[ 5:30AM ]
Both my alarms (alarm clock and TV) go off at 5:30 AM. I wake to upbeat music to get me up and jump-started for the day. In particular, I will usually have Reggaeton, Reggae or Afrobeats music playing loud enough to get me out of bed, especially artists like Bad Bunny, Sean Paul and Davido. I absolutely hate morning so I need as much mental stimulation as possible to get me going. Time to brush my teeth and wash my face!
[ 5:45AM ]
To start the day off, I go up to the 13th floor of my apartment complex where I will get in a good workout. During the summer, I tend to use the pool more because I was a swimmer in college. Workouts are one of my ways of relieving stress. Staying fit in residency is important to keep myself healthy, especially if I am going to be preaching to my patients about good behaviors around exercise. Once I’m done, I need to shower and get ready. Who knows what awaits me at work today!
[ 6:50AM ]
I’m off to start my work day over at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. My first stop is the free coffee on the first floor of my apartment complex. My apartment is 2 blocks from the hospital in Streeterville, which gives me the freedom and flexibility of when to leave and get to the hospital. Some days I have to be there earlier than others, so it’s nice knowing that no matter how early I need to get to work, I can always get there within a few minutes. Besides, growing up in Georgia, cold weather and I aren’t well acquainted yet. In due time!
[ 7AM ]
Around this time I’m at my computer pre-rounding on patients. This month, I’m on the Spinal Cord Injury service. I have patients with complex histories and diagnoses that I’m caring for on my service. Pre-rounding includes looking at vitals, morning labs, and any overnight events documented by the resident-on-call. I also try to make a daily to-do list so I can get things done efficiently as possible and stay organized. As a resident, it is my job to collect this information to help guide morning rounds. I look forward to seeing how we can help our patients for the day. At the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, we have the opportunity to see a diverse variety of diagnoses, many of whom are medically complex. It is important to keep up with their in-hospital medical issues as well as their rehabilitation progress. These responsibilities are the things I have to think about in the morning.
[ 7:30AM/7:45AM ]
Time for rounds! The attending and I are ready to go see our multiple patients face-to-face. Sometimes we have a medical student or a fellow join us on rounds. This is the most variable part of the day. If everyone is stable, rounds don’t take long. Although, often it is easy to get caught up in that interesting conversation with a patient about who won the Super Bowl that weekend or any major current events going on in the world. On some services, a patient may be medically unstable or may require more of our attention. During this time, if there is an immediate concern for medical stability, we transfer them to ER of Northwestern Memorial Hospital (just down the street) to get worked up and treated for any pressing issues that require acute care attention. Like I said, who knows what waits for me at work today!
[ 11:30AM ]
Usually, I´ve had time to finish rounds and get back to write some daily progress notes. Then I will start looking at the virtual board for any new admissions in the afternoon until it is time for Team Conference – an interdisciplinary meeting during which we discuss each patient’s rehabilitation course. The conference typically involves doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, and case managers. It is my job to lead the discussion amongst the interdisciplinary team. I will start by talking about the patient’s medical status and any outstanding medical issues or barriers we have come across. The rest of the team will present their observations, therapy goals and different medical and social concerns. Then, we will all discuss these goals and the plans for discharge. Every patient is different and this meeting is a team-oriented session that demonstrates how each specialty’s input is important. This collaboration also allows us all to have face-to-face interaction in determining the best overall plan for each patient.
[ 12:15PM ]
This time is protected for our resident lecture series! Attending physicians or special guests will educate us on various subjects that relate to Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, burns, musculoskeletal pathology, etc. We are fortunate to have lectures given by many different experts in our field across the diversity of PM&R subspecialties. On Thursdays, we have Journal Club in which a resident presents a recent research article so we all stay on top of the current literature. Today’s lecture featured, Dr. Richard Harvey who lectured on how to conduct and analyze proper research.
[ 1:15PM ]
After lecture is a great time to catch up with some of my co-residents. We generally have a good laugh or two before going back to work. Ask one of my co-residents who carved my face on a pumpkin for Halloween! The jokes never stop.
The rest of the afternoon varies day by day. Sometimes I have notes I need to finish, labs to follow up on, or new admissions coming in who I have to go see. The day ranges from no admissions, which allows me time to check up on my patients and even watch them during therapies, to multiple admissions, which means I’m writing an H&P, reviewing admission medications, placing orders, and coordinating the transition of care for the new patients. Other days you also find that issues arise with the patients already on your service. Taking care of these rehabilitation patients and learning from them can keep you busy!
[ 4:25PM ]
Today is great, because my newly admitted patient came in the early afternoon, which made the day run smoothly! Now, I can sign out my patients to the resident-on-call (ROC). The ROC will be here all night with a nocturnist, together overseeing 200+ patients in the hospital and addressing any medical concerns or emergencies. As a second year resident, we take one ROC call every 14 days on average, which is very different from intern year! On average third year residents take call every month and fourth year residents only take 4-5 calls the entire year.
[4:30PM]
Our sports medicine attending is giving us a lecture and demonstration today on Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. I want to take advantage of these opportunities because I am interested in pursuing a career in Musculoskeletal/Sports medicine. We get a lot of hands on opportunity to further our own clinical interests in the field. It is great to have access to all this equipment and opportunities for learning.
[ 5:15PM ]
I need to get my personal projects outside the hospital done. This work includes making edits to my research papers, working on projects and following up on emails. My most recent research study allows me to use more of my public health background. I continue to collaborate with a Sports Medicine group where I went to medical school to analyze data collected by the CDC to identify barriers and opportunities for participation in sports in youth in Baltimore, MD. It is nice to have the freedom to pursue projects tailored to your own interests. This project entails my interest in developing health promotion and injury prevention recognition criteria, an area which complements the injury prevention and policy implementation research I recently completed with USA Lacrosse. Those findings are now in the process of publication.
[ 6:40 PM ]
The work day is over and my brain needs a break from staring at computers and papers. As a resident, I spend most of the day concerned with the needs of others, so now is an opportunity to focus on me. I try to hang out with good friends and enjoy activities out in the city. It’s so easy to get caught up in the world of medicine that you neglect to make time for people close to you. Today, some of my favorite people and I are going to play laser tag, which I have not played since I was a child. There is a lot of running, screaming, bumping into each other…we have a blast! Connecting with these people are what make my days worth it! Although, it can get pretty intense when all of us get extremely competitive about laser tag or any other activity we choose, like archery as well.
[ 8:30PM ]
[ 10PM ]
Call me a dork, but I am a HUGE fan of any comic book-related media. In this case, The Flash on the CW is my favorite TV show right now. I missed last night’s episode, so I get to stream that episode on the CW website. Every day is another show, including Black Lightning, Supergirl, Young Justice, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. There is no better way to end the night than on a cliffhanger!
[ 11PM ]
It usually takes me a while to decompress after watching an awesome episode. Sometimes, I will put in a few minutes to clean up my apartment or read an article before bed.
[ 12AM ]
Time for bed. I’m a night owl. Sometimes, I get distracted by a little Netflix (Narcos Mexico Season 2, this time). Well, tomorrow is another day in the life of a PGY2 PM&R resident and I am ready for whatever comes. Good Night!!