history for a girl having an apparent asthma challenge. Was nice to see her get better. - Sometimes it's hard to tell who is sick and who isn't. We just can't seem to find anything wrong with them. Seems crazy that someone would sue you when you are doing your best.

I like watching people as they are experiencing their lives - even if the ED is a challenging place to have experiences. I like helping them through those moments. As I see more people having those experiences, I have a new source of "experiential wisdom" that I can use to guide them through the maze.

The ED is a bizarre combination of folks from all walks of life finding themselves in the commonly human predicament of imperfection and vulnerability meeting mankind's technology and systems in the hands and minds of its proponents of goodwill. We do an interesting thing there. But, stepping back, it's mostly a business. Pressure exists to get things done, and the source of it seems to be hierarchical rather than "heart-archical". It feels more like a production line than a workday at church. There are just too many people waiting outside, and we never know how many more will be coming. The fact that the folks there care as much as they do is particularly amazing. They are a special breed.