Kiddo Viruses

Blech.

I am sick ... the runny nose and watering eyes and sneezing every five minutes kind of sick.

One of the cute kiddos on the inpatient pediatrics ward got me sick, I am pretty sure. No amount of hand-washing is going to keep you healthy on that floor! I have heard from several residents that you are sick pretty much throughout your entire residency until you build immunity to all the bugs we encounter. So goes life on the front lines.

My four-week break is most certainly over, as I am back to the 5 a.m. mornings and 12-hour days. Week one of pediatrics is under my belt, and I'm really enjoying myself thus far. My inpatient floor sees general pediatrics patients, as well as the little ones with neurology, pulmonary, and cardiology diseases. I care for two patients at a time, so I really get to know them, their parents, and their condition. Kids are most certainly not little adults --- and just like geriatrics, they definitely need their own dedicated field of medicine, especially for the really sick ones. Working with children is very rewarding because a lot of them do come around and come around strong, and none of them had anything to do with the conditions they face. You don't generally meet two-year-olds who have worn down their livers because of alcohol or five-year-olds with lung cancer caused by smoking.

Over the next five weeks, I'll spend one more on the inpatient ward, a week in the newborn nursery, one week in the acute care clinic, one week over in Bettendorf, and one week in the endocrine specialty clinic. Nothing like coming to work every day knowing you get to play with kids!